Current Events in September 2020

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 6,902,930 (6,861,211)

Total U.S. deaths: 201,120 (200,005)

Total global cases: 31,673,086 (31,374,796)

Total global deaths: 972,372 (965,893)

Johnson & Johnson vaccine enters Phase 3 trial

Johnson & Johnson has announced that its coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine has entered into Phase 3 clinical trials. The company said it is seeking to immediately enroll 60,000 subjects to test the drug.

If all goes well, the company said it hopes to have its vaccine ready for emergency use authorization (EUA) by early next year. It promised to quickly publish the results of its Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials.

“As COVID-19 continues to impact the daily lives of people around the world, our goal remains the same – leveraging the global reach and scientific innovation of our company to help bring an end to this pandemic,” said Johnson & Johnson chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky.

Lawmakers renew push for second stimulus check

There was renewed optimism today that Republicans and Democrats might be able to agree on a measure that would send a second $1,200 payment to every American adult. Aid contained in the original CARES Act, passed in March, expired at the end of July.

While the two parties couldn’t agree on a second comprehensive aid bill last month, both sides said they backed sending Americans another stimulus check. In a congressional hearing today, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration is in favor of another $1,200 payment. The problem, he said, is getting everyone on the same page.

“We obviously can’t pass a bill in the Senate without bipartisan support,” Mnuchin said. “Our job is to continue to work with Congress to try to get additional help to the American public.”

Approved vaccine ‘may take some time’

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, tried once again today to temper optimism about a COVID-19 vaccine. He told a congressional panel that it may “take some time” for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant final approval to a vaccine.

President Trump has suggested in public statements that there could be a safe and effective vaccine, approved under emergency authorization, by the end of next month.

Fauci counters that there is “no guarantee” that scientists will be able to develop an effective vaccine against the virus that has now killed more than 200,000 Americans. Even if they do, Fauci says, it will take some time to get it right.

What CEOs think about working from home

The conventional wisdom is that remote work -- ditching the commute and working from home in your PJs -- is here to stay, even after the pandemic. Employees seem to like it, and some studies have suggested that there’s no loss in productivity.

But what does the boss say? The Wall Street Journal quizzed several well-known corporate leaders and found mostly negative views. 

Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, says he doesn’t think his company will ever be 100 percent office-bound. But Netflix CEO Reed Hastings isn’t a fan, calling the remote workforce “a pure negative.” Rajat Bhageria, CEO of tech startup Chef Robotics, says “you just can’t get the same quality of work.”

Study suggests kidney damage increases COVID-19 death risk

The coronavirus is most closely linked to lung damage, but other vital organs can also be negatively affected -- particularly the kidneys. A new study has found when a COVID-19 patient’s kidneys are damaged, there is a significantly increased risk of death.

The study in Wuhan, China followed 1,392 patients who tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. The patients who experienced acute kidney injury (AKI) as a result were more likely to die while in the hospital.

The study found that 10 percent of COVID-19 patients without AKI died while the mortality rate for patients with AKI was 72 percent.

Around the nation

• Pennsylvania: The state senate has approved a bill that relaxes Gov. Tom Wolf’s restrictions on bars and restaurants. It would permit bars and taverns to operate at 50 percent of capacity if they meet state and federal virus mitigation standards. 

• Iowa: Schools in Des Moines are defying Gov. Kim Reynolds’ order to resume classroom instructions, instead continuing to teach remotely. Officials say the rebellion puts the district’s funding at risk.

• Louisiana: Nursing homes in the state have begun to allow in-person visits for the first time since the pandemic hit in March, posing the most serious threat to the elderly. The state is taking it slow, with one family visiting one resident at a time.

It’s Prime time, Amazon shoppers. Reports are circulating that the online retailer has marked Tuesday, October 13 as the kickoff for Prime Day 2020. This year’s date comes a little later than usual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

CNET cites people with knowledge of Amazon’s plans as saying that the company has blocked off October 13-20 as an all-hands-on-deck week for its warehouse workers.

When asked for confirmation, an Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the specific date. “Stay tuned for more details on Prime Day. Customers can also say, 'Alexa, keep me posted on Prime Day,” they said.

