Current Events in January 2021

Homebuyers and homeowners looking to refinance have been pushed into a whale of a dilemma. While one industry report shows that homeownership is quickly sliding into “unaffordable territory” in much of the U.S., mortgage rates are the most affordable they’ve been in 30 years. 

According to the just-released Primary Mortgage Market Survey by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is at an average of 2.65 percent, the lowest rate in the survey’s history, which dates back to 1971.

“A new year, a new record low mortgage rate. Despite a full percentage point decline in rates over the past year, housing affordability has decreased because these low rates have been offset by rising home prices,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist, commenting on the conundrum.

Overall savings are impressive

Freddie Mac’s survey found some interesting comparative tidbits about the shift in mortgage rates. As an example, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.65 percent with an average 0.7 points for the week ending January 7, 2021, which is down from last week when it averaged 2.67 percent. 

A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.64 percent. On a $300,000 mortgage, that’s a difference of more than $150 a month -- $1,209/mo. now vs. $1,371/mo. a year ago. But the real savings is in the overall out-of-pocket cost. All told, the total cost of the mortgage on the new rate would be $435,201 vs. $493,448 on last year’s rate.

For those who can swing a larger monthly payment, a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.16 percent with an average 0.6 points, down slightly from last week when it averaged 2.17 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.07 percent. On a $300,000 mortgage, that equates to $1,953/mo. now vs. $2,082/mo. a year ago. 

More impressive is the savings on the total cost of a 15-year mortgage, dropping close to $100,000 from a 30-year note at $351,487 now vs. $374,735 with the mortgage rate a year ago.

A 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.75 percent with an average 0.3 points, up a smidge from last week when it averaged 2.71 percent. A year ago at this time, the 5-year ARM averaged 3.30 percent.

You’ll need good credit and 20 percent down

While the Freddie Mac survey sounds like a no-lose proposition, the truth is that to get rates like the ones listed, the survey focuses on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20 percent down and have excellent credit. Freddie Mac also noted that borrowers may still pay closing costs that are not included in the survey.

If a consumer is going to act on these favorable rates, Khater says they better do it now.

“The forces behind the drop in rates have been shifting over the last few months, and rates are poised to rise modestly this year. The combination of rising mortgage rates and increasing home prices will accelerate the decline in affordability and further squeeze potential homebuyers during the spring home sales season,” he said.

Audi is recalling 2,355 model year 2018-2019 RS5 Coupes. An incorrect positive battery terminal cover was installed.

In a rear crash, the incorrect cover can cause the 12-volt power supply to be compromised, preventing the vehicle doors from being opened from the outside, or the hazard warning lights from functioning, increasing risk of injury.

What to do

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the positive terminal cover free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 7, 2021.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at (800) 253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 27i6.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 21,342,187 (21,074,724)

Total U.S. deaths: 361,900 (358,107)

Total global cases: 87,384,218 (86,704,216)

Total global deaths: 1,887,970 (1,874,732)

Deaths record another single-day record

The U.S recorded 3,865 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, the most for a single day since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the end of the day, the U.S. death toll from the virus stood as 361,123 people.

The record may not last for long since cases of the virus are increasing day-by-day. The number of people who have been infected reached more than 21.3 million today, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project at Johns Hopkins University.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the worst could be yet to come, warning that the overall toll could exceed 430,000 by the end of the month.

CDC: Severe allergic reactions ‘rare’

In the wake of reports of a few people suffering severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued some guidelines.

Calling these reactions “exceedingly rare,” it nonetheless urged people who have them to not get the second dose of the vaccine.

In a conference call with reporters, agency officials said allergic reactions are occurring at a rate of 11.1 per 1 million vaccinations. That’s a significantly higher rate of reactions when compared to annual flu vaccinations.

Jobless benefits claims remain under 800,000

New claims for unemployment benefits last week came in a little lower than expected, but they’re still at the high end. The Labor Department reports that claims totaled 787,000 -- less than the 800,000 economists predicted.

In spite of a spike in coronavirus cases that resulted in more restrictions on businesses, the labor market produced two straight weeks with new jobless claims below 800,000.

The previous week’s total was revised to 790,000. Some economists think the holidays may have skewed the most recent reporting periods, making them appear better than they were.

