Current Events in January 2021

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 25,789,000 (25,620,883)

Total U.S. deaths: 433,622 (429,870)

Total global cases: 101,636,470 (101,068,455)

Total global deaths: 2,194,790 (2,180,021)

J&J vaccine was 72 percent effective in clinical trial

Johnson & Johnson has reported the results of its Phase 3 clinical trial of its coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine candidate, saying it was 72 percent effective in preventing the virus in the U.S. trial.

While that is less than the 95 percent rate achieved by Moderna and Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson said its single-dose vaccine was 85 percent effective at preventing severe COVID-19 illnesses.

The company said the COVID-19 vaccine candidate demonstrated “complete protection against COVID-related hospitalization and death, 28 days post-vaccination.” The company said the results represent “a promising moment.”

Novavax reports promising vaccine results

Drugmaker Novavax reports that its trials in the U.K. have shown its coronavirus vaccine to be more than 89 percent effective. Even more encouraging, the company says it was effective against the new strain of the virus first identified last month in the U.K.

The vaccine, produced at a plant in England, is expected to be widely used in the U.K. once health officials there clear it for use. However, government officials say it may not be widely distributed until the second half of 2021. 

Vaccines appear to be safe so far

More than 22 million Americans have been vaccinated against the coronavirus so far, and government health officials say the results suggest that the vaccines from Pfizer and from Moderna appear to be safe.

In a report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there have been a few allergic reactions but that everyone who experienced one has been treated successfully and has experienced no other serious problems.

Most people receiving the shots have reported at least some side effects. About 70 percent of people who self-reported side effects said they suffered some pain at the point of injection. 

Severe economic toll

The pandemic has not only killed more than 400,000 people in the U.S., but it has also caused widespread economic dislocation. Businesses have closed and millions of people are unemployed.

The Commerce Department reported this week that the pandemic caused the economy to shrink by 3.5 percent last year, its worst showing since 1946. Brian Deese, head of the White House National Economic Council, said the report underscores the need for more stimulus.

"Without swift action, we risk a continued economic crisis that will make it harder for Americans to return to work and get on back their feet,” he said. “The cost of inaction is too high."

Worst hot spots

Previously unpublished data collected by various states show the nation’s coronavirus “hot spots,” where the virus is spreading almost unchecked. Released this week by the CDC, the information suggests that Arizona, California, and South Carolina are seeing the fastest spread.

The rate of infection was highest in South Carolina last week, recording 645 new infections per 100,000 residents. California reported its second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, but the rates of new infections and hospitalizations continue to drop.

Florida, meanwhile, announced this week that it had completed the task of vaccinating residents and staff at the state’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Around the nation

• Michigan: It may be the peak of the college basketball season, but the University of Michigan has paused all athletic programs for 14 days because of a spike in coronavirus cases, according to The Daily, the school newspaper.

• Texas: State health officials report that 2 million vaccines have been administered so far, but they say that’s not good enough because it only accounts for one in 13 eligible Texans. Like other states, Texas has been limited by shortages of the vaccine.

• Massachusetts: Massachusetts reports an improvement in the number of communities downgraded from “high risk” for COVID-19 spread. The Department of Public Health puts the number of high-risk communities at 192, down from 222 last week.

It’s been a wild week on Wall Street, to say the least. Individual stock traders organizing in a forum on Reddit began buying shares of Gamestop, with the expressed purpose of financially damaging hedge fund traders who were shorting the stock.

They were so successful that by the end of the week, they had forced almost all the “shorts” to abandon their positions at huge losses. In the process, this $10 stock shot up to nearly $500 at one point.

The campaign against shorts, mostly hedge funds, quickly spread to shares of AMC, Blackberry, Koss, Bed Bath & Beyond, and American Airlines. What do these companies have in common?

There are all in declining industries. Their share prices have been falling for some time, which is the reason so many hedge funds and institutional investors are betting against the companies.

Organized buying

The strategy by the organized traders is simple. By encouraging thousands of traders to buy shares of these beaten-down companies, the stock price goes up. If it goes up enough, all the “shorts” will be forced to buy shares to cover their short positions, sending the price even higher.

The phenomenon has captured the public imagination this week, with many people wondering how they can profit from this too. But therein lies the danger.

“Being given the keys to a car is only good if someone knows what they’re doing when they sit behind the wheel, including understanding the risks and the need to have insurance and keeping a seat belt fastened,” Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com, told ConsumerAffairs.

