Current Events in February 2021

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 28,194,840 (28,139,690)

Total U.S. deaths: 500,617 (499,128)

Total global cases: 111,878,487 (111,555,751)

Total global deaths: 2,478,131 (2,469,417)

One dose or two?

Doctors are beginning to question whether people really need two doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, especially when measured against the bottlenecks and shortages that have delayed vaccinations in many states.

Health officials are holding back significant quantities of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in order to provide second shots three weeks later. However, antibody tests have shown that most recipients create protective antibodies within three weeks of receiving the first dose.

But the Biden administration is opposed to the move, as are some other health experts. They worry that one dose of a vaccine will be less effective against the new variants of the virus that have emerged in the U.K. and South Africa and are now present in the U.S.

Drug companies increasing vaccine production

If you’ve been frustrated because you have been unable to book an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, help may be on the way. Drugmakers say they are stepping up production and that supplies should be more plentiful next month.

Pfizer said it expects to provide more than 13 million doses of its two-shot vaccine per week by mid-March, doubling its current output. Moderna President Dr. Stephen Hoge told CNBC that his company is also on track to double its output.

“Since the end of 2020, we have doubled our monthly deliveries to the U.S. government, and we are working to double them again by April to more than 40 million doses per month,” Hoge said. 

Biden reflects on 500,000 deaths

When the U.S. death toll from the virus exceeded 500,000 on Monday, the White House paused to reflect on the gravity of the loss. President Biden marked the milestone with a solemn ceremony at the White House.

"Today, we mark a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone," Biden said in a brief speech. "500,071 dead. That's more Americans who died in one year in this pandemic than in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined."

Biden presided over ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial hours before his inauguration, marking the death of 400,000 Americans from COVID-19. That was just over a month ago.

Vaccines may reduce severity of symptoms

Most people are lining up to receive a vaccination against the coronavirus in hopes of avoiding a potentially lethal infection. But a British study shows that even if you end up getting the virus, having a vaccination may keep you out of the hospital.

The U.K. study focused on two vaccines -- the one produced by Pfizer and BioNTech and the one developed by AstraZeneca at Oxford University. Both significantly reduced hospitalizations among those who got the virus after being vaccinated.

The study also found that both vaccines were effective against a new, more contagious variant of the virus.

Researchers say antibody testing can slow the virus’ spread

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast say largescale antibody testing could result in people taking more precautions and, as a result, reducing the transmission of the coronavirus.

The researchers say most people have gone about their daily lives without knowing whether they have the virus or not, but many assume they don’t. They point to research suggesting that this lack of knowledge can cause people to disregard mitigation rules, such as social distancing.

“This research suggests that there can be sizeable gains in terms of lives saved from conducting largescale antibody testing,”  Dr. Luis Guimaraes, one of the researchers, said. “The benefits of these tests are particularly large for those that cannot work from home in areas in which many are estimated to have been infected like London.”

Around the nation

• Florida: As the U.S. marked 500,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Monday, Florida passed its own grim milestone. The state reported a total of 30,000 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began.

• Utah: Some people remain very hesitant to take the coronavirus vaccine, and many Utah lawmakers are siding with them. A measure barring state agencies from requiring employees to be vaccinated sailed through the Utah House on Monday.

• Vermont: Gov. Phil Scott has relaxed rules for out-of-state visitors. Starting today, visitors will no longer have to quarantine for 14 days if they have been fully vaccinated. The policy also applies to state residents who are returning from a trip.

People with student loans may make an unpleasant discovery when they start to prepare their 2020 federal income tax return. A deduction that many may have enjoyed in past years will be missing.

The deduction is the interest paid on student loan balances. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows student loan borrowers to deduct up to $2,500 in interest charges on their loans. That can amount to significant tax savings.

But the deduction won’t be available for most of 2020 because almost all student loan borrowers didn’t pay the usual interest last year. Last March, Congress suspended interest payments until March 2021, and the Biden administration has just extended the break until September.

“You can claim the student loan interest deduction based only on amounts actually paid,” author and higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz told CNBC.

Widely-used deduction

In past years, interest payments have been a widely used deduction. By some estimates, as many as 12 million taxpayers claimed the deduction in 2018, the last year for which there is data. Some borrowers who have been unaffected economically by the pandemic may have continued to make student loan payments through all of last year, but they won’t be able to claim the deduction because the government paused all interest payments. 

If consumers continued to make payments, then the entire amount went to pay down their loan balance and none went toward interest, which is a pretty good deal that offsets some of the deduction loss.

The interest payment pause didn’t take effect until mid-March last year, so borrowers will still be able to deduct around two months of interest payments.

What student loan borrowers should know

If you are making payments on a student loan and have never heard about the deduction, you should be able to claim it next year -- at least for the last three months of the year. The IRS says you can claim the deduction if all of the following apply:

• You paid interest on a qualified student loan in tax year 2020;

• You're legally obligated to pay interest on a qualified student loan;

• Your filing status isn't married filing separately;

• Your MAGI is less than a specified amount which is set annually; and

• Neither you nor your spouse, if filing jointly, can be claimed as dependents on someone else's return.