CVS updates vaccine progress

CVS, along with Walgreens, is administering the coronavirus vaccines to residents and staff at nursing homes across America. In an update on its progress, CVS says it is now serving facilities in 49 states.

The pharmacy chain says states will have activated nearly 31,000 assisted living facilities partnering with CVS Health by next week. The company expects that all facilities will have received their first doses within three to four weeks of start dates. Activation dates at the remaining nearly 8,000 CVS Health partner facilities have yet to be determined by states.

"Our work with long-term care facilities isn't a mass vaccination effort – quite the opposite," said Larry J. Merlo, CVS’s CEO. "We're dealing with a vulnerable population that requires onsite and, in some cases, in-room visits at facilities with fewer than 100 residents on average. Despite these challenges, we remain on schedule, and the number of vaccines we administer will continue to rise as more facilities are activated by the states."

Old Sears locations become vaccination centers

The nation’s shopping malls have fallen on hard times, especially when anchor stores like Sears have closed. But during the rollout of a nationwide effort to vaccinate the public against COVID-19, some of those Sears locations are being repurposed as vaccination centers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that hundreds of Sears buildings are being converted to distribution centers. Officials selected the retail sites for what they offer -- open floor plans, huge parking lots, and easy access to major highways.

The stores are well-known destinations, and, according to The Journal, house enough space for workers and vaccine recipients to adhere to social-distancing guidelines.

Around the nation

• Connecticut: Three restaurants have been chosen to receive grants from Barstool Sports to help them remain open during the pandemic. Laskara Restaurant in Wallingford, along with Red Rock Tavern and Piggy’s Cafe, both in Hartford, will receive funds from the social media company to stay open and keep people employed.

• Ohio: Attorney General David Yost has tested positive for COVID-19. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office confirmed the diagnosis and said Yost apparently became infected with the virus during the holidays. He’s reportedly at home and appears to be recovering, the spokesperson said.

• Colorado: The number of coronavirus cases linked to an outbreak at an In-And-Out Burger restaurant in Colorado Springs is growing. In late December, 60 cases were reported at the popular California-based chain. Health officials this week updated the number to 83 cases.

The Wi-Fi Alliance on Thursday announced that it’s begun certifying Wi-Fi 6E devices. The first devices equipped to support the newly opened 6GHz band are likely to be announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). 

The additional bandwidth will make many of this year’s new phones, laptops, and other devices faster and more reliable. The IDC research group says the first devices with support for the new band will hit the market in the first quarter of this year; TVs and VR devices with 6E support are expected to arrive by the middle of 2021.

"Wi-Fi 6E will see rapid adoption in 2021 with more than 338 million devices entering the market, and nearly 20 percent of all Wi-Fi 6 device shipments supporting 6GHz by 2022," said Phil Solis, research director at IDC. "This year, we expect to see new Wi-Fi 6E chipsets from several companies, and a variety of new Wi-Fi 6E smartphones, PCs and laptops in the first quarter of 2021 followed by TVs and VR product announcements midyear."

CES 2021 is set to begin on January 11, and companies are expected to showcase the first devices with Wi-Fi 6E support over the next week. Samsung is likely to be one of the first phone makers to release devices with support for the faster band.

"As a leading innovator of mobile experiences, we were among the very first to offer Wi-Fi Certified 6 products," said JM Choi, vice president and head of group for Convergence R&D Group, Samsung Electronics. "[We] look forward to introducing new Galaxy devices able to take advantage of the increased speeds, reduced latency and expanded bandwidth that comes with connecting to frequencies in the 6GHz band very soon."

Biggest upgrade in 20 years

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted last spring to open up the 6GHz Wi-Fi spectrum to consumers. The agency said its goal was to give internet users access to Wi-Fi that is more stable and two times faster than the current standard.

“In making broad swaths of the 6GHz spectrum available for unlicensed use, the FCC envisions new innovative technologies and services that will deliver new devices and applications to American consumers and advance the Commission’s goal of making broadband connectivity available to all Americans,” the agency in April 2020.  

The decision to open up a plot of spectrum in the 6GHz band represents the biggest upgrade to Wi-Fi in nearly two decades. 

