Current Events in June 2020

Blue light glasses

Experts are finding correlations between blue light from the various screens we use all day and sleeplessness. One way to lower the exposure is by using blue light glasses. Blue light glasses cut a majority of blue light exposure and may also help with strained vision and headaches.

A new mattress

An old and uncomfortable mattress can affect your sleep. The discomfort you feel at night may keep you awake and ruin a good day, so check out our mattress guide to see several options.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 2,026,073 (2,009,238)

Total U.S. deaths: 113,883 (113,209 )

Total global cases: 7,550,933 (7,432,275)

Total global deaths: 422,136 (418,052)

Polio vaccine could help against COVID-19

Health experts writing in Science Magazine say it’s possible that an existing polio vaccine could prove effective against the coronavirus (COVID-19). They point out that the vaccination given to children also protects against some other infections.

The authors say the polio vaccine, which is given orally, uses a weakened version of the polio virus. They say these types of vaccines normally produce a strong and long-lasting immune response.

Should the polio vaccine prove to be effective against the coronavirus, experts say it could be quickly deployed since it’s cheap and widely available.

Oregon hits the pause button

Gov. Kate Brown has announced a seven-day pause on reopenings in the state after a spike in new coronavirus cases. The state is experiencing an increase in positive cases after easing restrictions on outdoor activities in early May and reopening retail stores on May 15.

“This one-week pause will give public health experts time to assess what factors are driving the spread of the virus,” Brown said in a statement on Twitter. “I will use the data we see in the next week to determine whether to lift this pause or extend it.

Restaurant sales are rising

From fast food to the priciest steak house, restaurants got hammered by the coronavirus. While most were able to pivot to take-out and delivery only, sales haven’t come close to what they enjoyed before the pandemic.

That may now be changing. In states that have begun to lift restrictions, restaurants are reopening dining rooms, but at reduced capacity and with other health safety measures in place. 

An NPD Group report shows restaurant transactions at the end of May were 18 percent below the year before, the first time the decline has been below 20 percent.

Alaska offers alternative to 14-day quarantine

Alaska hasn’t had that many cases of the coronavirus, and state officials want to keep it that way. They’ve been requiring people entering the state to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The Alaska Department of Health has now revised that mandate, saying travelers entering the state may enter Alaska without undergoing a 14-day quarantine if they:

• Provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure; tests taken up to five days from departure will be accepted, but travelers need to take another test upon arrival; or

• Test upon arrival in Alaska, maintaining quarantine at their own expense until test results are known; or

• Belong to the critical infrastructure workforce and follow their company's protective plan on file with the state; or

• Previously had COVID-19, are recovered, and can provide evidence of both.

Consumers give the Postal Service some love

People love to complain about the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) but the USPS is getting some respect during the pandemic. When The Harris Poll asked consumers to name the most essential companies during the shutdown, the USPS was number one.

The rest of the top 10 essential companies selected by consumers are, in order;  Clorox, Google, United Parcel Service, Walmart, Amazon, Purell, Microsoft, FedEx, and CVS.

"When they needed it the most, Americans put their trust in the business community to help them through COVID-19," said John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll. "We've seen widespread approval of the corporate response to the pandemic – whether pivoting to different goods and services, reinforcing supply chains, or seeking cures for the deadly virus."

Around the nation

• Florida: Attorney General Ashley Moody has issued a consumer alert about a new scam targeting seniors with offers of fake COVID-19 grants. Scammers are contacting seniors via Facebook Messenger, email, and text message to offer these sham grants and request upfront payment as insurance for the expedited delivery of grant money.

• Georgia: Gov. Brian Kemp has renewed the public health state of emergency, which will continue through July 12. That means the state’s price-gouging regulation is back in force. “Our office will not tolerate attempts to use this public health crisis to exploit consumers,” said Attorney General Chris Carr.

• Minnesota: Movie theaters in the state are now allowed to reopen but are limited to 25 percent capacity. Mann Theatres plans to reopen its 12 theaters on June 26 after establishing social distancing protocols.

A new study found that volunteers can experience a number of positive benefits, both mental and physical, for the work that they do. 

Dr. Eric S. Kim, lead investigator of the study, believes that our minds and bodies are rewarded when we choose to give to others -- and that sentiment was confirmed by his team’s findings.

“Our results show that volunteerism among older adults doesn’t just strengthen communities, but enriches our own lives by strengthening our bonds to others, helping us feel a sense of purpose and well-being, and protect us from feelings of loneliness, depression, and hopelessness,” he said. 