A look at the charts of these stocks tells the story. On Thursday, shares of Gamestop traded as high as $482 and as low as $112.25. Depending on where you purchased shares, you could make a killing or get crushed. Hamrick said traders need to ask themselves some questions before jumping into the deep end of the pool.

“Can you afford to lose all of the money?” he asked. “Chasing after high momentum stocks is only for those who have taken care of other basic financial needs first, including saving for emergencies and saving for retirement. Are all other key financial goals and needs being met? Our Bankrate surveys have traditionally found that the failure to save is the number-one financial regret.”

Hitting the brakes

By the end of the week, some online trading platforms, including Robinhood, restricted trading in Gamestop, AMC, and some of the other highly traded stocks. 

“We continuously monitor the markets and make changes where necessary. In light of recent volatility, we are restricting transactions for certain securities to position closing only, including $AAL, $AMC, $BB, $BBBY, $CTRM, $EXPR, $GME, $KOSS, $NAKD, $NOK, $SNDL, $TR, and $TRVG,” Robinhood said in a statement Thursday. “We also raised margin requirements for certain securities.”

The company later said it would allow some trading in these stocks, under certain circumstances, starting today.

Before the mania dies down, the Securities and Exchange (SEC) may wade into the controversy since it’s unclear how what’s been happening on social media differs from a classic “pump and dump” scheme, in which holders of a stock encourage others to buy it before selling at a profit.

Subway has been slapped with a lawsuit alleging that its tuna salad doesn’t really contain any actual tuna. The class action suit -- filed by two California residents -- goes after the sandwich chain with a myriad of claims: fraud, intentional misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, false advertising, and unfair competition. In short, the suit claims Subway’s subs and wraps for "completely bereft of tuna as an ingredient."

The suit maintains that Subway "packaged, advertised, marketed, distributed and sold the Products to consumers" based on the "misrepresentation that the products were manufactured with tuna." The plaintiffs go on to claim that independent testing revealed that "the filling in the Products has no scintilla of tuna at all, (but) are made from a mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, yet have been blended together ... to imitate the appearance of tuna.”

The plaintiffs also claim that if “consumers (knew) the Products actually lacked tuna, they would not have purchased the Products or would have paid significantly less (than Subway’s $6.99 for a footlong tuna sub) for them.” 

Subway pushes back

As you might expect, Subway considers the lawsuit flimsy. 

“There simply is no truth to the allegations in the complaint that was filed in California. Subway delivers 100 percent cooked tuna to its restaurants, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps, and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests,” spokesperson Maggie Truax told USA Today.

The company called the lawsuit's accusations "baseless" and said they "threaten to damage our franchisees, small business owners who work tirelessly to uphold the high standards that Subway sets for all of its products, including its tuna."  

Is “flaked tuna” really tuna?

When is “tuna” really “tuna”? The lawsuit doesn’t get into the minutiae of what is and what isn’t tuna, only saying that Subway’s tuna is not. The plaintiffs say the product is an "entirely non-tuna-based mixture that Defendants blended to resemble tuna and imitate its texture." However, Truax defended Subway in her statement, saying the company uses “wild-caught tuna.”

When ConsumerAffairs dug a little deeper, we found that Subway’s ingredients list defines its tuna salad as “Flaked Tuna in Brine (tuna, water, salt), mayonnaise (soybean oil, eggs, water, distilled vinegar, contains less than 2 percent of salt, sugar, spice, lemon juice concentrate, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor). Contains eggs and fish. May contain Mustard.” 

“Flaked tuna” is not chunk tuna or solid tuna, but rather the leftover pieces that tend to be very small fragments of the loin, according to Precision Nutrition’s Encyclopedia of Foods. Flaked tuna is also a common ingredient in cat food.

The plaintiffs are requesting class-action status for their lawsuit and want to tell their story in front of a jury. They’re also asking for "proper equitable and injunctive relief, the proper amount of restitution or disgorgement; and the proper amount of reasonable litigation expenses and attorneys’ fees."

Netflix has confirmed that it’s testing a new timer function on Android devices. 

A select group of users will be able test the feature by tapping a clock icon labeled “Timer” in the upper right hand corner of the content they’re streaming. From there, users can select 15, 30, 45 minutes, or “Finish Show.”

The feature may come in handy for users who doubt their ability to stay awake for multiple episodes. The timer should make it easier for users to keep their place in a series, as well as help conserve the battery life of Android devices.