Best guesses on what consumers can expect

Amazon has always used Prime Day as a launch pad for things like gadgets, and this year should be no different. To whet consumer appetites, the odds are that Amazon will roll out those items this Thursday, September 24, the date for its annual fall product launch. 

If Prime Day 2019 is any indication, tech lovers can expect even more Alexa-equipped products. There's currently no indication of what exactly to expect, but it's safe to assume that Alexa-equipped gear will take center stage. 

The New York Times tech savants’ best guesses were for heavy discounts on Amazon-owned Ring and Eero, kitchen appliances from OXO and Instant Pot, home appliances like robot-vacuums, and devices like the Apple Watch Series 5.

One thing almost sure to get some time in this year’s Prime spotlight is Amazon’s new foray into the high fashion game. Just last week, the global retailer announced that it has teamed up with fashion and beauty brands to launch Luxury Stores, a new shopping experience offering both established and emerging fashion and beauty lines. Oscar de la Renta was tapped as the first brand to be featured in the rollout. 

Mars Food said it is changing the name and imagery used to market its Uncle Ben’s brand rice products “to create a more inclusive future.” The product will be renamed Ben’s Original.

The current brand came under review in the wake of the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, who died while being arrested by Minneapolis police. 

Uncle Ben’s, along with some other food brand names and logos such as Aunt Jemima pancakes, was criticized for allegedly reflecting racially insensitive images. The new branding will appear on products beginning in January.

"Over the last several weeks, we have listened to thousands of consumers, our own associates, and other stakeholders from around the world," said Fiona Dawson, a top executive with Mars Food. "We understand the inequities that were associated with the name and face of the previous brand, and as we announced in June, we have committed to change."

‘More equitable iconography’

The company said it has also committed to removing the image on the packaging to create “more equitable iconography.” The company said it is taking the action to “enhance inclusion and equity and setting out its new brand purpose to create opportunities that offer everyone a seat at the table.”

The Uncle Ben’s logo features a rendering of an elderly black male wearing a bow tie, an image some social critics compared to the image of a house servant during the time of slavery in the U.S. 

Additionally, during the Jim Crow era following slavery African American men were often called “uncle” instead of “mister,” and black women were often referred to as “auntie.” 

Wide-ranging input

In deciding to drop the name of its brand, Mars Food reached out to a number of civil rights organizations, including the National Urban League, for advice.

"Brands have an important role to play as we continue to navigate this moment of reconciliation regarding racial justice, diversity, and inclusion," said Marc Morial, the Urban League’s CEO.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Uncle Ben’s rice dates back to 1937, when a Texas rice broker came up with the name for a parboiled rice product. He reportedly named the company for an African American farmer in Houston who was known as Uncle Ben.

Experts previously determined that the likelihood was low for mothers transmitting COVID-19 to their infants during pregnancy, and now a new study is reinforcing those results. 

According to researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, most newborns born to women with COVID-19 showed very few negative health effects in the first weeks after birth. 

“The babies are doing well, and that’s wonderful,” said researcher Dr. Valerie J. Flaherman. “When coronavirus first hit, there were so many strange and unfortunate issues tied to it, but there was almost no information on how COVID-19 affects pregnant women and their newborns. We didn’t know what to expect for the babies, so this is good news.” 

Health outcomes generally not affected by virus

The researchers analyzed infant health outcomes from 263 mothers and infants who were part of the Pregnancy Coronavirus Outcomes Registry (PRIORITY). Of those women, 179 tested positive for coronavirus and 84 tested negative. The researchers assessed the infants’ health outcomes in their first eight weeks after birth.

Overall, the majority of the infants born to women with COVID-19 didn’t experience any adverse health effects. Just 1.1 percent of the infants born to mothers with the virus tested positive, and none showed any symptoms. Factors like birth weight, preterm birth, or breathing difficulties were similar among all of the infants involved in the study, regardless of the mothers’ COVID-19 status. 

There were instances of postpartum complications, though COVID-19 didn’t appear to play a huge role. Roughly 60 infants were evaluated for upper respiratory infections, and out of three confirmed cases, two were born to women who had tested positive for the virus. 

The researchers did find that neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions were higher when women tested positive for COVID-19 in the final weeks of pregnancy, but it’s also important to note that less than 17 percent of all of the infants involved in the study were admitted into the NICU after birth. 

