Current Events in February 2021

April 15 may be more than a month away, but tax identity thieves and imposters are ready for tax season whether you are or not. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and email security companies are warning everyone that this year’s tax season has a different look thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. 

What to be on the lookout for in emails

At the top of everyone’s watch list are emails relating to anything and everything that deals with taxes: especially deadline extensions and any emails that specifically address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tim Sadler, CEO and co-founder of email security company Tessian, told ConsumerAffairs that there are five things worth remembering when looking at a tax-related email:

Check the sender: Do the names and email addresses match up? Does the name and email address look believable? 

“Attackers will frequently take advantage of the fact that mobile email only shows a display name – as opposed to the full email address – and will change the display name to someone that the victim is familiar with,” Sadler said.

Don't open attachments: Tax season or not, email attachments are a scammer’s go-to weapon of choice. They often use them to infect a victim’s device with malware or code that allows them to gain unauthorized access to your computer. Sadler suggests taking this cautionary step even further. 

“Be wary of even opening emails that are unfamiliar let alone attachments. Attackers have started using social engineering techniques such as hiding keywords in raw HTML or sending invisible pixels. From there, bad actors can lure someone into entering their credentials online and then steal sensitive identity information or wire money to fraudulent accounts,” he said.

Check for errors and tone: Spelling mistakes and poor grammar are always red flags and not something the IRS would likely ever let out of the building. A poorly constructed email or graphic can be one of the easiest ways to spot fraud.

Don't rush into anything: Sadler adds that on top of those warning signs, taxpayers should be wary of any unusual or unprofessional sense of urgency in the email. “If you're unsure, you can verify the legitimacy of the sender by calling the organization directly,” he offered. 

The executive also gave some sage advice that can help verify the authenticity of an email sender. He said you can search for the sending domain in your inbox -- e.g., “@irs.gov.” If you’ve received legitimate emails from the sender over the past few years, it’s generally a good sign that the new email is a legitimate request.

Be skeptical: Ask yourself what are the chances that the sender of a particular email would send you a message about a particular subject -- in this case, taxes. 

“If not, question whether the sender is legitimate. If there is a URL within the email, hover over the link but don’t click. If the URL domain doesn’t match the sending domain, this could be a sign of a scam,” Sadler suggested.

IRS imposters are looking for victims

The FTC reminds Americans that “government” imposters are good at their game -- very good. They might call you on the phone pretending to be from the IRS or even show up on your doorstep claiming you owe taxes and demand that you pay them right then and there.

The agency reminds citizens that the key element of those payment demands are usually gift cards or prepaid debit cards. To help everyone understand the particulars of this scam, the FTC has produced a video explaining how it works.

“They threaten you’ll be arrested or face other bad consequences if you don’t pay. But it’s all a lie. If you send the money, it’s gone,” the agency warned. 

Beware of identity theft

In addition to curious emails, the FTC warns taxpayers that scammers are also trying to find ways to steal a person’s tax identity. Here’s the agency’s to-do list on that subject:

Protect your Social Security number (SSN): Whether it’s tax season or the December holidays, the FTC says that you should never give out your SSN unless there’s a) a good reason and, b) you’re absolutely sure who it is you’re giving it to.

File early: When it comes to being scammed, procrastination is not your friend. 

“Once you file your tax return, you limit the opportunity for someone else to have stolen your identity and do it. It’s like the perfect storm we’re dealing with right now,” Howard Silverstone, a forensic accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ fraud task force, told CNBC.

Mail your return directly from the post office: The FTC says those who mail their tax return directly from the post office are limiting the chances that their return will be snatched by someone who can steal and reuse personal information.

Research a tax preparer thoroughly: Before handing over personal information to anyone the first time, do your homework. 

“Most tax return preparers provide outstanding and professional tax service. However, each year, some taxpayers are hurt financially because they choose the wrong tax return preparer,” the IRS suggests. The agency offers a list of things to consider when choosing a tax preparer and how to avoid unethical "ghost" return preparers.

Check your credit report

While it doesn’t directly relate to tax returns, the FTC says there’s one extra step everyone can take to ensure that their identity hasn’t been stolen or an account hasn’t been opened in their name by someone else -- a credit report. 