Greater well-being from altruism

To understand how volunteering can benefit those doing the volunteer work, the researchers looked at over 13,000 survey responses to the Health and Retirement Study. All of the participants were over the age of 50. 

The researchers analyzed over 30 factors that could be affected by volunteering, including health behaviors like drinking and smoking habits and psychological measures like social interactions and optimism. The results revealed that volunteering as few as two hours per week significantly boosted the participants’ mental and physical well-being. 

The researchers learned that participants who kept up a regular volunteering schedule were more likely to engage in physical activity outside of volunteering. However, the researchers couldn’t pinpoint how volunteering affected conditions like diabetes or obesity, or behaviors like smoking and drinking. 

From a mental standpoint, participants who volunteered regularly were less likely to report depressive symptoms, had fewer feelings of hopelessness, and developed a greater sense of purpose in their day-to-day lives. 

Volunteering more post-pandemic

Because this study focused primarily on older consumers, the researchers also found that participants had much stronger cognitive function as a result of volunteering. 

While the current COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to continue regular volunteer duties, particularly for older people who are one of the most at-risk groups, the researchers hope that more consumers can give back to their communities in this positive way when the virus settles down. 

“When the COVID-19 crisis finally subsides, we have a chance to create policies and civic structures that enable more giving in society,” said Dr. Kim. “Some cities were already pioneering this idea before the pandemic and quarantine, and I hope we have the willingness and resolve to do so in a post-COVID-19 society as well.” 

After initially barring its employees from wearing Black Lives Matter attire, Starbucks has changed course and decided to allow team members to wear clothes with the message. 

On Friday, the coffee chain announced that not only would it be lifting the restriction, but that it would make 250,000 shirts supporting the movement. 

Starbucks told employees in a memo last week they would not be permitted to wear clothing or accessories that mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement out of concern that it could be misconstrued and increase the risk of confrontation. 

The company just recently penned a new memo to employees that read, "we've heard you want to show your support, so just be you. Wear your BLM pin or t-shirt."

"We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity," Friday's statement said. "We trust you to do what's right while never forgetting Starbucks is a welcoming third place where all are treated with dignity and respect."

Supporting Black Lives Matter movement

In the new memo, titled “Standing together against racial injustice,” Starbucks said it would be designing new t-shirts to “demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity.” 

Until these shirts arrive, company executives encouraged employees to express their support of the movement through apparel of their own. 

“These are alarming, uncertain times and people everywhere are hurting,” the company said. “You’ve told us you need a way to express yourself at work, asking: ‘Do you understand how I feel!? Do you understand the black community is in pain?’” 

“We see you. We hear you. Black Lives Matter. That is a fact and will never change,” the company said. 

While a good night of sleep can be hard to come by for many consumers, a new study explored how recent quarantine measures have affected sleep quality. 

According to researchers from the University of Basel, consumers are sleeping more since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the majority of that sleep hasn’t been restful. 

“The improved individual sleep-wake timing can presumably be attributed to an increased flexibility of social schedules, for instance due to more work being accomplished from home,” the researchers wrote. “However, this unprecedented situation also led to a significant increase in self-perceived burden, which was attendant to the decrease in sleep quality. These adverse effects may be alleviated by exposure to natural daylight as well as physical exercising.” 

Pros and cons of sleep during quarantine

The researchers had over 430 participants complete an online survey that assessed their sleeping patterns and habits. Participants also reported on what their lives looked like both before and during these stay-at-home orders, including what their typical sleeping schedule looked like before quarantine, and how their work and social lives were affected. The overwhelming majority of participants were working from home while the study took place.  

Overall, the researchers learned that participants reported sleeping nearly an hour more each night since being at home; however, sleep quality was on the decline. Participants were found to be sleeping longer since being quarantined than they were before. Because commutes have been eliminated for many consumers, it’s possible to get more sleep in and wake up later than they typically would be able to.

The researchers believe that poorer sleep quality could be tied to an influx of stressors coming into play. Consumers are now contending with things they never had to consider before. Although working from home has given people longer nights of sleep, the added stress has made it difficult to relax. 

“This suggests that the sleep-wake patterns of those surveyed were guided by internal biological signals rather than social rhythms,” said researcher Dr. Christine Blume. 