“Wi-Fi 6E is the best thing to happen to Wi-Fi since its inception. Wi-Fi 6E will allow enough spectrum for many neighbors’ overlapping Wi-Fi streams to broadcast simultaneously without interfering with each other. For most households this means more reliable and higher capacity connectivity without wires,” Tuncay Cil, Chief Strategy Officer at industry group ASSIA, said in a statement.

A majority of Americans (59 percent) say the funds from their second stimulus payment will be used to pay household bills, according to a survey from bill pay service doxo. 

The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that about 6 out of 10 people plan to use their stimulus check to help pay household bills. Utilities, cable/internet, rent, mortgage, and mobile phone bills topped the list of expenses that Americans will immediately put the funds toward. 

But given the amount that consumers pay per bill each month, the funds aren’t likely to provide significant financial relief for most citizens. That’s because the average U.S. household spends about $1,782 on expenses each month, according to doxo’s research.

“It is very encouraging to see that nearly all U.S. consumers believe that the government’s latest round of stimulus checks will help them improve their own financial health in the coming year,” said Jim Kreyenhagen, VP of Marketing and Consumer Services at doxo. 

“However, with more than half of Americans planning to use the money to pay household bills like utilities, cable/internet, rent and mortgage, it is also discouraging to see that - according to doxo’s data - unfortunately, the $600 checks won’t get them very far.”

Paying bills

Eleven percent of those polled said they planned to use their stimulus check to help keep their family fed, and 10 percent said they will use the money to pay off credit card bills. But among those who plan to put the money toward household expenses, doxo researchers say the stimulus payments will only cover some expenses for about a month. 

The survey found that most Americans are relatively optimistic about what’s ahead for the nation’s economy. Most respondents said they believe the U.S. is on the road to economic recovery. About 83 percent believe it will take 10 months or more for the U.S. economy to recover. 

However, almost half of respondents (41 percent) said it would likely take over a year for their own finances to return to pre-pandemic levels. 

After sitting on the news for almost two weeks, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that its email systems fell prey to the same band of cyberattackers linked to the global SolarWinds incident that has affected government and private sector businesses.

"On Dec. 24, 2020, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) learned of previously unknown malicious activity linked to the global SolarWinds incident that has affected multiple federal agencies and technology contractors, among others. This activity involved access to the Department’s Microsoft O365 email environment,” DOJ spokesman Marc Raimondi said in a statement.

Raimondi went on to say that the number of affected email boxes was limited to around 3 percent and that the agency has no indication that any of its classified systems were impacted.

“A major incident”

According to a joint statement issued by the recently organized Cyber Unified Coordination Group -- which includes the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Agency -- the hackers are “likely Russian in origin” and “responsible for most or all of the recently discovered, ongoing cyber compromises of both government and non-governmental networks.”

The group’s investigation is ongoing, and it’s possible they could turn up additional government victims. In the group’s estimation, the hackers’ goal appeared to be collecting intelligence, rather than anything destructive.

Nonetheless, the attack on the DOJ was serious enough that it’s vowing to take serious action.

“As part of the ongoing technical analysis, the Department has determined that the activity constitutes a major incident under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, and is taking the steps consistent with that determination,” the agency said. “The Department will continue to notify the appropriate federal agencies, Congress, and the public as warranted."

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is urging states not to waste any time distributing COVID-19 vaccines to older Americans and vulnerable groups. 

On Wednesday, Azar said states should focus on vaccinating these citizens as quickly as possible rather than “micromanaging” their coronavirus vaccine supply. He said states do not, for example, have to vaccinate all health care workers before moving onto vaccinating lower-priority groups that are also vulnerable.

“There is no reason that states need to complete, say, vaccinating all health-care providers before opening vaccinations to older Americans or other especially vulnerable populations,” Azar told reporters during a briefing.

"It would be much better to move quickly and end up vaccinating some lower-priority people than to let vaccines sit around while states try to micromanage this process," Azar said. "Faster administration could save lives right now, which means we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good."

Some overlap in groups likely

People in the 65 and older age group have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended prioritizing health care workers and nursing home staff and residents, health officials say states should ultimately decide who should be first in line for vaccines. 

“If they are using all the vaccine that is allocated, ordered, distributed, shipped and they are getting it into health-care providers arms, every bit of it, that’s great,” Azar said. “But if for some reason their distribution is struggling and they are having vaccine sit in freezers, then by all means you ought to be opening it up to people 70 and older.”