Normally, U.S. citizens can get a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies, but online reports are being offered every single week through April, 2021 by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To help low-income households afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set up a program that allows qualifying households to get internet service for as little as $50 a month, as well as an opportunity to buy a computer or tablet at a discount.

The $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program will be made available within 60 days (by April 27, 2021) as providers sign up and program systems are put in place. FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called the move historic. 

“This is a program that will help those at risk of digital disconnection. It will help those sitting in cars in parking lots just to catch a Wi-Fi signal to go online for work. It will help those lingering outside the library with a laptop just to get a wireless signal for remote learning,” she said.

“It will help those who worry about choosing between paying a broadband bill and paying rent or buying groceries. In short, this program can make a meaningful difference in the lives of people across the country. I have confidence in our staff that we will do this carefully, swiftly and the right way.”

Eligibility and what’s available

To get the broadband service discount for up to $50 -- and up to $75 a month if the household is on Tribal lands -- applicants will have to prove that they fit at least one of the following criteria:

• Existing participation in a low-income or pandemic relief program offered by a broadband provider;

• Lifeline subscribers, including those that are on Medicaid or accept SNAP benefits;

• Households with children receiving free and reduced-price lunch or school breakfast;

• Pell grant recipients; and/or

• Those who have lost jobs or seen their income substantially reduced in the last year. 

Additional details on household eligibility can be found in this document on page 20. As for the discount on a computer or tablet, the program will provide a one-time discount of up to $100 on either of those devices for eligible households.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 28,422,348 (28,340,700)

Total U.S. deaths: 508,750 (506,232)

Total global cases: 113,161,929 (112,716,833)

Total global deaths: 2,510,955 (2,500,770)

FDA allows Pfizer vaccine to be stored at higher temperatures

As expected, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to pharmacies administering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to store it at higher temperatures for two weeks. The higher temperature also applies to the transportation of the vaccine.

Originally, the vaccine had to be stored at extremely frigid temperatures, beyond the capacity of many pharmacy freezers. Unfortunately, that requirement complicated distribution logistics.

“Pfizer submitted data to the FDA to support this alternative temperature for transportation and storage,” the FDA said in a statement. “This alternative temperature for transportation and storage of the undiluted vials is significant and allows the vials to be transported and stored under more flexible conditions.”

Johnson & Johnson vaccine expected to get a green light

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is expected to flash the green light later today for Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine candidate. The company has applied for emergency use authorization (EUA) to begin distribution.

Earlier this week, FDA staff who reviewed data about the vaccine issued a report saying that Johnson & Johnson’s product was safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 and recommended a EUA.

Johnson & Johnson said it has already produced millions of doses of the vaccine and could begin distribution immediately, supplementing the supply of vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.

U.S. buys more antibody drug doses

While the focus remains on vaccines to prevent COVID-19, the U.S. government is also beefing up supplies of drugs to treat people who get the disease. Eli Lilly announced today that the U.S. government has agreed to purchase a minimum of 100,000 doses of bamlanivimab and etesevimab, antibody drugs that have been shown to be effective at treating COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

The drug combo received emergency use authorization last week after data revealed the treatment was effective at preventing mild cases of the virus from progressing to severe COVID-19 cases that require hospitalization. 

The purchase agreement totals $210 million, and doses will be delivered through March 31, 2021. The U.S. government will have the option to purchase up to 1,100,000 additional doses through November 25, 2021.

Stimulus bill up for a House vote today

The House of Representatives is set to vote later today on a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid and stimulus bill. Democrats say they have the votes to pass the measure and send it to the Senate, where its fate is less certain.

The measure’s provisions for individuals include a $400 per week unemployment insurance supplement and $1,400 direct payments to most American adults, as well as the same amount for children.

The Senate version of the bill won’t contain an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, championed by progressive Democrats. Senate rules preclude that measure from being included in a budget reconciliation bill, which is being used to pass the bill without any Republican votes.

Study: COVID-19 makes policing especially dangerous

The job of a police officer is fraught with well-known dangers, but it appears to be especially dangerous during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new report from Case Western Reserve University shows that out of the 264 U.S. police officers who died in the line of duty in 2020, more than half died of COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is absolutely devastating police departments around the country,” said Mark Singer, a professor who participated in the study. “I’m certain there are local departments that have been ravaged by this disease, as well as our hospitals’ staff, firemen, and EMS. We need to do everything we can to promote healthy, safe first responders.”