Moving forward, the researchers recommend that consumers stay active. Not only is physical activity an immune system booster, but it can give consumers the opportunity to get outdoors and get their blood flowing. 

Walgreens and CVS have announced that they will stop the practice of locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and women of color. 

“We are currently ensuring multicultural hair care and beauty products are not stored behind locked cases at any of our stores,” Walgreens said in a statement to The Associated Press. 

The changes in store policies come less than three weeks after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, an event which set off numerous protests against police brutality and racism and sparked a nationwide push for change. 

Addressing inequality

In an effort to make amends, retailers have put an end to certain practices that perpetuate racial inequity. Walmart said Wednesday that it would stop locking up beauty products aimed at black women. 

“We’re sensitive to the issue and understand the concerns raised by our customers and members of the community and have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products in locked cases,” Walmart said in a statement. 

Black consumers like Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, a digital marketing and social media leader in the retail and beauty space, said she’s stopped going to stores that keep beauty products locked up. Not only is there typically a long wait for sales associates to unlock the products, but she says having to request to have an item unlocked makes her feel embarrassed and disrespected. 

“It sends a message of being prosecuted as soon as you walk in, disrespected and generalized in a way that is psychologically troubling because it is based on the race of your skin or where you live and nothing more," Bracken-Ferguson said.

Amazon announced on Thursday that it’s banning police use of its facial recognition technology, Rekognition, for one year. The company said it’s halting the use of technology until officials establish tougher rules regarding its use. 

“We’ve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology,” Amazon said in a blog post. 

The e-commerce giant didn’t exactly say why it was suspending use of the technology, but it noted that Congress “appears ready” to create more stringent regulations pertaining to the use of facial recognition. 

Establishing rules

Amazon’s statement comes just two days after IBM announced that it would be exiting the general-purpose facial recognition game, mainly due to its potential to be used for racial profiling and mass surveillance. IBM said Thursday that facial recognition or analysis software could be used by police to violate "basic human rights and freedoms, which would violate its values. 

“We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested,” Amazon said in a blog post. 

In its brief announcement, Amazon didn’t specifically mention the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. However, the company’s announcement comes less than two weeks after the incident. Floyd’s death set off numerous protests against police brutality and racism and sparked a nationwide push for change. 

Amazon will still allow facial recognition to be used for commercial purposes and organizations like the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children to help find victims of human trafficking. 

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 1,352 model year 2020 E450s, AMG E63Ss, GLC300s, AMG GLC43s, AMG GLC63s, AMG GT53s and AMG GT63s with rear seatbacks that can be electrically unlatched.

The left-rear seatback latch may not be strong enough to withstand certain loads. If cargo were to strike the left-rear seatback, the latch may fail.

Failure of the latch in a crash can increase the risk of injury.

What to do

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left-rear seatback latch free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin August 4, 2020.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at (800) 367-6372.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 2,009,238 (1,988,491)

Total U.S. deaths: 113,209 (112,311)

Total global cases: 7,432,275 (7,283,709)

Total global deaths: 418,052 (412,745)

FDA approves another coronavirus test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to speed up its regulatory process. It has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Illumina, Inc. for the first coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnostic test utilizing next-generation sequence technology. 

The company’s COVIDSeq Test uses respiratory specimens collected from individuals suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider. The process means that the test can generate information about the genomic sequence of the virus present in a sample, which can be also used for research purposes.

"Having a next-generation sequencing diagnostic tool available will continue to expand our testing capabilities. Additionally, genetic sequencing information will help us monitor if and how the virus mutates, which will be crucial to our efforts to continue to learn and fight this virus," said FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn.

Coronavirus changing food consumption patterns

A survey of consumers finds an overwhelming number -- nearly 85 percent -- say the pandemic has changed their food consumption habits The annual Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) says most people made changes in the way they cook, eat, shop, and think about food over the last three months.

With restaurants limited to takeout service, about 60 percent of consumers said they have been cooking more at home. Ali Webster, IFIC's director of research and nutrition communications, said many of the changes appear to have been for the better.

"A higher percentage of people said that they were eating healthier than they usually do as a result of the pandemic,” Webster said. 

Jobless benefits claims fall again

New claims for unemployment benefits remain historically high but continue their pattern of falling in recent weeks.

For the week ending June 6, the Labor Department reports 1,542,000 people filed for the first time, a decrease of 355,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 20,000 to 1,897,000. 

The long-term trend also continues to improve. The four-week moving average of new claims last week was 2,002,000, a decrease of 286,250 from the previous week's revised average. In May, the Labor Department put the unemployment rate at 13.3 percent.