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has previously said that there would likely be some overlap between phases in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution timeline. Azar said Wednesday that providing some “flexibility” around who receives the first doses is the best course of action for states right now. 

With the new year just underway, many consumers are focusing on eating healthy. According to a new study conducted by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), a good place for women to start is by incorporating more fiber into their diets.

According to their findings, higher dietary fiber intake was associated with a reduced risk of depression for premenopausal women. 

“This study highlights an important link between dietary fiber intake and depression, but the direction of the association is unclear in this observational study, such that women with better mental health may have had a healthier diet and consumed more fiber, or a higher dietary fiber intake may have contributed to improved brain health by modulating the gut microbiome or some combination,” said researcher Dr. Stephanie Faubion. 

“Nonetheless, it has never been more true that ‘you are what you eat,’ given that what we eat has a profound effect on the gut microbiome which appears to play a key role in health and disease.” 

The link between diet and mental health

To understand how dietary fiber intake can affect depression risk, the researchers had over 5,800 women report on their diets over the course of several 24-hour windows. They also responded to questionnaires that gauged their risk for depression. 

The study revealed that dietary fiber played a large role in depression risk for premenopausal women, but not for postmenopausal women. The researchers found that the risk of depression was lowest in the premenopausal women who consumed the most dietary fiber. However, regardless of their dietary fiber intake, that association didn’t exist with postmenopausal women. 

The researchers explained that the change in hormone levels women experience between premenopause and postmenopause could explain the difference in diet and depression risk. Estrogen is responsible for changing the microorganisms in the gut, and the loss of the reproductive hormone during menopause can ultimately affect how the brain and the body process food. 

Ultimately, dietary fiber doesn’t increase the risk for depression in postmenopausal women, but they aren’t experiencing the same benefits from foods high in fiber the same way that premenopausal women are. For women looking to incorporate foods higher in dietary fiber into their diets, the researchers recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains. 

The researchers hope that these findings offer consumers a different approach to targeting depression because a change in diet can greatly affect mental health outcomes. 

Joining Macy’s in its announcement to shutter 45 stores, Bed Bath & Beyond has decided to liquidate 43 stores of its own by the end of February. The company had previously announced plans to close some 200 locations by 2022.

This doesn’t come as a surprise given that several months ago the homegoods retailer said it was developing plans to trim the fat on its real estate portfolio and put its money towards remodeling its more profitable shops. It also said it would focus more on online shopping, an area in which it experienced an impressive +94 percent comparable sales growth in the third quarter of 2020.

“We are seeing a deepening level of recognition and engagement from our customers, including the more than 2 million new online customers in the third quarter,” Mark Tritton, Bed Bath & Beyond's President and CEO said in the company’s Q3 financial filing. 

The list of closures

The list of Bed Bath & Beyond closures first reported by USA Today includes the following:

Arkansas

Conway: 1272 South Amity Road

Arizona

Peoria: 24760 N. Lake Pleasant Parkway

California

El Cerrito: 6000 El Cerrito Plaza

Gilroy: 6725 Camino Arroyo

Mountain View: 2470 Charleston Road

Northridge: 8959 Tampa Ave.

Riverside: Canyon Springs Marketplace, 2660 Canyon Springs Parkway

San Mateo: 2280 Bridgepoint Parkway

Simi Valley: 2631 Tapo Canyon Road

Turlock: 2851 Countryside Drive

Yuba City: Yuba City Marketplace, 1060 Harter Road

Colorado

Boulder: 1741 28th St.

Colorado Springs: 5944 Barnes Road

Lone Tree: Meadows Marketplace, 8467 South Yosemite

Florida

East Fort Myers: 3248 Forum Blvd.

Estero: Coconut Point Shopping Center, 8020 Mediterranean Drive

Miami: 12010 N Kendall Drive

Port Richey: Embassy Crossings, 9642 U.S Highway 19N

Georgia

Fayetteville: 123 Pavilion Parkway

Indiana

Kokomo: 1411 S. Reed Road

Louisiana

Slidell: 127 Northshore Blvd.

Massachusetts

Holyoke: The Holyoke Crossing, 39 Holyoke St.

Saugus: 367 Broadway

Maryland

Baltimore: 5210 Campbell Blvd.