For now, the time functionality is only being tested among adult Android users. If the test yields interest among Netflix users, the streaming giant could expand its availability to other devices, according to The Verge. 

Testing new features

Netflix also recently announced that it’s planning to launch a new “Shuffle Play” feature in the first half of 2021 following tests last summer. The feature lets consumers choose to have Netflix select content for them based on their viewing history.

The shuffle option is geared toward people who turn on Netflix “and they’re not really sure what they want to watch,” Netflix COO and chief product officer Greg Peters said earlier this month. 

“It’s really working for us where our members can basically indicate to us that they just want to skip browsing entirely, click one button and we’ll pick a title for them just to instantly play,” Peters said during the company’s Q4 investor interview Tuesday. “And that’s a great mechanism that’s worked quite well for members in that situation.” 

Toyota is once again the world’s largest automaker, having sold 9.5 million vehicles globally last year. 

For five consecutive years, the Japanese automaker lost the title of best-selling automaker to its German rival Volkswagen. But the company said Thursday that it topped Volkswagen’s sales in 2020 in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The pandemic had a major impact on the auto industry as a whole, but Toyota ended up coming out ahead. The Toyota group, which owns Daihatsu and Hino subsidiaries, said it sold 9.5 million vehicles last year -- slightly more than Volkwagen, which sold 9.3 million. 

Volkswagen -- which owns brands that include Audi, Skoda and Porsche -- was hit harder by pandemic-related disruptions in sales. The company’s passenger car sales in Europe fell 24 percent last year to fewer than 10 million units, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Last week, however, Volkswagen said that profits for 2020 hit $12 billion, suggesting a recovery in the second half of the year. 

Strong sales

Toyota has a larger U.S. presence compared to Volkswagen, and U.S. residents weren’t on lockdown as often as consumers in Europe. Toyota spokeswoman Chisato Yoshifuji said the company was able to stave off pandemic-related financial losses due to virus-control measures. 

“Naturally the number of units sold was lower than in the previous year because of the spread of coronavirus,” Yoshifuji told Bloomberg. “But because Toyota and its partners were able to thoroughly implement measures to combat the spread of the virus, we were able to continue our corporate activities and keep yearly declines at the level they were.” 

Although it fared well in 2020, industry analysts say Toyota will have to continue dealing with a global chip shortage that has prompted automakers to close factories and furlough workers. Analyst Yoshiaki Kawano expects Toyota to “put up a good fight” in the coming year by putting out more electric vehicles and SUVs. 

Drunk driving continues to be a serious concern for consumers of all ages. However, a new study has now revealed that driving under the influence of drugs is becoming more of an issue than ever before. 

According to researchers from the University of Cincinnati, the number of drivers who have reported using drugs while driving has been increasing, and the risks of driving under the influence have serious implications. 

“We need to focus our efforts on drugged driving, in addition to drunk driving, because drugged driving causes such a high level of fatalities,” said researcher Andrew Yockey. “Even though less people are driving, drugs are increasing in availability and are being found in more reports of drugged driving in the U.S.”

The risks of drugged driving

The researchers analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Institutes of Health to better understand the trends among drugged drivers and the risks associated with driving under the influence. 

They learned that drugs were a common denominator in a large number of all fatal car accidents in 2016. While alcohol was prevalent in more than 40 percent of all cases, more than 50 percent of drivers in these accidents tested positive for multiple drugs at the time of the crash. 

The use of multiple substances while driving is becoming prevalent among consumers in recent years. The study revealed that many drivers reported using a combination of marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs prior to getting behind the wheel. The researchers also found that men, sexual minorities, and multiracial drivers were the most likely to drive under the influence of drugs. 

How will the legalization of marijuana impact driving?

As more states legalize marijuana and more consumers continue to drive while using drugs, the researchers worry about how this trend will affect driving accidents.

“There is serious concern as to how legalization will affect driving behaviors among adults,” said researcher Keith King.  

Moving forward, the researchers recommend that prevention strategies are aimed at highlighting the dangers associated with drugged driving because this most recent data suggests that this issue won’t be disappearing anytime soon. 

“We need to be vigilant because the trends are increasing,” said Yockey. 

Bitcoin surged as much as 20 percent on Friday following Elon Musk’s addition of the hashtag #bitcoin to his Twitter bio. 