Science to publish two papers on Regeneron’s antibody cocktail

Regeneron reports that the journal Science will publish two papers detailing how its newly created novel two-antibody cocktail, REGN-COV2, has the potential to slow the spread of COVID-19. The articles will be published online on Monday, June 15.

At the same time, the drug company announced that REGN-COV2 has entered human clinical trials. Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulo says research has shown individual antibodies might not be strong enough to counter the virus.

"The concept that drug cocktails can prevent viral escape has previously been demonstrated for traditional antiviral drugs used to treat HIV and other viruses,” he said. “We now report the fundamental realization that this can also be true for antibody-based therapies, supporting our hope that our REGN-COV2 cocktail can be a potent weapon against COVID-19 while preventing the emergence of viral drug-resistance." 

America’s meatpackers back on the job

If you’ve noticed a more ample supply of meat products at the supermarket lately, it’s because meat processing plants, hard-hit by the coronavirus, are approaching full capacity. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that production is now around 95 percent of capacity, compared to June 2019. USDA said it has been working with other government regulators to reopen the plants in a way that can keep workers safe.

“I want to thank the patriotic and heroic meatpacking facility workers, the companies, and the local authorities for quickly getting their operations back up and running, and for providing a great meat selection once again to the millions of Americans who depend on them for food," said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Around the nation

• Connecticut: Hospitalizations in the state continue to go down, with the number of people admitted for treatment of COVID-19 falling Wednesday by 23. There are now only 270 people hospitalized for treatment, down from a high of 2,000 in mid-April.

• Texas: Like Arizona, new cases are surging in Texas. State health officials reported new cases hit a single-day high Tuesday of 2,504. A health department spokesman attributed the spike to changes in the way cases are being reported at prisons.

• Iowa: The State Fair has been canceled for 2020, following the example of most other Midwestern states. The Iowa State Fair has been canceled only five times in its 165-year history, the last time occurring during World War II.

A group of state attorneys general has filed another lawsuit in federal court, charging several generic drugmakers with conspiracy to fix prices of generic drugs.

It’s the third legal action coming out of a broad, multistate antitrust investigation of allegations against 26 corporate and 10 individual defendants. Specifically, they’re charged with attempting to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade for generic drugs.

The complaint asks the court to award damages against the defendants, as well as provide civil penalties and restore competition to the generic drug market. The suit focuses on more than 80 topical dermatological generic drugs that account for billions of dollars of sales in the U.S.

“These major pharmaceutical companies colluded to disrupt the free market—and consumers paid the price,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. “The defendants in our ongoing, multistate litigation must answer to the public for their conspiracy to artificially inflate prices on these important generic drugs; forcing consumers, including many seniors, to pay more than they should have for the treatment and relief so important to their health.”

First complaint was filed in 2016

Twenty states sued six generic drugmakers four years ago, charging them with conspiring to restrain trade and artificially inflate prices for two drugs. The defendants included Mylan, Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Auribindo Pharma USA, Inc., Citron Pharma, LLC, Mayne Pharma (USA), Inc., and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA.

The topical dermatological generic drugs at the center of the current complaint include creams, gels, lotions, ointments, shampoos, and solutions used to treat a variety of skin conditions, pain, and allergies. 

The states said they returned to court after obtaining evidence from “several cooperating witnesses at the core of the conspiracy.” 

‘Illegal collusion’

The evidence is said to include a massive database of more than 20 million documents and a phone records database containing millions of call detail records and contact information.

“The price of many prescription drugs is too high,” said New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. “And our investigations have shown that the high prices for many generic drugs stem from illegal collusion among drug companies and executives.” 

Moody says that three generic drug manufacturers -- Taro, Perrigo, and Fougera, now Sandoz -- controlled nearly two-thirds of the generic topical products market in the U.S. between 2007 and 2014.

The suit alleges there have been “longstanding agreements” among generic drugmakers to divide up the market and prevent price erosion due to competition.

As air pollution continues to be a threat to consumers’ health, researchers continue to explore the risks of such fumes on children.

A new study conducted by researchers from Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy, & Environmental Sciences found that the risk for preterm birth increases when consumers live near oil or gas wells. 

“There’s some evidence that environmental exposures increase risk of preterm birth, but this particular exposure -- oil and gas -- has received very little attention in California, despite having millions of people living in close proximity to wells,” said researcher David Gonzalez. “We’re getting a sense that this does potentially have an adverse effect on health outcomes of pregnancy.” 