Michigan

Wyoming: 4830 Wilson Avenue SW

Minnesota

Coon Rapids: 12773 Riverdale Blvd.

New Jersey

Lawrenceville: 101-B Mercer Mall, 3371 US Highway 1

New York

61st Street: 410 East 61st St.

Manhasset: 2103 Northern Blvd.

Greece: 112 Greece Ridge Center Drive

Ohio

Cincinnati: 650-F Eastgate South Drive

Medina: 4949 Grande Shops Ave.

Stow: 4290 Kent Road

Warrensville Heights: 4031 Richmond Road

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: Waterworks Shopping Center, 980 Freeport Road

Swarthmore: 857 Baltimore Pike

Puerto Rico

Bo Canovanillas Carolina: Los Colobos II Shopping Center, State Road #3 Km 14.1

Tennessee

Cleveland: 4540 Frontage Road NW

Utah

American Fork: 773 W. Grassland Drive

Virginia

Fairfax: 9666 Main St.

Glen Allen: 9900 Brook Road

Virginia Beach: 3312 Princess Anne Road

Waynesboro: 821-D Town Center Drive

Despite record-low mortgage rates, a new industry report shows that homeownership is quickly sliding into “unaffordable territory” in much of the United States.

In its fourth-quarter 2020 report, ATTOM Data Solutions, a property data firm, found that median home prices of single-family homes and condos were less affordable than historical averages in 55 percent of counties in the U.S.

That’s a sharp increase from 43 percent a year ago and 33 percent three years ago. Without falling mortgage rates and rising wages, the company said the number would likely be much higher.

To be considered affordable, a home with a mortgage must fall within a range that requires no more than 28 percent of a homeowner’s income to pay the mortgage, property taxes, and insurance.

That required income was then compared to annualized average weekly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The analysis showed that 275 of 499 counties analyzed in the fourth quarter of 2020, or 55 percent, were less affordable than past averages.

Rising home prices

The main reason for the lack of affordability is the relentless increase in home prices. Even with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which briefly halted sales, prices continued to rise and demand for homes ran well ahead of homes on the market.

In fact, prices in 2020 have risen faster than wages and wiped out the benefit that buyers would normally realize from declining mortgage rates. The report found major home-ownership expenses consumed 29.6 percent of the average wage across the nation during the fourth quarter of 2020. A year earlier, the figure was 26.4 percent.

The National Association of Realtors reported that the median existing-home price in November was $310,800, up 14.6 percent from November 2019. It said prices were higher in every region of the country. 

"Owning a home in the United States slipped into the unaffordable zone for average workers across the nation in the fourth quarter as the numbers continued a year-long slide in the wrong direction,” said Todd Teta, chief product officer with ATTOM Data Solutions. “The latest housing market data shows the average worker unable to meet the 28 percent affordability guideline used by lenders." 

Conditions look bleak for buyers

Teta says the outlook remains uncertain. For now, he says it’s a seller’s market, and “things are going in the wrong direction for buyers."

There were 499 counties listed in the report, and only 41 percent of them had homeowner costs that aligned with affordability guidelines for the average wage earner. They include Cook County, Ill., Harris County, Tex., and Philadelphia County, Pa.

There were 296 counties with unaffordable major expenses on median-priced homes for average earners. They include Los Angeles County, Calif., Maricopa County, Ariz., and San Diego County, Calif.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 220,000 model year 2013-2015 Accords equipped with a 4-cylinder engine and a continuously-variable transmission that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The drive shafts were assembled with a lubricant that may have degraded the drive shafts' protective coating, making it more susceptible to damage from road salt or other contaminants, and potentially cause it to break.

A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power. The vehicle could also roll away if the parking brake has not been applied before the vehicle has been exited. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shafts, replacing both the left and right drive shafts -- if necessary -- free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 1, 2021.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at (888) 234-2138.

Nissan North America is recalling 7,583 model year 2020 Titan and Titan XD pickup trucks.

The engine wiring harness could contain an exposed wire that can cause an electrical short or arcing if it contacts another wire.

An electrical short can impair the performance of the engine, transmission, or fuel pump, increasing the risk of an engine stall and a crash.