The IRS has more information about the student loan interest deduction here.

The itch to get out from under COVID-19’s shadow and travel somewhere is growing. Royal Caribbean’s CEO says a long look at the booking data for their slate of cruises shows a unexpectedly positive post-pandemic recovery.

Despite what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Canada have to say about no-sail orders, Royal Caribbean says it’s been surprised by the number of seniors who are ready to mask up, get their vaccinations, and do whatever it takes to get a break from the pandemic.

The trend set by homebound seniors

After a 2020 where it lost $3.9 billion for the full year, Royal Caribbean and every other cruise line that was forced to lay up during the pandemic are more than happy to see even a sliver of positive growth, no matter what demographic it comes from. 

“We really thought older people would be more cautious. Turns out they want to get out of the house, too,” Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain told CNBC on Monday.

“We thought almost everybody was going to be an experienced cruiser because they’re the ones who understood cruising and were anxious to come back. Yet, in our Singapore operation, 80 percent of our guests have been first-timers. So we’re getting a lot of surprising data as things come out, and it’s mostly positive. Some of the things we thought was [sic] going to happen aren’t happening. They’re better than we thought.”

Royal Caribbean’s Singapore port carries a lot of weight in the company’s plans. It serves as a starting point for more than 30 of the company’s scheduled cruises. It was also out of that harbor that the cruise line attempted to do a test run in early December 2020. Unfortunately, one of the passengers came down with coronavirus-like symptoms, and the ship returned to harbor after only a few days.

The perception of travel improves across the board

Royal Caribbean probably isn’t the only one feeling good. In a new survey from Deloitte, consumer perception of travel safety is on a positive upswing as more people get vaccinated and COVID-19 cases decline.

As a result of the vaccine rollout, the percentage of American adults who say they would feel safe staying in a hotel -- 46 percent -- or flying somewhere --  34 percent -- reached their highest levels since April 2020. Of those who’ve already gotten vaccinated, those numbers nearly double. The already-vaccinated are an anxious bunch, too; 53 percent of them say they're likely to spend more on travel in the next four weeks.

"After being virtually homebound for the last year, the vaccine rollout is providing consumers with an increased sense of safety, meaning they are ready to get back on the road and in the air,” said Ramya Murali, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and U.S. hospitality leader.

“Travel intentions across all categories have increased, which should be welcome news for restaurants, hoteliers, airlines and a host of other consumer and hospitality-focused businesses who have been preparing for this shift with increased safety measures to instill confidence for the long-term."

The Jeep Cherokee may be no more. The Cherokee Nation would like Jeep to stop using the name “Cherokee” in both of its uses of the moniker -- the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee.

“I’m sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car," Chuck Hoskin, Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, told Car and Driver. 

"The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our history, culture, and language and have meaningful dialogue with federally recognized tribes on cultural appropriateness."

Jeep has been building cars that bear the Cherokee Nation's name since its introduction in 1974 by American Motors. Over the course of its 47-year history, Jeep has publicly defended its decision to use the name of a Native American nation on its cars. 

When Jeep brought back the brand name in 2013 after a 12-year hiatus, Car and Driver said the Cherokee nation spoke out against the decisions. However, it never expressly asked Jeep to find a name other than “Cherokee” for its vehicles.

Jeep also has a brand named Mojave, the name of another Native American people indigenous to the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert. 

The request is tied to racial justice issues

This situation is very similar to issues in Cleveland and Washington D.C. -- which have used the terms “Indians” and “Redskins” for their professional sports franchises. However, the Washington Football Team has officially dropped the moniker, and Cleveland seems poised to follow suit.

Chief Hoskin alluded to the mainstreaming of racial justice concepts following the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. 

"I think we're in a day and age in this country where it’s time for both corporations and team sports to retire the use of Native American names, images and mascots from their products, team jerseys and sports in general," he said in his statement.

A preliminary investigation into the recent engine failure of a Boeing 777 has indicated that the damage was “consistent with metal fatigue.” 

In a statement, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said an initial examination of the Pratt & Whitney engine that failed just a few minutes into a United Airlines flight revealed: 

• The inlet and cowling separated from the engine;

• Two fan blades were fractured;

• One fan blade was fractured near the root;

• An adjacent fan blade was fractured about mid-span;

• A portion of one blade was imbedded in the containment ring; and

• The remainder of the fan blades showed damage to the tips and leading edges.

The PW4000 engine has 22 blades. Investigators said one of those blades was found lodged inside the plane’s containment ring, another landed in a soccer field in Colorado, and another broke free and hit another blade. 

What happened

On Saturday, a United Airlines flight heading from Colorado to Hawaii was forced to make an emergency landing after the engine failed. 

"The plane started shaking violently, and we lost altitude and we started going down," passenger David Delucia said, adding that he and his wife put their wallets in their pockets "in case we did go down, we could be ID'd".

In the wake of the incident, Boeing has recommended suspending the use of Boeing 777s powered by the Pratt & Whitney 4000 engine until the FAA establishes an inspection protocol. The FAA said Sunday that it would begin vigilantly investigating Boeing 777s with the engines in question. 