Reassuring results

While these findings are an encouraging place to start, the researchers note that the PRIORITY study is ongoing. The team hopes that the results can continue to provide good news to women who are having children during the current pandemic. 

“Overall, the initial findings regarding infant health are reassuring, but it’s important to note that the majority of these births were from third trimester infections,” said researcher Dr. Stephanie L. Gaw. “The outcomes from our complete cohort will give the full picture of risks throughout pregnancy.” 

Any way you look at it, combining Halloween with a pandemic is one scary proposition.

Party City sure thinks so and has decided to pare back on its Halloween City pop-up stores by 91 percent this year. That means the company will only operate 25 stores, compared to 2019’s 275 shops.

Party City said it will also reduce its workforce by 20 percent and assign workers to assist with online sales, curbside delivery, and in-store pickup. The company will also up the ante on health safety by employing contactless options, heightened safety standards, and a virtual costume wall on its phone app.

According to RetailDive, Party City’s 2020 Halloween business -- which accounts for 20 percent of its domestic retail sales -- might have still struggled regardless of the pandemic. In 2019, the company’s sales performance during the October holiday season was so paltry that investors fled, causing its stock price to fall by more than 60 percent. 

Candy or coronavirus?

Halloween 2020’s outlook doesn’t look good. In a recent National Retail Foundation (NRF) survey, 75 percent of Americans said the pandemic changed their Halloween plans. Overall participation for parties, trick-or-treating, handing out candy, and going to haunted houses has fallen to a projected 58 percent, mainly due to the fact that most of those activities don’t jive with social distancing. 

Where consumers buy their Halloween goods is also a factor. Party City executives blamed its drop in sales to a large online shift, and the NRF says that shoppers are continuing down that road. This year, 30 percent plan to make their Halloween purchases online, compared with 25 percent last year.

Notwithstanding, the NRF tried to put a positive spin on the situation. 

“Consumers continue to place importance on celebrating our traditional holidays, even if by untraditional standards,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers are prepared to meet the increased demand for seasonal décor, costumes and other items that allow families the opportunity to observe Halloween safely.”

As more and more children continue to struggle with their mental health, recent studies have pointed to risk factors associated with such symptoms and suggested steps that parents can take to potentially improve mental health. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Princeton University is exploring what treatment options look like for kids nationwide. 

According to their findings, mental health treatments are widely inconsistent for young people, regardless of where they live in the U.S. They found that children within the same local area could be receiving wildly different treatments for the same diagnoses. 

“If children are receiving substandard care, a shortage of doctors in that area is often to blame,” said researcher Janet M. Currie. “However, we find a lot of differences in the way children are treated after a first episode of mental illness regardless of ZIP code. What this says is that some individual doctors could be making questionable treatment decisions, and this should be a red flag to those in the medical community.” 

Disparities in treatment

The researchers analyzed data from over 202,000 children who were part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Alliance for Health Research dataset. The researchers focused on the treatment plan in the three months following the children’s first mental health episode and compared doctors’ choices to what is commonly recommended for kids in these instances. 

Ultimately, the researchers found that there were large disparities in treatments for the children involved in the study, with many of the prescribed courses of treatment going against commonly recommended guidelines. The researchers identified two primary areas with the biggest inconsistencies: medication prescriptions and follow-up treatment. 

The study revealed that anywhere from 17 to 62 percent of kids were sent home with medication and no other mental health support. Not only is this range staggering, but this is in opposition to what is traditionally recommended for kids -- especially so early in the treatment process. Experts recommend that medication be used either as a supplement to talk therapy or that mental health professionals hold off on medication until more conclusive assessments are made in therapy. 

“Of course, as researchers, we can’t say that any given child should not have received a particular drug,” said Currie. “Yet, we find all of this disturbing, especially the variation within and across areas.” 

The findings were similar when looking at the percentage of kids who received follow-up treatments. Despite recommendations that all kids receive immediate follow-up services, the results revealed that anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of kids received this standard of care. 

These findings are concerning for the researchers, as getting kids the appropriate help they need is crucial to their overall health and well-being. They hope that this sparks more research and further analysis of mental health professionals’ treatment plans and that greater consistencies can be followed when treating younger people. 