The data does not include information on how many police officers were forced to miss work because of COVID-19. However, 145 police officers nationally died from complications related to the novel coronavirus.

Around the nation

• Oregon: Although many states have loosened COVID-19 restrictions in recent weeks, Oregon remains an outlier. Gov. Kate Brown has extended the state’s emergency declaration to early May. “Throughout the pandemic, Oregonians have made smart choices that have protected our families and loved ones,” Brown said. “Our infection and mortality rates have consistently remained some of the lowest in the country.”

• New Mexico: State health officials have yet to reach a consensus on when New Mexico will reach “herd immunity.” Cases have fallen dramatically in recent weeks. “There’s kind of a debate in the scientific community about how many have to have immunity to have herd immunity,” said Dr. David Scrase, secretary for the state’s Human Services Department. “Folks are talking 70-80 percent.”

• North Carolina: Starting today, there are fewer COVID-19 restrictions in the state. Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an order “easing but not lifting” current restrictions, but the night-time public closure period for certain businesses and facilities is lifted. These establishments -- mostly bars -- are no longer ordered to close to the public between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

In a new report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it found that some elderly people who had recovered from COVID-19 later became re-infected with an even worse case of the virus. 

The CDC said it studied two separate outbreaks that occurred three months apart at a nursing facility in Kentucky. Over the summer, 20 residents and five staff members contracted COVID-19. Then between October and December, 85 residents and 43 health-care personnel tested positive for the virus. 

Five of those residents tested positive for COVID-19 in both the first and second outbreak. The reinfection occurred more than 90 days after their first positive test. 

“The exposure history, including the timing of roommates’ infections and the new onset of symptoms during the second outbreak, suggest that the second positive RT-PCR results represented new infections after the patients apparently cleared the first infection,” wrote Alyson Cavanaugh, one of the researchers who led the study.

Immune response could play a role

Health officials said several residents who came down with the virus a second time experienced more severe symptoms. 

“Although three of the five patients with recurrent COVID-19 were asymptomatic during their first infectious episode, all five experienced symptoms during their second infectious episode; the two patients who were symptomatic during the first outbreak experienced more severe symptoms during the second infectious episode compared with the symptoms they had during the first outbreak,” the CDC wrote. “One resident patient required hospitalization and subsequently died.” 

The researchers said the study suggests that it’s possible for people with symptoms that are either mild or nonexistent to the first time they get COVID-19 to later get a worse case of the virus because they “do not produce a sufficiently robust immune response to prevent reinfection.” 

Reinfection possible

The study results “suggest the possibility that disease can be more severe during a second infection,” the CDC said. 

“The findings of this study highlight the importance of maintaining public health mitigation and protection strategies that reduce transmission risk, even among persons with a history of COVID-19 infection,” Cavanaugh wrote.

Throughout the pandemic, nursing home residents have been particularly vulnerable to catching the virus due to the fact that they live in close proximity to others. The study authors said nursing facilities should continue to use strategies to reduce the spread of the virus, “including among those who have previously had a COVID-19 diagnosis.”

TikTok has agreed to pay $92 million to settle lawsuits claiming that it collected users’ personal data without their knowledge or permission, and then sold that data to advertisers. 

NPR reports that the proposed settlement includes 89 million U.S. users, some as young as six years old. The settlement combines 21 privacy-centered class action lawsuits against TikTok. 

TikTok was accused in the suits of violating users’ privacy in several ways, including by analyzing their faces to determine their ethnicity, gender, and age. The company was also accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as well as privacy laws in Illinois and California. 

The settlement, which would include nearly all U.S. users, is being described as one of the “largest privacy-related payouts in history.” 

TikTok denies allegations 

In a statement to various media outlets, TikTok said it disagreed with the allegations but has decided to settle the case anyway. 

"We'd like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community," a company spokesperson said.

As part of the settlement, TikTok has agreed to stop tracking biometric information and to stop transmitting user data overseas. It’s also agreed to stop collecting data from users’ draft videos.  

“This is one of the largest settlements ever achieved in a consumer BIPA case, and one of the largest privacy class action settlements,” Ekwan Rhow, a co-lead counsel for the lawsuit, said in a statement. “It serves as a reminder to corporations that privacy matters, and they will be held accountable for violating consumers’ rights.”

The settlement is still awaiting approval by the court system. 