An electrical short or arcing also increases the risk of a fire.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine harness, replacing it -- if necessary -- free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin January 27, 2021.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at (800) 647-7261

Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine has started in the last few weeks across the U.S. As more consumers are given the opportunity to be vaccinated in the coming weeks, it’s important to know what to expect from the process. 

In an effort to ease any concerns about the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has compiled a concise list of what consumers should know about the vaccination experience from start to finish. 

“Because COVID-19 is a new disease with new vaccines, you may have questions about what happens before, during, or after your appointment to get vaccinated,” the agency writes. “These tips will help you know what to expect when you get vaccinated, what information your provider will give you, and resources you can use to monitor your health after you are vaccinated.”  

Being prepared for the vaccination process

Below is a list of several points that consumers should be aware of when going through the COVID-19 vaccination process.

Pre-vaccination

Prior to getting vaccinated, the CDC recommends that consumers understand how the COVID-19 vaccines work to protect against the virus and the overall benefits of being vaccinated. 

The agency says that the vaccine primes the body to be able to fight the virus without having to be infected or injected with the virus itself. Once vaccinated, it takes the body two to three weeks to produce white blood cells that fight against COVID-19. After that point, the body should know how to safely fight off the virus if it is exposed to it.

Getting vaccinated

The COVID-19 vaccine requires consumers to receive two full doses in order to be as protected as possible from the virus. To help keep track of vaccination records, consumers will receive a vaccination card that includes information on when and where the vaccine was administered, what type of vaccine was given, and the date of the appointment for the second round of the vaccine. 

Post-vaccine

Many consumers have expressed concerns about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, but the CDC explained that there are protocols in place to monitor patients’ health immediately following vaccination. While allergic reactions have been found to be rare and unlikely, patients must remain on-site for 15 to 30 minutes so health care officials can ensure that no reaction occurs. 

In the case of an allergic reaction, vaccination sites have been prepared with the proper medications and tools to treat patients, and emergency services can be called if necessary. 

Expect side effects

Consumers should also know that it’s common to experience mild side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Several reports have indicated that patients feel soreness and swelling at the injection site, and others have experienced headaches, fatigue, or low-grade fevers in the days that follow. The CDC encourages consumers to follow simple, at-home remedies for any of these side effects, but if any ailments persist for more than a few days, consumers should contact their doctors. 

Perhaps one of the most important things to be mindful of post-vaccine is that other preventative measures are still just as necessary. The CDC urges consumers to continue practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and washing their hands; though the vaccine is beneficial in protecting against COVID-19, all of these efforts in conjunction with each other are the best defenses against the virus. 

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 21,074,724 (20,843,556)

Total U.S. deaths: 358,107 (354,263)

Total global cases: 86,704,216 (85,860,416)

Total global deaths: 1,874,732 (1,858,412)

In Southern California, the virus is ‘everywhere’

Southern California appears to be the epicenter of the state’s growing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. Officials warn that the chances of becoming infected have never been greater.

Among the most concerning trends is the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. About one in five people now test positive for the virus, five times the rate of just two months ago. Cases have threatened to overwhelm Los Angeles Hospitals.

“Everyone should keep in mind that community transmission rates are so high that you run the risk of an exposure whenever you leave your home,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “Assume that this deadly invisible virus is everywhere, looking for a willing host.”

Damage to the job market is growing

The employment picture appears to be degrading as quickly as COVID-19 is spreading. ADP’s December report shows that private sector employment decreased by 123,000 jobs from November to December. Economists were expecting a gain of 60,000 jobs.

The largest and smallest businesses shed the most jobs. Companies with one to 19 employees lost 16,000 jobs. Companies with 1,000 or more employees eliminated 169,000 jobs.

"As the impact of the pandemic on the labor market intensifies, December posted the first decline since April 2020," said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute. "The job losses were primarily concentrated in retail and leisure and hospitality."

Gottlieb: No immediate return to ‘normal’

Don’t expect an immediate return to pre-pandemic life after you -- and millions of others -- receive the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s the advice from former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who says the virus will remain a presence for some time.

“It’s not going to be like it was in 2017 and 2018, when we didn’t worry at all about catching a respiratory pathogen,” Gottlieb told CNBC. “We’re going to worry about it, even if we’re vaccinated.”