Industry site CoinDesk clocked the currency’s value at $37,299 at around 3:30 a.m. ET, an increase of $5,000 in the span of an hour. The rise came after Musk added a hashtag for Bitcoin and sent out a tweet that read: “In retrospect, it was inevitable.” 

The Tesla CEO’s addition of Bitcoin to his Twitter profile came on the heels of speculation about whether he would buy bitcoins or add it to Tesla’s balance sheet. In addition to sending the coin’s value up, Musk’s mention of Bitcoin led to a spike in online searches for the cryptocurrency.

Support for Bitcoin 

In a December Twitter exchange, Musk asked about the possibility of converting “large transactions” of Tesla’s balance sheet into bitcoins. However, he hasn’t offered more than vague hints that he’s a supporter of the world’s largest cryptocurrency.

“While the bitcoin community is keen for Musk to come out as a supporter, he seemingly enjoys dropping crypto mentions as something of a tease,” CoinDesk wrote.

The digital coin has been on a rollercoaster ride lately, hitting a record high of $41,940 earlier this month before plunging to below $30,000 last week. Bitcoin’s value more than quadrupled over the course of 2020, partly due to the belief that cryptocurrency holds a value similar to gold during times of economic turbulence. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the European Society of Cardiology has found that many women may be receiving the wrong diagnosis for high blood pressure. According to their findings, roughly half of all women who present with high blood pressure symptoms are instead given treatment for menopause, which ultimately puts women at an increased risk for severe heart health issues. 

“High blood pressure is called hypertension for men, but in women it is often mistakenly labeled as ‘stress’ or ‘menopausal symptoms,’” said researcher Angela Maas. “We know that blood pressure is treated less well in women compared to men, putting them at risk for atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke -- which could have been avoided.” 

Identifying women at risk

The researchers set out to provide resources for consumers and health care professionals on how to best identify and treat women who could be at the highest risk of high blood pressure in mid- or later-life. They explained that this starts with the understanding that men and women show different symptoms for the same condition, and it’s important to treat each patient on a case-by-case basis. 

“A woman’s life provides clues that you need to start early with prevention,” said Maas. “We have to assess female patients differently to men, and not just ask about high cholesterol. This will enable us to classify middle-aged women as high-risk or lower risk for cardiovascular disease.” 

In thinking about how to identify women at the highest risk of developing high blood pressure, the researchers recommend that health care professionals focus on women’s medical histories. Conditions that affect hormone levels throughout life can indicate whether or not women are at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. Early menopause, high blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia), and conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are some of the biggest risk factors associated with high blood pressure for women. 

“There are several phases of life when we can identify subgroups of high-risk women,” said Maas. “High blood pressure during pregnancy is a warning sign that hypertension may develop when a woman enters menopause and it is associated with dementia many decades later. If blood pressure is not addressed when women are in their 40s or 50s, they will have problems in their 70s when hypertension is more difficult to treat.”

Adopt healthy habits

For women at risk of developing high blood pressure in later life, the researchers recommend that healthy habits -- like following a healthy diet and adopting a regular exercise routine -- can make a significant difference. However, it’s also important for women and their doctors to look at the complete picture of their health history and work together to create the best course of treatment. 

“Women can help their doctors prevent heart problems and make earlier diagnoses by mentioning issues like complicated pregnancies and early menopause and monitoring their own blood pressure,” Maas said. 

The price of gasoline moved higher again this week but at a slower pace than earlier this month. But with the sudden pick-up in demand, industry analysts say prices could increase more quickly in the months ahead.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows that the national average price of regular gas today is $2.42 a gallon, three cents higher than a week ago. Prices are 17 cents higher than a month ago. The average price of premium gas is $3 a gallon, up from $2.98 last Friday. The price of diesel fuel is $2.64 a gallon, a penny more than seven days ago.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported a sharp increase in gasoline demand, rising from 7.53 million barrels a day to 8.11 million barrels. However, that has had little impact on gasoline supplies, saving motorists from a big increase at the gas pump.

“Most motorists continue to see gas prices increase, but at a slower rate than the past few weeks,” said Jeanette Casselano McGee, a AAA spokesperson. “Part of that is due to more stable crude oil prices throughout January. However, if demand continues another week of substantial increases, we can expect to see pump prices get more expensive.”