A new study finds that people who continuously wear glasses throughout the day are two-to-three times less likely to get COVID-19. 

Researchers said the reason may be that touching and rubbing the eyes with contaminated hands “may be a significant route of infection.” 

For the study, researchers asked 300 people who were hospitalized in India due to COVID-19 what their glasses-wearing habits were. The people surveyed ranged in age from 10 to 80. 

About 60 patients reported being “long-time glasses-wearers.” Overall, fewer glasses wearers contracted the virus compared to those who didn’t, suggesting that glasses might provide another line of defense against COVID-19.

"This present study showed that the risk of COVID-19 was 2-3 times less in spectacles-wearing population than the population not using spectacles. [The] protective role of the spectacles was found statistically significant if those were used for [a] long period of the day," or more than eight hours, the researchers concluded. 

Less susceptible to COVID-19

The authors said people typically touch their eyes around three times per hour, but glasses wearers aren’t as likely to touch their eyes.

“Protective role of the spectacles was found statistically significant, if those were used for (a) long period of the day,” the researchers added. “Touching and rubbing of the eyes with contaminated hands may be a significant route of infection.”

The team said part of the eye may serve as a gateway for the virus to get into the body. 

“The nasolacrimal duct may be a route of virus transmission from conjunctival sac to the nasopharynx,” according to the study. “Touching one’s nose and mouth is significantly reduced when wearing a face mask properly. But wearing a face mask does not protect the eyes.” 

The study was published in medRxiv and has not been peer-reviewed.

Throughout the pandemic, mortgage rates have been at record lows and falling auto loan rates have made new cars more affordable. Both are about to get more expensive.

The reason is the bond market. The yield on the U.S. government’s 10-year bond rose quickly this week and is now around 1.5 percent for the first time since the coronavirus (COVID-19) began to shut down the economy a year ago.

That might still sound low, but for nearly a year the interest rate on the 10-year bond has been well below 1 percent. Because home mortgages and many consumer loans, including the rates on new and used cars, are keyed to the 10-year bond, consumers have found that home and car payments have been more affordable.

That’s already begun to change. This week the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.13 percent, jumping 19 basis points from the week before. In late January, the average rate was around 2.87 percent, according to Bankrate.

In January, a buyer taking out a $250,000 mortgage would have paid $35 a month less than today, or an extra $420 a year. That adds up to an extra $12,600 in interest payments over the life of the loan.

Some consumers have refinanced their auto loans

At the same time, auto loan rates, which have also been near record lows, are also moving higher. Rates have been so low over the last few months that many consumers who financed vehicles in 2019 or earlier have refinanced their car loans to save some money each month.

Though rates are rising, both home and car loans remain near historic lows, and the reason for their move higher is mostly positive. In short, bond yields are rising because of growing optimism about the economy.

New cases of the coronavirus have plunged in recent weeks. The pace of vaccinations has increased, with the total number of people in the U.S. who have been vaccinated hitting 50 million this week.

At the same time, Democrats in Congress are putting the final touches on a massive $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that would pump even more money into the economy. While that would put money in consumers’ pockets, it could also increase inflationary pressure. That, economists say, is another reason bond rates have been moving higher.

Several studies have found that strong parent-child relationships can help kids navigate everything from stressful situations to peer relationships.

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the Taylor and Francis Group has found a strong connection between parents’ empathy and their kids’ behaviors. According to their findings, kids who feel that their parents are empathetic are less likely to deal with teen delinquency than those with less empathetic caregivers. They’re also more likely to become empathetic themselves. 

“The principle implication of this study is that parental support, as perceived by the child, apparently plays a small but significant role in the development of empathy in early adolescent youth,” the researchers wrote. “Empathy, in turn, may serve to reduce the child’s propensity for future delinquent involvement.” 

How empathy affects delinquency

The researchers analyzed nearly 4,000 survey responses from kids enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The children were surveyed each year from ages 12 through 17 and answered questions that assessed their own levels of empathy and how empathetic and supportive they believed their parents were. In the final year of the survey, the teens reported on how often they had engaged in acts of delinquency, including things like stealing or destroying property. 

The study showed that kids who felt that their parents were empathetic towards them were less likely to engage in delinquent acts. When kids felt that their homes were solid and supportive, they behaved better as adolescents and teens. The team found that the opposite was also true; kids that didn’t feel that same level of empathy were more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors. 