“Good mental health is tremendously important for children’s future,” the researchers wrote. “We hope that by highlighting these patterns, we can help to start a dialogue that leads to better mental health care for children.” 

Consumers love things that are free, and one of the best ways to learn about a new product or service is to sign up for a free trial. But a recent settlement between supplement marketing company NutraClick and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shows that it pays to be cautious when it comes to these offers.

This week, the FTC announced that Nutraclick LLC and two of its company officers agreed to pay $1.04 million after being accused of participating in deceptive negative option marketing. In illegal versions of this marketing practice, companies will often have consumers sign up for a free trial of a service or subscription but not clearly disclose when it will end. Those who go through the trial and fail to cancel before it ends are then charged by the company. 

In Nutraclick’s case, the company was accused of not telling consumers that they would be enrolled in a membership program when they ordered sample products. Approximately 70,000 consumers who didn’t catch that caveat and didn’t cancel within the 18-day trial period were billed on a monthly basis for between $29.99 and $79.99. The FTC says this led to tens of millions of dollars in unauthorized recurring charges. 

“Hiding the true deadline for canceling a free trial isn’t just bad business -- it’s illegal. And that’s why Nutraclick will be permanently banned from using negative options in the future,” said Andrew Smith, the FTC’s director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Do your research and stay vigilant

While negative option marketing isn’t illegal if the proper disclosures are posted, the FTC says it’s important that consumers do their homework when considering any free offer. In a blog post covering the Nutraclick settlement, FTC consumer education specialist Lisa Lake said consumers should heed the following advice:

• Do some research. Search the product and company name online with words like “review,” “complaint,” or scam” to see what others are saying. 

• Find the terms and conditions for the offer. If you can’t find them or can’t understand exactly what you’re agreeing to and when you’ll be charged -- including what you’ll be charged for and the date by which you have to act to avoid a charge -- don’t sign up.

• Monitor your credit and debit card statements. If you’re charged for something you didn’t order, dispute those charges as soon as you spot them. 

• Read your credit and debit account statements. That way, you’ll know right away if you’re being charged for something you didn’t order. 

As always, if you feel that you’ve been the victim of this kind of scam -- or just about any other kind of scam -- you can report it to the FTC.

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have reached an agreement with advertisers in an attempt to address concerns regarding the presence of harmful content on their sites. 

The agreement comes just a few months after major advertisers boycotted Facebook over concerns about the presence of harmful content, like bullying and hate speech. Advertisers accused the platform of doing too little to rein in this type of content and pulled their advertising in protest.

Now, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have agreed to adopt some new practices. Under a deal announced Wednesday, the social media platforms will allow outside firms to audit how they go about categorizing, reporting, and eliminating harmful content. The companies will also develop systems that give advertisers more control over the content that appears alongside their ads. 

"As funders of the online ecosystem, advertisers have a critical role to play in driving positive change and we are pleased to have reached agreement with the platforms on an action plan and timeline," World Federation of Advertisers CEO Stephan Loerke said in a statement.

Advertisers are calling the agreement a “step in the right direction.” 

“This is a significant milestone in the journey to rebuild trust online,” said Luis Di Como, Unilever's executive vice president for global media. "While change doesn't happen overnight, today marks an important step in the right direction.” 

Housing markets where buyers get more value for their money than in a major metro have seen some of the fastest price appreciation over the last year, a trend accelerated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A new report from real estate brokerage firm Redfin suggests that a migration from large cities to smaller ones has increased the price of homes in relatively affordable places like El Dorado County, Calif., and Camden County, N.J. This has attracted a new category of buyer as house hunters take advantage of remote work and record-low interest rates.

The report shows that seven of the 10 markets that have cooled the most in the last year are located in New York, including four of the five New York City boroughs. Not surprisingly, seven of those markets have median sale prices above $500,000.

‘Influx of buyers’

Meanwhile, home prices are rising fastest in California’s El Dorado County, where buyers are moving from other parts of the state because they can work remotely. The region has seen home sales skyrocket by nearly 60 percent over the last year as buyers have flocked from the San Francisco Bay Area.