Gottlieb predicted that post-pandemic life would be a lot like how Americans felt flying on commercial aircraft in the months following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

China blocks WHO investigators

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that Chinese authorities have blocked a WHO investigating team from arriving in the country. The team had the mission of investigating the origins of the coronavirus, which was first reported in late 2019 in Wuhan.

The WHO said two scientists on the United Nations team were on their way to Wuhan when they were told that Chinese officials had not approved the necessary permissions to enter the country. The agency said China had previously given its okay for the visit.

"I am very disappointed with this news," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials and I have once again made clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team."

Tedros said the WHO was "eager to get the mission underway as soon as possible" and that he had been given assurances that Beijing was speeding up the internal procedure for "the earliest possible deployment."

How the pandemic has changed grocery shopping

Remember the good old days when grocery shopping was often a leisurely experience? The pandemic has changed that, with consumers spending less time wandering the aisles. Today, they pick up their items and check out quickly.

A report by Marketplace, an industry publication, finds that supermarkets have adjusted to this. Both grocers and manufacturers have reduced inventories, with a 7 percent decline in the number of items on store shelves.

That trend, along with online ordering, has also significantly reduced the number of impulse buys, which have contributed to supermarkets’ bottom line in the past.

Around the nation

• Arizona: The state continued to set records this week. The Department of Health Services reported 253 additional deaths, exceeding the previous one-day record of 172 reported on July 30. The state also reported 5,932 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the state’s totals since the pandemic began to 567,474 cases and 9,317 deaths.

• Florida: Florida is another state that has begun to administer vaccines to people other than frontline health workers and nursing home residents. Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced that seniors living in Citrus, Hernando, and Marion counties will be able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 while shopping at Publix supermarkets.

• North Carolina: Gov. Roy Cooper has mobilized the National Guard to help speed up COVID-19 vaccinations, an effort that has lagged in other states. Published reports suggest one reason for the slow start is the refusal among many long-term care staff to take the vaccine.

While some states are scrambling to find a solution to the rocky rollout of the coronavirus vaccines, the nation’s largest grocery chains have joined in to help speed things along. 

According to announcements from various reports, grocers are gearing up for a massive rollout of COVID-19 inoculations with a special emphasis on high-priority recipients. Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those included in Phase One are health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. 

Next up in Phase Two are frontline essential workers (non–health care workers), persons 75 years old or older, and a grocery chain’s own workers who are considered “frontline essential workers.” 

Finding where to get the shot

The first thing to understand is that despite guidance from the CDC, there’s not a single nationwide list or pecking order of where to get vaccinated. Each state is doing its own thing, and the various retailers who are administering shots also have their own game plan. Here are how some of the major grocery chains are handling the situation:

Albertsons (including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs): Albertsons began its vaccine-distribution effort on December 18 in Alaska. The next step in the company’s action plan is to distribute vaccines at in-store pharmacies and, where necessary, non-store sites in certain communities.

Consumers can bookmark this Albertsons special COVID-19 website page to sign up for alerts and keep tabs on the company’s vaccination plans. 

Kroger (including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, Jay C Food Store, Pay-Less Super Markets, QFC, Ralphs, and Smith’s Food and Drug): The Kroger Company hasn’t published an official gameplan. The company released a vague statement saying that “Kroger Health is engaged in vaccination efforts for prioritized populations in several other geographies.”

The best bet ConsumerAffairs could find for Kroger vaccination updates is its vaccination appointment scheduling web page. That is likely the best place to start.

Publix: The nation’s third-largest grocery retailer says that a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines are “on the way” to certain Publix pharmacies in Citrus, Hernando, and Marion counties in Florida. “We’re preparing to make appointments through our online scheduling system while supplies permit, and to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible individuals,” the company said.

Consumers can bookmark this special Publix COVID-19 vaccination website page to sign up for alerts and keep tabs on the company’s vaccination plans. 

Walmart: The king of retail started out by taking care of its pharmacists first. First in line was a Walmart pharmacy clinical service manager in New Mexico. 

“We’re also preparing our 5,000+ pharmacies at Sam’s Clubs and Walmart stores to be ready when the time comes to administer to essential workers, first responders and older Americans in ‘Priority 1B’ and ‘Priority 1C,’ based on the recent recommendation by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,” the company wrote.

Consumers can bookmark this Walmart website page to keep tabs on the company’s vaccination plans. 