Proximity matters

To understand what’s at stake for newborns when consumers live near oil and gas wells, the researchers analyzed 225,000 births that occurred between 1998 and 2011. All of the women involved in the study lived less than 10 miles from an oil or gas well in California. 

Overall, 28,000 births were considered to be spontaneous preterm births. The researchers identified that women who lived closer to these sites were at a 15 percent increased risk for one of these events. 

The researchers explained that living in such close proximity to wells can be problematic for a myriad of reasons. Not only are consumers more susceptible to chemicals and fumes in the air, but these areas could also be more likely to have contaminated water supplies. These, and other factors, can be transmitted directly from mother to baby and affect development. 

“We don’t understand what causes preterm birth, but we understand that certain factors increase your risk, and environmental exposures are among these factors,” said Gonzalez. 

Rethinking oil and gas well placement

The study also revealed that Black and Hispanic women were disproportionately affected by this problem, which has prompted Gonzalez to “want to ask more questions.” 

Because of these and other similar findings, the researchers noted that California plans to rethink where they put oil and gas wells in the future.

“California is considering regulating how close to sensitive sites like schools these wells should be allowed to operate,” said researcher Marshall Burke. “I think this paper is strong evidence that we need to think carefully about that decision. A key next step, I think, is finding out explicitly how close you need to be to a well for it to cause harm.” 

​Uber and Lyft workers have been deemed employees under California’s new gig worker law. 

The decision, made by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday, comes in the wake of a debate between the ride-hailing companies and their workers over whether drivers should be classified as independent contractors or employees who receive benefits.

In its order, the CPUC said state law currently says that drivers for transportation network companies (TNCs) will be considered employees going forward.

"For now, TNC drivers are presumed to be employees and the Commission must ensure that TNCs comply with those requirements that are applicable to the employees of an entity subject to the Commission's jurisdiction," the commission said.

Debate over classification

In previous years, Uber and Lyft have argued that their drivers should be classified as independent contractors since they have the flexibility to set their own hours. The companies said most of their workers would prefer to be classified as such in order to preserve the “on-demand” nature of the job. 

“If California regulators force rideshare companies to change their business model it would affect our ability to provide reliable and affordable services, along with threatening access to this essential work Californians depend on,” Uber said in a statement.

In a statement of its own, Lyft called the CPUC’s decision “flawed” and said classifying drivers as employees will have a devastating economic impact on the state of California.

Lack of basic protections as contractors

Labor unions and drivers who rely on their job as a sole source of income have argued that the lack of benefits makes it difficult to afford necessary expenses. 

Last June, workers held a rally outside of Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco to support a new California legislation (Assembly Bill 5) under which they would be considered employees and would receive basic protections.

“We’re here for ourselves, our rights, that’s been taken from us by Uber and Lyft. We’re asking for a living wage and we’re asking for benefits,” longtime Uber and Lyft driver Omar A. said at Tuesday’s rally, according to CBS SF Bay Area. “They are trying to force the drivers to sign a petition against AB 5. Actually AB 5 is supporting the drivers and protecting the drivers. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

In December, Uber sued to block AB5, arguing that it was unconstitutional and that it punished app-based platforms. In May, California filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft and charged that the companies’ misclassification of their drivers violated the new legislation. 

Following a lengthy investigation into Amazon’s treatment of third-party sellers, the European Commission (EC) plans to lodge formal antitrust charges against Amazon, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Journal said the charges will likely come sometime within the next two weeks. The watchdog group reportedly intends to accuse Amazon of using data from third-party sellers to compete against them.

EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager said last year that Amazon “appears to use competitively sensitive information – about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace.” 

"Amazon appears to use competitively sensitive information about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace," the EU said in July 2019, when it first launched the investigation. 

Scrutiny over business practices

During the course of the probe, Vestager said the EU would "take a very close look at Amazon's business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer, to assess its compliance with EU competition rules."

In April, more than 20 former Amazon employees told the Journal that Amazon had used seller data to help design and price its in-house products. Amazon maintained that it "strictly prohibt[s]" its employees from using that data and said it had launched an internal investigation into the matter. 

A decision on whether the company violated competition laws is "expected to take at least another year," according to the report. If Amazon is ultimately found to have violated competition laws, it could face a fine of 10 percent of its annual revenue, the report says.