"We're seeing a huge influx of buyers coming to El Dorado County from the Bay Area," said local Redfin agent Ellie Hitchcock. "With so many large tech companies allowing employees to work from home for the foreseeable future, homeowners in San Francisco are selling their two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo and buying a 5,000-square-foot home with five bedrooms and five bathrooms on an acre of land here for the same price. It's simply a no-brainer."

Activity in smaller housing markets may be driving overall home sales higher. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that sales of existing homes rose in August for a third straight month despite declining inventories.

While many smaller cities had plenty of homes for sale at the start of the summer, buyers have snapped up many of them. NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun says home builders need to produce more houses, especially in areas that have suddenly gotten popular.

Remote work a continuing factor

NAR's recent study, the 2020 Work From Home Counties report, predicted that remote work opportunities will likely become a growing part of the nation's workforce culture. Yun believes this reality will endure, even after a coronavirus vaccine is available.

"Housing demand is robust but supply is not, and this imbalance will inevitably harm affordability and hinder ownership opportunities," he said. "To assure broad gains in homeownership, more new homes need to be constructed."

But homebuilders have produced only about half the number of new homes per year they built before the 2008 housing crash. They blame rising land, labor, and materials costs, as well as the cost of meeting local regulations.

YouTube says it will be relying more heavily on artificial intelligence to find videos that may require age restrictions. 

The Google-owned company has faced criticism over the way it handles content geared toward children. YouTube has maintained that its platform isn’t intended for anyone under the age of 13 due to federal privacy laws. However, young children have continued to use the site, and content creators have continued to create videos aimed at children. 

Previously, YouTube’s Trust & Safety team was tasked with applying age restrictions when they found a video that they didn’t deem appropriate for viewers under 18 during their reviews. But the process led to some videos slipping through the cracks. 

Now, YouTube says it will be using AI to weed out videos that warrant an age restriction. This means more viewers will be asked to sign into their accounts to verify their age prior to watching. 

“Going forward, we will build on our approach of using machine learning to detect content for review, by developing and adapting our technology to help us automatically apply age-restrictions,” YouTube said in a blog post. 

May be problems to start

YouTube said it’s preparing for some labeling errors while the AI moderation program gets started. 

“Because our use of technology will result in more videos being age-restricted, our policy team took this opportunity to revisit where we draw the line for age-restricted content,” the video platform stated. “After consulting with experts and comparing ourselves against other global content rating frameworks, only minor adjustments were necessary.”

The company added that content creators can appeal an age restriction decision if they think it was incorrectly applied.

Cooper Tire & Rubber is recalling 1,983 CS5 Grand Touring 225/55R17 and Mastercraft LSR Grand Touring 225/55R17 tires with DOT codes 2920 through 3220.

The tires may have low tread gauge in the shoulder slot area which could cause tread separation and tire failure.

This may cause the tire to rapidly deflate, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Cooper Tire will notify registered owners, and dealers will inspect and -- if necessary -- replace the tires free of charge.

Cooper Tire has not yet provided a schedule for recall notification.

Owners may contact Cooper Tire customer service at (800) 854-6288. Cooper Tire's number for this recall is 177.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that Americans avoid Halloween celebrations that involve in-person interactions this year.

The agency says traditional in-person Halloween festivities -- like having an indoor costume party, going to a haunted house, or giving out candy to trick-or-treaters going door-to-door -- should be avoided this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

“Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses,” the CDC said. “There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween. If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.”

Safer alternatives

While group gatherings and giving out candy in the traditional way aren’t recommended this year, the CDC says Americans can enjoy Halloween in a number of low-risk ways, including: 

• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household;

• Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends;

• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space;

• Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance;

• Having a virtual Halloween costume contest;

• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with; and

• Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house-to-house.

Halloween activities categorized by health officials as “moderate risk” include: 

• Participating in “one-way trick-or-treating,” where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance;

• Having a small-group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart;

• Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart;

• Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced and people can remain more than 6 feet apart;

• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing; and

• Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 6,861,211 (6,816.046)

Total U.S. deaths: 200,005 (199,552)

Total global cases: 31,374,796 (31,110,407)

Total global deaths: 965,893 (961,544)

U.S. death toll exceeds 200,000

The death toll from the coronavirus (COVID-19) has moved past the 200,000 mark, with 200,005 fatalities currently being reported by the COVID-19 Tracking Project at Johns Hopkins University.