The states with the most expensive gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• California ($3.39)

• Hawaii ($3.35)

• Washington ($2.82)

• Nevada ($2.75)

• Pennsylvania ($2.70)

• Oregon ($2.69)

• Alaska ($2.62)

• Illinois ($2.59)

• New Jersey ($2.55)

• New York ($2.50)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Mississippi ($2.10)

• Oklahoma ($2.14)

• Texas ($2.12)

• Missouri ($2.14)

• Louisiana ($2.14)

• Arkansas ($2.17)

• Alabama ($2.17)

• South Carolina ($2.18)

• Kansas ($2.19)

• Tennessee ($2.22)

Publix Super Markets is recalling select Publix Steam In Bag vegetables containing a specific butternut squash ingredient.

The butternut squash may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

There have been no illness reported to date.

A list of the recalled products may be found here.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product may return it to their local store for a full refund.

Consumers with question may contact the company at (800) 242-1227 online at www.publix.com.

In a report released Thursday, New York Attorney Letitia James said New York nursing homes undercounted coronavirus-related deaths by as much as 50 percent. 

James criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic in the early months and said a controversial policy introduced at the start of the pandemic may have led to a tragic loss of life. 

In March, Cuomo’s Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker directed nursing homes in New York to accept patients who either tested positive for COVID-19 or were suspected to have the virus as long as they were deemed “medically stable.” James said that decision “may have put residents at increased risk of harm in some facilities.”

Deaths undercounted

A survey of 62 nursing homes has now unearthed major discrepancies between the deaths reported to the attorney general’s investigators and those released by the Health Department. 

For example, one facility reported five confirmed and six presumed COVID-19 deaths as of Aug. 3 to the Department of Health. However, the same facility reported a total of 27 COVID-19 deaths and 13 hospital deaths to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) -- a discrepancy of 29 deaths. 

“Preliminary data obtained by O.A.G. suggests that many nursing home residents died from COVID-19 in hospitals after being transferred from their nursing homes, which is not reflected in D.O.H.’s published total nursing home death data,” the report said. 

In the report, James said a number of nursing homes also had insufficient virus-control measures in place. She said many “failed to comply with critical infection control policies,” including not isolating residents who had tested positive for the virus or screening employees for it.

“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” she said. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves and to spur increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents."

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 25,620,883 (25,466,642)

Total U.S. deaths: 429,870 (426,052)

Total global cases: 101,068,455 (100,441,945)

Total global deaths: 2,180,021 (2,162,333)

Infection rates are plunging as deaths increase

An analysis of government health data shows that new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) are rapidly declining even though deaths from the virus are still peaking.

A report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that at least a dozen states are reporting drops of 25 percent or more in new cases of the virus. More than 1,200 counties across the country have reported the same results.

That positive trend has yet to show itself in the death count. January has already become the deadliest month of the pandemic so far with more than 80,000 fatalities attributed to the virus.

Pfizer: Vaccine works against virus variants

Pfizer reports that one of its labs studied the coronavirus mutations recently found in the U.K. and South Africa and matched them up with the company’s vaccine. The result? Pfizer said the new strains had only “small impacts” on the vaccine’s effectiveness.

The company’s scientists say the antibodies were slightly less effective against the variant identified in South Africa. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

However, the company’s findings are mostly in line with other preliminary results reported in recent weeks by a number of researchers. 

Weekly jobless claims remain elevated

December’s rise in layoffs is keeping new claims for unemployment benefits at an elevated level. The Labor Department reports that initial benefit claims totaled 847,000 last week -- a big number but less than the previous week’s revised total of 914,000.

Another important number -- continuing claims for benefits -- was also lower than the previous week, coming in at 4.771 million instead of the 5.088 million that economists expected. 

Layoffs began rising in October when a spike in new cases of the virus caused a number of states to order certain businesses -- mostly restaurants -- to curtail their operations.

Lowe’s rewards associates again with bonuses

As one of the “essential businesses” during the pandemic, Lowe’s stores have remained open, and its employees have been on the front lines helping customers maintain their homes. The home center retailer has announced that it’s rewarding its employees with another round of bonuses.

Full-time hourly associates will receive $300 and part-time and seasonal associates will receive $150. This will be the seventh bonus or special payment Lowe's has provided to hourly associates during the pandemic.

"We are honored to be an essential business to help our customers keep their homes safe and functional during these very challenging times,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe's president and CEO.

“We're pleased to provide this additional bonus to support our current associates and excited to welcome these new associates so we can better serve customers across the country."