Others: Other grocery chains reportedly partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the vaccine access program, or serving as federal pharmacy partners for coronavirus vaccinations, include Ahold Delhaize, Costco Wholesale, H-E-B, Hy-Vee, Meijer, Southeastern Grocers, Big Y Foods, Brookshire Grocery, Coborn’s, Hartig Drug, King Kullen, Food City, Ingles Markets, Price Chopper, Raley’s, Save Mart, SpartanNash, Tops Friendly Markets, Wegmans Food Markets, and Weis Markets.

Lucking out at the last minute

The various COVID-19 vaccines have shelf lives that require them to be used within a certain time frame or tossed out, and some grocers are offering unused doses to people outside of a phase rather than letting them go to waste.

GroceryDive points out the example of H-E-B, which had fresh vaccines left over after it gave the first doses it received to community health care providers. It decided it would offer unused doses to people in Phase 1b rather than let them spoil. Fox News also reported a similar scenario at a Giant Food supermarket in Washington D.C. in which two people were approached by a pharmacy technician 10 minutes before the store was set to close.

“Per the government guidelines, providers can give any remaining doses to people who fall within the next priority group. Every attempt is being made to prevent this, but no doses should be wasted,” H-E-B said.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration released its final version of a rule that clarifies the difference between independent contractors and employees who can claim benefits. 

Under the finalized version of the rule, the Labor Department has made it more difficult for “gig-economy companies” to count workers as employees. The federal rule “respects the time-honored American tradition of being your own boss,” Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella said. 

The rule isn’t set to take effect until March 8, well after President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The Biden administration hasn’t said how it plans to handle the bill. Once inaugurated, Biden could decide to change the rule or choose not to defend it in the event that it’s challenged in court. 

Uber considers it a win

Over the years, Uber has strongly advocated to preserve workers’ independent contractor status. The ride-hailing firm has argued that flexible work is a key reason people choose to work for gig-economy companies. 

“Forcing a binary choice upon workers—to either be an employee with more benefits but with less flexibility, or an independent contractor with limited protections—is outdated,” Danielle Burr, Uber Technologies Inc.’s head of federal affairs, told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. “We appreciate the efforts made to modernize our nation’s laws.” 

But labor rights groups have already voiced opposition to the plan. The National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit labor rights group, called the rule a “narrowing” of the standards. 

“The rule gives license to employers to call most of their workers independent contractors,” said Catherine Ruckelshaus, general counsel at the National Employment Law Project. “That would dramatically narrow worker protections…in the jobs that particularly need them, including construction, agriculture, janitorial and delivery jobs.”

CVS Health said Wednesday that it expects to finish the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations in U.S. nursing homes by January 25. 

In December, the drugstore chain announced that it had partnered with nearly 40,000 nursing homes and long-term care facilities. CVS said it would be sending teams of pharmacists to administer shots to residents and staff in these facilities, which were hard hit by the pandemic. 

The company now says it’s on track to meet the goal it set for administering shots to these vulnerable citizens, despite the fact that it’s encountered a few unexpected challenges.

CVS said that the actual number of residents in nursing homes turned out to be roughly 20-30 percent lower than projections based on bed count. Additionally, the chain said “initial uptake among staff” has been low, in part because facilities are spacing out staff vaccinations. Facilities are reportedly accounting for the possibility that vaccine side effects could cause some employees to stay home for a few days.  

“We’re dealing with a vulnerable population that requires onsite and, in some cases, in-room visits at facilities with fewer than 100 residents on average,” CEO Larry Merlo said in a statement. “Despite these challenges we remain on schedule, and the number of vaccines we administer will continue to rise as more facilities are activated by the states.”

Nursing homes prioritized

Walgreens has also partnered with nursing homes and assisted living facilities to administer COVID-19 shots. The company says it’s also on track to finish administering the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines at those locations by January 25.

Residents and staff at nursing homes and assisted living facilities have been prioritized in the vaccine distribution timeline because these citizens have accounted for a large portion of the nation’s overall coronavirus outbreaks and deaths. 

Although less than 1 percent of the U.S. population lives in long-term care facilities, they account for about 38 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

On Tuesday, Politico quoted a senior Health and Human Services official as saying that between 3,000 and 6,000 retail pharmacies could start administering COVID-19 shots in the next two weeks.