While the number of new cases of the virus exploded over the summer, the number of deaths has appeared to slow down. It only took from March to May 28 to record the first 100,000 deaths. It took more than three and a half months for it to reach 200,000.

After peaking at more than 57,000 deaths in April, the U.S. death toll fell every month through July. It rose slightly in August.

Lowe’s installing lockers for ‘touchless’ pickup

Lowe’s has announced that it will install lockers at all of its home center stores for “touchless” pickup. The retailer says this will make it easier to shop for consumers who are worried about COVID-19. The installation is scheduled for completion by March 2021.

"Our No. 1 priority is making sure we are keeping things safe for our associates and customers while continuing to provide additional options to make it even easier to shop with us," said Joe McFarland, Lowe's executive vice president of stores. 

The move is an extension of the store’s curbside pickup service, which McFarland says is popular with Lowe’s customers. He also says more than 60 percent of online orders are now picked up in stores, so the installation of lockers adds one more layer of protection.

What’s going on at the CDC?

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated coronavirus guidance -- only to walk it back a day later, saying its release was a “mistake” -- it raised more than a few eyebrows in the medical community.

“It’s really hard to believe that this was an accidental posting of draft guidance that they had to subsequently pull down 48 hours later that they didn’t realize they had put it up over the course of the weekend,” former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC Tuesday.

Gottlieb went a step further, saying the CDC’s recent missteps are “deeply concerning” and could “ruin the credibility” of the agency.

Children’s stronger immune response protects against the virus

Kids seem to have a much easier time handling the coronavirus, and now scientists think they know why. Children seem to have a stronger immune response than adults.

A study involving scientists at several different institutions found that children with COVID-19 fared significantly better than adults. While 37 percent of adult patients required mechanical ventilation, only 8 percent of children needed the same intervention.

“Our findings suggest that children with COVID-19 do better than adults because their stronger innate immunity protects them against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease,” said co-senior author Dr. Betsy Herold.

How to avoid COVID-19’s worst symptoms

It’s been well established that some people have more severe COVID-19 symptoms than others who are infected with the virus. Scientists who have studied the data now have advice for people before they become infected.

Scientists at the Rush Center for Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery say it is critically important to maintain good health in order to keep your body’s natural defenses in fighting shape. Obesity is a major risk factor, so a change in lifestyle could improve your chances of a speedy recovery if you get infected.

Their advice? Cut out sugars, including non-starchy vegetables, and get plenty of protein. Dr. Naomi Parrella, medical director at the Rush Center, also says it’s important to stay physically active. “The most important thing is to break up the sitting down,” she said.

Around the nation

• Tennessee: Tennessee’s active caseload is rising, and many of those cases of the coronavirus are behind bars. The Department of Corrections reports that there are 609 active cases of the virus in Tennessee prisons, with one new death reported Monday.

• New York: New York City schools have reopened their classrooms for as many as 90,000 students -- a small fraction of the city’s school-age population. But it was a milestone of sorts since it was the first classroom instruction in the city since March.

• Wyoming: After months of avoiding the worst of the coronavirus, Wyoming is experiencing a surge in cases. State health officials say 772 people are currently infected, nearly double from the previous week. The University of Wyoming appears to be a hotspot.

While a great deal of research about Parkinson’s disease focuses on risk factors associated with the condition, a new study conducted by researchers from Aarhus University took a different approach. 

Prior to this study, it was generally believed that there was only one type of Parkinson’s disease. However, their work revealed that there are actually two major strains of the disease that can leave patients susceptible to a wide range of symptoms. 

“Until now, many people have viewed the disease as relatively homogenous and defined it based on the classical movement disorders,” said researcher Per Borghammer. “But at the same time, we’ve been puzzled about why there was such a big difference between patient symptoms. With this new knowledge, the different symptoms make more sense and this is also the perspective in which future research should be viewed.” 

Identifying the two disease strains

For the study, the participants included both Parkinson’s patients and those at an increased risk of the disease. Each group experienced an initial round of MRI and PET scans, and every few years they were reevaluated to see how Parkinson’s develops and spreads.

Based on the findings, the researchers theorize that there are two main types of Parkinson’s disease that start in different places in the body and can result in different bodily symptoms. While nerve deterioration eventually happens in both forms of the disease, how the participants got there was very different based on the variant they had.