Cigarettes enjoy a pandemic revival

The number of Americans who smoke has been in freefall for years, but the pandemic has led to people lighting up again.

Industry statistics show that cigarette sales had been falling about 5 percent each year. That stopped last year when cigarette sales finished 2020 at about the same level as in 2019.

Cigarette maker Altria said the change wasn’t because of new smokers but likely because current smokers bought more cigarettes last year. By staying at home, they had more opportunities to light up and more money to spend on cigarettes since they weren’t buying as much gasoline.

Around the nation

• New York: Indoor dining in New York City was suspended again in December amid a huge rise in cases of the virus, but there are indications that restaurants could open again. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state could allow dining at 25 percent capacity, but officials need to determine “how and when you do that.”

• Indiana: Retail pharmacies are getting more involved in the vaccine rollout. Kroger announced that it ill offer COVID-19 vaccines at 45 Indiana pharmacies in 16 counties.

• Nevada: The state reported 1,020 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, and health officials took heart at the fact that the trend is moving lower. The number was below the 14-day moving average of 1,144 cases daily but ended a two-day streak of reported cases below 1,000. The number of reported deaths was above the two-week moving average of 18 per day.

Just when Americans were getting their COVID-19 vaccinations and cranking up their wanderlust for traveling again, the U.S. State Department is telling those people to put the suitcase away and rethink their plans.

“Seriously reconsider going overseas right now. If you’re overseas right now, it’s going to be harder to come home for a while,” cautioned the State Department’s Ian Brownlee in a briefing. “Everyone needs to be prepared to be potentially seriously disrupted in their trip.”

The reason behind Brownlee’s warning relates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new COVID-19 testing requirements for travelers, which went into effect after new variants of the virus were detected around the world. 

Those new rules include being tested no more than 3 days before traveling by air into the United States and, prior to boarding, showing the airline proof of a negative test result. Travelers may also present a letter from a health care provider or a public health official stating that they are cleared to travel.

No fun in the sun

Airline operators and cruise lines were anticipating a return to travel from those who got vaccinated, especially those who wanted to get away to the Caribbean. However, the new COVID-19 variants popping up in the Caribbean have forced the State Department to put Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas all on the new travel restriction list.

One particular hotspot is the Cancun, Mexico area, where Brownlee says there are tens of thousands of U.S. citizens seeking to travel back to the United States. 

“We don’t have a health unit within 600 miles of Cancun,” Brownlee said, adding that the agency has no plans to set up testing stations. “We do not have the capacity to provide this sort of testing overseas.”

Be informed and prepared

The Biden administration is handling the pandemic much differently than its predecessor, and Brownlee parroted that in the briefing. 

“Be informed and be prepared. The State Department is committed to upholding the administration’s efforts to combat the pandemic through prudent, science-driven measures. Many countries are updating their requirements for travel, given the evolving nature of the pandemic. And today, to keep us all safe, the United States joins them,” he said.

Brownlee went on to say that the State Department’s travel advisories can change day-to-day depending on the migration and transmission of the virus. He said that the department is taking the situation country-by-country and that it’s almost a given that travelers will need to stay put and won’t be allowed back into the U.S. until further notice in situations where no tests are available.

And if all else fails?

Brownlee said the U.S. isn’t going to leave anyone completely stranded in a foreign country with no hope of getting the tests necessary to return home.

“So this is not a question of saying, ‘Good luck, you’re on your own. But it is important to remember that...the financial assistance we are able to provide is in the form of a loan. It is not a grant. And it is also important to note that the U.S. Government cannot... provide medical services overseas to private U.S. citizens,” he said.

To counteract what might be viewed as a harsh stance, Brownlee softened the situation by saying that there are facilities for U.S. citizens overseas and that the U.S. can provide information about where consumers can get tests and medical help if necessary.

“If they need medical assistance, we can provide information on local medical providers, that sort of thing, and...we can put them in touch with family members back in the United States who might be able to provide financial support,” he said. “If they’re, in fact, truly destitute overseas...we have mechanisms for providing loans to those people.”

One important note for Medicare and Medicaid members

Brownlee closed out his worst-case scenarios by reminding people that Medicare and Medicaid are not applicable overseas. Some U.S. insurance policies -- including travel insurance -- might cover situations like this, but not in all cases. 

“So that’s why it’s so terribly important for U.S. citizens who are preparing to travel overseas to find out whether their medical coverage goes with them. They should not assume it does. They need to verify that,” Brownlee said.