Having children perceive their parents as empathetic was also beneficial for other reasons. The study showed that kids were more likely to develop the trait themselves -- which also contributed to fewer delinquency behaviors -- when they felt that their parents modeled the trait for them. 

“What this current study adds to the literature on the parental support-delinquency relationship is a mechanism capable of further clarifying this relationship,” said researcher Glenn Walters. “The mechanism, according to the results of the present study, is empathy.”

While the researchers believe that there could be other factors at play here that ultimately affect kids’ behaviors, these findings highlight just how important it is for kids to feel supported and understood by their parents. 

A new study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that mothers’ diets could go a long way towards benefiting their premature infants’ immune systems. 

Though there are risks with premature births, the researchers found that adopting a diet high in vegetables can benefit premature infants’ immune function. Their work showed that a healthy diet was effective in reducing infants’ risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) -- a common gastrointestinal condition among preemies that attacks the intestinal lining and can be fatal. 

“These findings enable us to imagine the possibility of developing a maternal diet that can not only boost an infant’s overall growth, but also enhance the immune system of a developing fetus, and in turn, reduce the risk of NEC if the baby is born prematurely,” said researcher Dr. David Hackam. 

The importance of fruits and vegetables during pregnancy

The researchers conducted several different studies on mice to better understand how pregnant women’s diets can affect their premature infants’ immune systems. The major part of their work was based on the interaction between a compound commonly found in vegetables and a protein linked with NEC. Previous studies have found that the compound -- indole-3 carbinol (I3C) -- can effectively stop the production of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) protein, which is responsible for NEC in premature infants. 

The researchers designed the study to see if IC3 could “be fed to pregnant mice, get passed to their unborn children, and then protect them against NEC after birth.” In the study, one group of pregnant mice was fed high-vegetable diets while another group consumed no IC3 during pregnancy. After the mice gave birth, the researchers analyzed the newborns’ health outcomes. 

The researchers’ hypothesis about the way IC3 and TLR4 interact was correct: greater vegetable consumption reduced the production of the TLR4 protein. The mice born to mothers who had consumed more leafy green vegetables during pregnancy were 50 percent less likely to develop NEC within their first week of birth. 

In another trial, the researchers put breastfeeding to the test. They learned that eating healthier while breastfeeding produced similar immune function outcomes. Infant mice were protected from NEC when their mothers consumed healthier foods. 

While the researchers plan to do more work in this area, they hope that these findings show just how important mothers’ diets can be for their newborns’ overall growth, development, and immune system function. 

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic isn’t over yet, but gasoline prices are behaving as though it is. Rising oil prices and last week’s Texas refinery shutdowns have rocketed prices at the pump higher.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gasoline is $2.69 a gallon, nine cents higher than last Friday. Over the last two weeks, prices have climbed an average of 19 cents a gallon and are that much higher than they were before the pandemic.

The average price of premium gas is $3.26 a gallon, 10 cents higher than last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.90, 12 cents higher than last week.

Gas prices normally start to rise at this time of year because of seasonal factors, such as a switch over to summer grade fuel production. But last week’s frigid temperatures and electricity blackouts in Texas have accelerated the trend.

“When close to 40 percent of U.S. crude production is offline because refineries are closed, there is going to be pain at the pump until operations resume,” said Jeanette Casselano McGee, AAA’s spokesperson. “The good news is the nearly two dozen impacted refiners are expected to restart operations this week if they haven’t already. That means regular gasoline deliveries will resume and impacted stations will be re-fueled.”

But that may or may not bring down prices, since crude oil prices continue to move higher. West Texas Intermediate crude is trading north of $63 a barrel for the first time in over a year.

Every state reported higher fuel prices this week, with the biggest gains in states where gas is the cheapest. All 10 states with the cheapest gas prices in the country reported double-digit increases in the statewide average price of regular.