“For some patients, the disease starts in the intestines and spreads from there to the brain through neural connections. For others, the disease starts in the brain and spreads to the intestines and other organs such as the heart,” Borghammer said. 

With this information, it’s no surprise that patients experience such a wide range of symptoms that are all related back to Parkinson’s. The researchers explained that this can be especially tricky for patients who have the variant that originates in the brain because the symptoms may not be apparent until the disease has already progressed. 

“This variant of the disease is probably relatively symptom-free until the movement disorder symptoms appear and the patient is diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” Borghammer said. “By then the patient has already lost more than half of the dopamine system, and it will therefore be more difficult to find patients early enough to be able to slow the disease.” 

Improving treatment options

The researchers say these findings are very promising and could lead to the development of more specific Parkinson’s treatment options that can be better suited to patients’ individual needs. 

“Previous studies have indicated that there could be more than one type of Parkinson’s, but this has not been demonstrated clearly until this study, which was specifically designed to clarify this question,” said Borghammer. “We now have knowledge that offers hope for better and more targeted treatments of people who are affected by Parkinson’s disease in the future.”

Another federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service must prioritize election mail in order to ensure that it is delivered in time to be tallied on November 3.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York's Southern District ruled on Monday that the USPS must make changes to expedite the delivery of election mail and bolster Americans’ confidence in the mail-in voting system.

"The right to vote is too vital a value in our democracy to be left in a state of suspense in the minds of voters weeks before a presidential election, raising doubts as to whether their votes will ultimately be counted," Marrero wrote. 

Processing election mail in a timely manner

Marrero said Monday that USPS workers must treat all election mail as first-class mail or priority mail express starting September 25. In addition, the USPS must pre-approve all overtime pay for post office workers between October 26 and November 6 and file weekly reports informing the public of its progress in pushing election mail through in time for votes to be counted.

He added that President Trump, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and the Postal Service "have not provided trusted assurance and comfort that citizens will be able to cast ballots with full confidence that their votes would be timely collected and counted."

Less than a week ago, a judge in Washington state also ruled against the USPS, saying changes are necessary to make sure all election mail is prioritized.  

"While the court has no doubts that the Postal Service's workforce comprises hardworking and dedicated public servants, multiple managerial failures have undermined the postal employees' ability to fulfill their vital mission," Marrero said in his 87-page ruling.

The Postal Service said it’s “reviewing the court's decision,” but the agency said the public shouldn’t doubt that the USPS is “ready and fully committed to handling expected increased volumes of Election Mail between now and the conclusion of the November 3rd election.” 

"Our number one priority is to deliver the nation's Election Mail securely and in a timely fashion,” a USPS spokesperson said. 

With flu season rapidly approaching, researchers from RMIT University are exploring the risks associated with pregnant women contracting the infection. 

According to their work, the flu can be incredibly dangerous to pregnant women because the virus causes the immune system to go into overdrive. The team says this can lead to a number of life-threatening complications. 

“We’ve known for a long time that flu can cause serious maternal and fetal complications, but how this happens has not been clearly understood,” said researcher Dr. Stella Liong. “Conventional thinking has blamed the suppressed immune system that occurs in pregnancy, but what we see is the opposite effect -- flu infection leads to a drastically heightened immune response. The inflammation we found in the circulatory system is so overwhelming, it’s like a vascular storm wreaks havoc throughout the body.” 

Understanding the body’s response to infection

The researchers conducted their study on mice to determine what effect the flu can have on pregnancy. Both pregnant and non-pregnant mice were injected with the flu virus, and the researchers monitored their health outcomes. 

While fetuses can’t contract the flu infection, the researchers did observe that the pregnant mice responded differently to the flu infection than the non-pregnant mice. The infection not only spread beyond the lungs in the pregnant mice, but it also led to severe inflammation in the blood vessels. 

“We found a dramatic difference in these inflamed blood vessels, which can seriously affect how much blood makes it to the placenta and all the organs that support the growing baby,” said researcher Stavros Selemedis. “Our research shows the critical role that the vascular system could be playing in this, with inflammation in the blood vessels reducing blood flow and nutrient transfer from mum to baby.” 