General Motors (GM) has announced that it plans to phase out all of its diesel and gas-powered vehicles by 2035, with the aim of going completely carbon neutral by 2040. The company said Thursday that it’s on track to meet its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy to power its U.S. facilities by 2030 and global facilities by 2035. 

For several years now, GM has been striving to reduce its impact on the environment by moving toward an emissions-free future. The company has announced plans to release 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025; more than 20 will be just for North America.

“For General Motors, our most significant carbon impact comes from tailpipe emissions of the vehicles that we sell — in our case, it’s 75 percent,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a message on LinkedIn. “That is why it is so important that we accelerate toward a future in which every vehicle we sell is a zero-emissions vehicle.”

All-electric switch will still be profitable

Dane Parker, GM chief sustainability officer, added that the plans aren’t likely to have an impact on profitability.

“We feel this is going to be the successful business model of the future,” he said. “We know there are hurdles, we know there are technology challenges, but we’re confident that with the resources we have and the expertise we have that we’ll overcome those challenges and this will be a business model that we will be able to thrive in the future.”

Parker said the combination of a reduction in pricing and advancements in technologies has “made this an inflection point that we want to seize.”

Opting to walk or bike can be incredibly beneficial for consumers’ health and wellness. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Boston University School of Public Health is exploring how having more opportunities for physical activity can benefit consumers’ health even more while also helping the economy.

The researchers explained that their work is based on a program that has been developed by several northeastern states -- the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). This program focuses on creating an infrastructure that is designed to promote walking and biking. The researchers say having more opportunities for physical activity would lead to better consumer health, a drop in health care costs, and a decrease in air pollution.

“Our study suggests that if all the states joined the TCI and collectively invested at least $100 million in active mobility infrastructure and public transit, the program could save hundreds of lives per year from increased physical activity,” said researcher Matthew Raifman. “These benefits are larger than the estimated air quality and climate benefits for the TCI scenarios, highlighting the importance of leveraging investments in sustainable active mobility to improve health.” 

Saving lives and money while reducing pollution

For this study, the researchers used data from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Economic Assessment Tool to predict how the TCI would benefit consumers, the environment, and the economy. The researchers used this predictive model to determine nine different outcomes, all of which were based on the amount of money the states invested. 

Currently, there are 12 states across the northeast and the District of Columbia involved in the TCI. The researchers found the benefits ramped up when more money is invested into creating walking and biking infrastructure. They say more lives could be saved, greenhouse gas emissions could be lower, and more money could be saved and reinvested into public transportation.

Though the TCI continues to evolve, four regions have already agreed to a plan that would save nearly $155 million a year. The WHO model predicts that the increased physical activity created from the plan as it stands would save 16 lives each year. However, with more money invested into the program, the researchers predict that monetary savings could surpass $7.5 billion, 770 lives could be saved, and greenhouse gas emissions could drop by 25 percent. 

“Given the legacy of inequitable investment in infrastructure in the United States, the opportunity exists to address racial disparities in access to sidewalks and cycling infrastructure through equity-focused project siting,” said Raifman. 

Creating a nationwide plan

These findings are especially important when you consider that only 12 states and the District of Columbia are currently connected to the plan. If these efforts were applied to the nation at-large, there would be even greater health, economic, and environmental benefits. 

“This study sheds light on potential health benefits from investments in biking and walking infrastructure,” said researcher Kathy Fallon Lambert. “Actual outcomes will depend on how much funding exists and how it is invested. We hope this information is useful to policymakers and advocates as they consider how to best target transportation investments to gain greater and more equitable health benefits.” 

Facebook has pledged to depoliticize Facebook… again. 

In a quarterly earnings call, Facebook reaffirmed that it’s not going to talk politics anymore. Company CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook is taking a hard look at how it can reduce the amount of political content that users see in their News Feed. 

“One of the top pieces of feedback that we’re hearing from our community right now is that people don’t want politics and fighting to take over their experience on our services,” Zuckerberg vowed, doubling down on the social media giant’s promise to ratchet down political content on the platform following the uprising at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. 

Zuckerberg also announced that Facebook is getting out of the civic and political group recommendation business altogether -- a move made permanent after the company temporarily paused recommending those groups to U.S. users in October as it got ready for the 2020 U.S. elections. 

True or false?