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 ($3.63)

• Hawaii ($3.45)

• Washington ($3.05)

• Nevada ($2.95)

• Pennsylvania ($2.92)

• Oregon ($2.90)

• Illinois ($2.89)

• Alaska ($2.84)

• New Jersey ($2.79)

• New York ($2.73)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Mississippi ($2.34)

• Louisiana ($2.38)

• Texas ($2.39)

• Alabama ($2.42)

• Arkansas ($2.43)

• Missouri ($2.43)

• Oklahoma ($2.44)

• South Carolina ($2.45)

• Tennessee ($2.47)

• Kansas ($2.47)

BMW of North America is recalling 901 of the following:

• Model year 2020-2021 8 Series Coupe, Grand Coupe and convertible 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8 and 740 Li, 740 Li xDrive, 750 Li xDrive, M760 Li xDrive, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xdrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M vehicles,
• Model year 2019-2021 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i vehicles, and
• Model year 2021 M3, M3 Competition, M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, X5 xDrive45e, 745 Le xDrive vehicles.

The rotor and shaft within the integrated brake system may not have been welded properly and could separate during a hard braking event, possibly resulting in a loss of the Antilock Brake System (ABS) and braking assistance.

A loss of ABS and a reduction in braking assistance can increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the integrated brake system free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin April 5, 2021.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at (800) 525-7417.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling eight model year 2020 GLS 450s, GLE 350s, GLE 450s, and model year 2021 AMG GLE53s.

The dashboard surface may not be properly secured to the base material.

In a crash where the passenger airbag deploys, an unsecured dashboard could impair inflation of the airbag, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the dashboard free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin April 6, 2021.

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

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 28,340,700 (28,265,193)

Total U.S. deaths: 506,232 (502,856)

Total global cases: 112,716,833 (112,282,725)

Total global deaths: 2,500,770 (2,488,895)

Pfizer considers a booster shot

By all accounts, both the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are working well. But Pfizer is holding out the possibility that a third “booster” shot might make its vaccine even more effective. Both vaccines achieved a 95 percent efficacy rate in clinical trials.

In an interview with NBC, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said there is a belief among scientists within the company that a third dose would boost the immune response even higher, especially increasing protection against variants.

Pfizer announced today that a booster dose is being studied among people who received their first doses of the vaccine more than six months ago. "We believe that the third dose will raise the antibody response 10- to 20-fold," Boula said.

New jobless claims drop sharply

Amid growing optimism about the decline in new coronavirus cases, the job market is suddenly showing new signs of strength. The Labor Department reported today that new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week by 111,000.

The total of 730,000 claims was the lowest so far in 2021. The previous week's level was revised downward by 20,000 from 861,000 to 841,000. The four-week moving average was 807,750, a decrease of 20,500 from the previous week's revised average.

In another promising sign, there was also a decline in the number of people who stayed on unemployment. Continuing jobless claims dropped by 101,000 to 4.42 million, the lowest since March of last year, just as the pandemic hit.

Los Angeles mandates extra pay for some retail employees

The Los Angeles City Council has voted overwhelmingly to require “hero pay” for people who work at supermarkets and drug stores. The measure would boost their pay by $5 an hour.

In California, the cities of Oakland, Long Beach, and San Jose have passed similar measures. Advocates have argued that special pay is needed for the people who risk their health to work in crowded stores during the pandemic.

The California Grocers Association, an industry trade group, has filed lawsuits against municipalities that have passed these ordinances. The group argues that the mandates will have “severe unintended consequences on not only grocers but on their workers and their customers.”

COVID-19 has crushed the flu season

Have you, or anyone you know, come down with the flu this season? Probably not. Health officials say cases of influenza have plunged, citing the coronavirus as the main reason.

Health experts say coronavirus mitigation efforts -- such as mask mandates, social distancing, and plentiful hand sanitizer in public venues -- have also served to tamp down cases of the flu, which spreads in much the same way as COVID-19.

Whatever the reason, Lynnette Brammer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells ABC News that the 2020-21 flu season has seen the fewest cases in the last 25 years.

Football player cites the virus in ending his career

COVID-19 has apparently ended a football career. Clemson defensive end Justin Foster has announced that he will no longer play football at the college or professional level. He recently recovered from COVID-19 and says the combination of the virus and his asthma has made it impossible for him to play football. 

"The decision came after months of recovery and treatment, which required asking a lot of difficult questions about my future," Foster posted on Twitter. "While I still have a way to go, I feel confident I will fully recover."

Foster’s head coach, Dabo Swinney, said his player is feeling much better than he did after being diagnosed, but he appears to be suffering lingering effects. Foster tested positive for the virus last August.