The researchers also identified a link between the flu and high blood pressure for pregnant women, as the body responded similarly in both situations. The team also noted that there were problems linked to pre-eclampsia in some subjects that may be a cause for concern.

“We found the same protein that is elevated in pre-eclampsia is also significantly elevated with the flu,” Selemedis said. “While it will take further research to unpack this link, it could mean drugs targeting vascular inflammation that are currently being tested could potentially be repurposed in the future for flu infection in pregnancy.” 

To combat the hit Kroger is taking from items passing through its self-checkout stations without being scanned, the country’s largest grocery chain is bringing in an artificial intelligence (AI) firm to help solve the problem.

While the domestic restaurant industry continues to rebound and is seeing sales accelerate at near a 4 percent clip, major grocers are seeing the curve trending the other way and at double the speed. One industry watcher calculates the losses to grocers in the billions of dollars.

Kroger felt it had personally seen enough of that red ink. To help stem that tide, the company is bringing in Irish AI company Everseen to try and halt the losses it sustains when shoppers and store employees alike either mistakenly or intentionally fail to scan items during checkout.

Shoppers take note

Going forward, shoppers in some 2,500 Kroger stores can expect an extra eye watching their checkout process. Everseen’s system employs cameras to spot when a shopper fails to scan an item, then quietly lets a store employee know. At that point, the employee is supposed to intervene -- in what looks to be a friendly manner -- before the customer picks up their bags and walks out without paying for the merchandise.

Kroger is not alone in trying to make sure it gets paid for what the customer has in their cart. Sam’s Club also uses computer-vision systems, and Walmart recently experimented with eliminating traditional checkout aisles as a way to reduce friction and clogged-up checkout processes. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a hand in the situation thanks to stores rerouting customers to self-checkout stations to help maintain social distancing from store employees.

In interviews with Wired, Walmart workers familiar with Walmart’s loss prevention programs said their top concern with Everseen was false positives during the self-checkout process. These employees say Everseen’s computer-vision regularly misreads innocent behavior as possible shoplifting, which only frustrates customers and store workers while leading to longer lines. 

“It’s like a noisy tech, a fake AI that just pretends to safeguard,” said one worker.

Researchers estimate that the reopening of colleges and universities led to around 3,200 more COVID-19 cases a day in the U.S. than there likely would have been if these institutions had not reopened for in-person classes. 

The Wall Street Journal cites a new study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Indiana University, the University of Washington, and Davidson College which suggests that there is a link between the return of students and a significant increase in case numbers. 

The report is set to be published online Tuesday on the preprint server medRxiv. 

“We’re not saying it was a terrible mistake to open,” Ana Bento, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at Indiana University and co-author of the study, told the Wall Street Journal. “Just that the influx of individuals, which was much greater where there is face-to-face [instruction], is correlated with a larger increase in cases.”

Rise in cases

The researchers said their estimate of 3,200 extra cases a day could potentially be influenced by other trends that weren’t accounted for in the study, like the fact that more tests were being conducted in counties where students had returned to campus. 

However, those cases “likely would have shown up quickly, and then at least plateaued if not declined after,” the WSJ noted. The increases in cases came about two weeks after in-person classes picked back up at colleges and universities, and the numbers have continued to increase ever since.

Spikes in cases have prompted some schools to shift to remote learning. The University of Notre Dame in Indiana said Thursday that 304 students tested positive for COVID-19. The school announced Tuesday that it will have undergraduates switch to remote learning for the next two weeks. 

"The objective of these temporary restrictions is to contain the spread of the virus so that we can get back to in person instruction," said Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins.

North Carolina State University has also decided to have undergraduates switch to online classes, with school officials saying that parties led to clusters of cases. 

Perfect student behavior isn’t realistic

Since the resumption of in-person classes, the number of COVID-19 cases among students, faculty, and staff at U.S. colleges and universities has risen to more than 40,000, according to a CNN tally released earlier this month. 

Experts contend that the outbreaks are primarily caused by poor planning on the part of colleges. Telling college students to refrain from socializing isn’t enough to prevent outbreaks, Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Harvard Medical School, told CNN in a recent interview. 

“Any public health plan that requires radical changes in behavior and perfect compliance is doomed to fail,” Marcus said. “And that’s exactly what’s happening.”