Zuckerberg has made similar promises before, but he couched the new line the company is taking as a “continuation of work we’ve been doing for a while to turn down the temperature and discourage divisive conversations.”

Contrary to Zuckerberg’s claims, nonprofit news site The Markup said it found that Facebook continued to recommend political groups to its users throughout December and on into the new year.

“We found 12 political groups among the top 100 groups recommended to the more than 1,900 Facebook users in our Citizen Browser project, which tracks links and group recommendations served to a nationwide panel of Facebook users,” found The Markup’s Leon Yin and Alfred Ng. “Our data shows Facebook also continued to recommend political groups throughout January, including after it renewed its promise not to on Jan. 11.”

Caught in the headlights, Facebook had no real answer other than saying it would look into the matter.

“We have a clear policy against recommending civic or political groups on our platforms and are investigating why these were recommended in the first place,” Facebook spokesperson Kevin McAlister wrote in response to The Markup’s findings.

President Biden is set to sign two executive orders on Thursday afternoon, one aimed at expanding enrollment for the Affordable Care Act during the COVID-19 pandemic and another to address reproductive health. 

In a White House fact sheet, the Biden administration argued that opening a special enrollment period will help a significant number of Americans while the pandemic rages on. By giving Americans another chance to enroll, the administration hopes more people will sign up for health care. 

"Reliable and affordable access to health insurance doesn't just benefit families' health; it is a critical source of economic security and peace of mind for all," the administration said.

Expanding the ACA

Under the order, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would open a three-month enrollment period from February 15 to May 15 on Healthcare.gov. The order will also direct agencies to “re-examine” their current policies with the aim of making sure consumers have unencumbered access to protections and care. 

During his presidential campaign, Biden promised to expand the Affordable Care Act, saying health care should be a “right, not a privilege.” Biden will also address the issue of reproductive health on Thursday, specifically by doing away with the “Mexico City Policy” -- the rule that blocks U.S. funding to international nonprofits that provide counselling or referrals for abortion. 

The president is also expected to expand access to family planning and reproductive care for low-income people. He’s asked the HHS to "take immediate action to consider whether to rescind regulations under its Title X family planning program.” 

In its forecast for 2021, real estate marketplace Zillow predicts that the nation’s housing market will be even stronger than it was last year, which came close to setting records.

Zillow says the conditions that drove the housing market last year have not changed. If anything, they may have intensified.

The large millennial generation aging into prime first-time home-buying age coincided with a global pandemic that closed offices and required employees to work from home. With remote work, home could be just about anywhere, so millions of Americans packed up and moved, many to single-family homes in the suburbs.

While that increase in demand pushed up home prices, mortgage rates hit record lows, keeping monthly payments affordable. It all combined to increase both sales and home prices.

"2020 was a record-breaking year for the housing market with intense competition among buyers driving up home prices," said Treh Manhertz, a Zillow economist.

"While many faced financial hardships because of the pandemic, others fortunate enough to maintain stable income took a step back to contemplate what they wanted their home to be and hopped on Zillow to help find a place that filled their wish list. Builder confidence, perhaps in reaction to the boosted demand, hit record highs and more homes are being built as a result. Add that together and you see why the housing market gained more than in any year since the Great Recession."

Fewer homes for sale

Zillow says that trend will continue well into 2021, especially since the inventory of available homes continues to decline. 

Even with the well-documented migration of many people from high-population states like New York and California, home values in those states are continuing to rise. Zillow estimates that home values in California grew by $232 billion last year.

In fact, more than 21 percent of the nation's housing value lies in California, where homes are worth a cumulative $7.8 trillion, more than the next three states combined. California has four of the 10 metro areas with the highest total housing value -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego. 

Alaska was the only state where the value of its housing stock lost value in 2020, down 1.8 percent, or about $1.5 billion. Zillow attributes that to relatively low levels of new construction and declining values among homes in Alaska's top tier. 

Smaller states get bigger

Over the last decade, smaller states and metros have led housing growth on a percentage basis. Home values in Idaho have gained 149 percent, with most of the increase in the Boise metro. Other industry sources concur with Zillow’s assessment that the growth will continue in 2021.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also expects the strength in the housing market to be a major driver of economic activity as the nation begins to recover from the pandemic.

"Although mortgage rates are projected to increase, they will continue to hover near record lows at around 3%," said NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun. "Moreover, expect economic conditions to improve with additional stimulus forthcoming and vaccine distribution already underway."