Around the nation

• Louisiana: Louisiana is an example of how serious COVID-19 cases are in decline across the country. The state health department reports that hospitalized COVID-19 patients dropped below 700 this week as the state added to its streak of days with declining hospitalizations. Only 102 patients have required ventilators, officials said. 

• Connecticut: Gov. Ned Lamont has announced that the state will continue giving vaccination priority to older residents. In addition to the age-based eligibility, elementary and high school staff and teachers, along with professional childcare providers, will be eligible to receive the vaccine in March.

• Michigan: Michigan has imposed some of the tightest restrictions on public activity of any state -- sometimes drawing protests -- but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she’s ready to begin opening things up. “We’re expecting to make more announcements on additional re-engagements in the coming days,” she said. “Our case numbers and public health metrics are trending in the right direction, and we’re very pleased to see that.”

A new COVID-19 variant is spreading in New York City, and researchers say it could make vaccines less effective. The variant, called B.1.526, has emerged in diverse neighborhoods in New York City and in the various parts of the Northeast, according to researchers. 

Concerningly, one of its mutations is the same as one found in the variant first detected in South Africa (B.1.351) -- a change that seems to somewhat weaken the body’s immune response to vaccines.  

"We observed a steady increase in the detection rate from late December to mid-February, with an alarming rise to 12.7% in the past two weeks," a research team from Columbia University Medical Center wrote in a yet-to-be-published report. 

The group of researchers said the new variant accounted for roughly one in four viral genetic sequences appearing in a database shared by scientists. 

Steady increase

Separately, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) also found that cases of B.1.526 have surged in recent weeks. 

"It appears that the frequency of lineage B.1.526 has increased rapidly in New York," the Caltech researchers wrote in a report, which has not yet been peer-reviewed. 

“We see cases in Westchester, in the Bronx and Queens, the lower part of Manhattan and in Brooklyn,” said Dr. David Ho, Director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia, who led the study team. “So it seems to be widespread. It’s not a single outbreak.”

"Everything we know about this key mutation suggests that it appears to escape from antibody pressure," Ho said, according to CNN.

The researchers have alerted authorities in New York State and New York City, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

On top of the extensive property damage, collapsed roofs, and broken pipes that Texas residents endured during the recent winter storm, a Houston-area resident has filed a proposed billion-dollar class-action lawsuit against Griddy Energy, the electric company caught in the maelstrom of storm-related power outages. The lawsuit alleges that Griddy engaged in unwarranted price gouging when it sent Texas consumers electric bills into the thousands of dollars.

Everything is bigger in Texas, but lead plaintiff and Houston-area resident Lisa Khoury claims Griddy went seriously overboard when it came to the electric bill. According to the lawsuit, Griddy charged her $9,546 for service from February 1 to February 19 -- a rate that was nearly 50 times higher than the typical $200 to $250 that she usually paid for electric services.

According to the filing, Khoury and her husband were “mostly” without power in their home from February 17 to February 18. She hosted her parents and in-laws, who are in their 80s, during the storm. Even then, she continued to minimize her household's power usage because of her fear of high electricity prices.

"At this point we don't know how many people might be affected, but there are likely thousands of customers who've received these outrageous bills," says Derek Potts of the Potts Law Firm in Houston, which represents Khoury. "A class action will be the most efficient and effective way for Griddy's customers to come together and fight this predatory pricing."

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) is also getting into the fray. On Wednesday, the agency opened an investigation into the business practices of Retail Electric Providers whose “plans with pricing indexed to the electricity wholesale rate are reported to have inflicted unusually high bills on their Texas customers in the aftermath of last week’s winter storm grid event.”

Griddy says it shouldn’t be the fall guy

Khoury claims in her lawsuit that on top of price gouging, Griddy "failed to shield consumers from excessive electrical bills," and in doing that, was "unjustly enriched” by selling electricity at high prices in the middle of the storm.

Griddy doesn’t agree. In a statement provided to The Dallas Morning News, the company called the lawsuit “meritless.”

“We understand our customers’ frustration. However, Griddy passes through the wholesale electricity price to customers without mark-up. The prices charged are the direct result of the non-market prices ordered by the [Public Utility Commission of Texas] last week. The lawsuit is meritless and we plan to vigorously defend it,” Griddy spokesperson Lauren Valdes said in the statement.

In a statement on its website, Griddy pointed its finger at Texas’ Public Utility Commission for putting into play "a non-market pricing mechanism for electricity mandating prices reaching as high as hundreds of times normal prices." The company said it is engaging with PUCT and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) -- which manages the flow of electric power to 90 percent of the state’s electric load and “determines the market price of electricity.”

The growth of the wholesale energy market

Griddy is not your typical utility company that offers fixed-rate electricity plans regardless of market conditions. Rather, its business model is built around passing wholesale electricity rates directly to customers. 

In Griddy’s case, the company’s recently published monthly rate listed the membership cost at $9.99 a month -- about 33 cents per day -- and says that its per kilowatt hour rates are below the Texas average of 6.8 cents 96.9 percent of the time. Despite the frustrations that the Texas storm caused, consumers seem to be smitten with wholesale utilities. Griddy says that the moment the PUCT reversed its non-market pricing mechanism and wholesale prices in ERCOT became “negative,” many of its customers who had left to avoid the non-market prices reversed course and “quickly requested to re-enroll and return to our platform.” 

Discounted utilities aren’t available in all 50 states, but deregulation of utilities has allowed some consumers to find more options when deciding who will provide electricity to their home or place of business. Discount natural gas, green energy, and electricity providers are growing in popularity. ConsumerAffairs has reviewed many such providers, including ones in Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, and others besides Griddy in Texas.

Health officials say mask-wearing is especially important when taking part in indoor group exercise in places like gyms. 

In new reports released Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that COVID-19 outbreaks over the summer have now been linked to exercise facilities in Chicago and Honolulu. 

In the Chicago facility, 60 percent of people who attended in-person fitness classes between August 24 and September 1 tested positive for the virus. The CDC said some virus-prevention measures were in place (including temperature checks and symptom screenings), but people were allowed to remove their masks during their workout. 

In the Honolulu facility, a fitness instructor who tested positive for COVID-19 on July 1 spread the virus to another 21 people. The instructor led a stationary cycling class for 10 people just a few hours before his symptoms began. None of the attendees wore a mask, and all of them later tested positive for COVID-19. 

CDC urges stricter precautions

The agency said “increased respiratory exertion” in enclosed spaces like gyms makes it easier for the virus to spread.

Officials recommend that gyms decrease class sizes, set up additional hand washing stations, and require physical distancing to prevent transmission. Mask-wearing should also be enforced regardless of whether people are spaced six feet apart, the agency said.

Other precautions that can help protect gym users include good ventilation and persistent reminders for employees and patrons to stay home if they are sick. 

“It’s very important for individuals who would like to attend a gym and work out to be cognizant of what the Covid symptoms are, and to be aware that if you are feeling something that looks and feels like a Covid-19 symptom, to stay home as a precaution,” said Richard A. Teran, a C.D.C. epidemiologist in Chicago who was one of the authors of the Chicago case study published on Wednesday.

The Australian government has passed a law that will require companies like Google and Facebook to pay publishers for the news they show. The law’s passage follows a heated debate with Facebook, which along with Google expressed opposition to the idea of being forced to pay publishers to display news links. 

Facebook argued that the law was based on “a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between Facebook and news publishers.” The company compared the law to “forcing car makers to fund radio stations because people might listen to them in the car — and letting the stations set the price.” 

Last week, Facebook briefly blocked publishers and users from sharing news links in Australia in response to the proposed law. Since then, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Australia’s treasurer Josh Fyrdenberg have reportedly hashed out an agreement that both sides are comfortable with. 

Facebook said Australian officials "agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address [its] core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value [its] platform provides to publishers relative to the value [it] receive[s] from them." 

Revisions made

Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said on Wednesday that before the changes were made, the Australian law would have let media conglomerates “demand a blank check.”

“Thankfully, after further discussion, the Australian government has agreed to changes that mean fair negotiations are encouraged without the looming threat of heavy-handed and unpredictable arbitration,” Clegg wrote in a Facebook post.

With the amendments, the law now requires authorities to give tech companies at least a month’s notice before they are formally designated under the code. That will give the parties involved more time for negotiations. 

Rod Sims, the regulator who drafted the code, said the changes satisfactorily address the market power imbalance between Australian news publishers and tech and media companies. 

Frydenberg noted that the goal of the law is to make sure that media companies are "fairly remunerated for the content they generate, helping to sustain public-interest journalism in Australia."