"We reviewed all available safety data following [Saturday's] incident," said FAA administrator Steve Dickson in a statement. "Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes."

Pratt & Whitney said it’s “actively coordinating with operators and regulators to support the revised inspection interval” of the engines under investigation. "Any further investigative updates regarding this event will be at the discretion of the NTSB. Pratt & Whitney will continue to work to ensure the safe operation of the fleet."

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday that Bitcoin is an “extremely inefficient way of conducting transactions.” 

Despite growing acceptance by institutions such as Mastercard and Tesla, Yellen said she believes the world’s largest cryptocurrency still poses risks for investors and the general public. 

“I don’t think that bitcoin … is widely used as a transaction mechanism,” she told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at a New York Times DealBook conference. “To the extent it is used I fear it’s often for illicit finance. It’s an extremely inefficient way of conducting transactions, and the amount of energy that’s consumed in processing those transactions is staggering.”

In addition to its environmental toll and potential to be used in unlawful ways, Yellen said Bitcoin carries stability concerns. Since its inception, the cryptocurrency has proven to be extremely volatile. Yellen said that despite gaining new support from large companies, that volatility is still a risk that should be feared by investors. 

“It is a highly speculative asset and you know I think people should be aware it can be extremely volatile and I do worry about potential losses that investors can suffer,” she said.

The Federal Reserve, where Yellen once served as a chair, has said the world could see an alternative digital currency and payments system rolled out in the next several years. 

“I think it could result in faster, safer and cheaper payments, which I think are important goals,” Yellen said.

Air pollution continues to pose a serious threat to consumers’ health -- especially heart and lung health. As these concerns continue to mount nationwide, researchers from the American Heart Association are looking at the long-term health risks associated with air pollution exposure. 

According to the researchers, consumers are more likely to develop heart and lung issues when they are exposed to air pollution for extended periods of time -- even when pollutants are at low levels. 

“When we restricted our analysis to individuals who were only exposed to lower concentrations of air pollution, we still found increased risk of hospital admissions with all of the studied outcomes, even at concentration levels below current national standards,” said researcher Mahdieh Danesh Yadzi, PhD. 

“More than half of the study population is exposed to low levels of these pollutants, according to U.S. benchmarks, therefore, the long-term health impact of these pollutants should be a serious concern for all, including policymakers, clinicians, and patients.”  

Harmful health risks from long-term exposure

The researchers utilized two primary sources for the study: hospitalization records for consumers enrolled in Medicare between 2002 and 2016 and levels of three main pollutants -- fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — across the country. The team paid particular attention to conditions like strokes, pneumonia, atrial fibrillation, and heart attacks, among several others. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that exposure to all three pollutants was associated with an increased risk of heart and lung disease, and each pollutant was linked with different health risks. Of all the conditions, participants were vulnerable to strokes based on exposure to two pollutants -- NO2 and PM2.5. Long-term exposure to ozone led to a greater risk of pneumonia, while exposure to NO2 was linked to a greater risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation. 

However, PM2.5 had the biggest effect on consumers’ health. The researchers found a direct correlation between PM2.5 levels and hospitalizations; each additional unit of the pollutant emitted into the air led to a significant increase in related hospitalizations. It was also linked with the greatest number of health concerns: heart palpitations, pneumonia, heart attack, atrial fibrillation, and strokes. 

These findings are particularly important because participants’ health risks persisted despite the fact that levels of air pollution remained much lower than national standards. Moving forward, the researchers hope that these results change the conversation around air pollution regulations. 

“People should be conscious of the air quality in the region where they live to avoid harmful exposure over long periods of time, if possible,” said Dr. Danesh Yazi. “Since our study found harmful effects at levels below current U.S. standards, air pollution should be considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory disease by clinicians, and policymakers should reconsider current standards for air pollutants.” 

Getting quality sleep each night can be challenging for many consumers. Unfortunately, poor sleep can affect both physical and mental health --even from a very young age. 

In a recent study conducted by researchers from Michigan Medicine, wearable devices and smartphone apps were used to track the effect that sleep had on mental health. They learned that consumers who don’t maintain consistent sleeping patterns are more likely to struggle with depression and have generally worse moods. 

“These findings highlight sleep consistency as an underappreciated factor to target in depression and wellness,” said researcher Dr. Srijan Sen. “The work also underscores the potential of wearable devices in understanding important constructs relevant to health that we previously could not study at scale.” 

Changes in sleeping and waking time disturb mental health

The researchers had over 2,100 early-career doctors wear sleep trackers and use a smartphone app each morning to record their overall mood for one year. Their mental health was evaluated every few months using a popular assessment that gauges depression. 

The researchers found a direct correlation between participants who had the greatest inconsistencies in their sleeping habits and those who were at the greatest risk of depression and poor moods. 

While this demographic of participants was particularly susceptible to a demanding work schedule and varying sleep routines, the study showed that their mental health suffered when they went to bed or woke up at different times each day. Simply not getting enough sleep or going to bed late also contributed to poorer mental health and wellness outcomes. 

On the other hand, the researchers noted some factors that led to improved mental health among the participants. Sleeping longer each night, going to bed earlier, and having fewer changes to time spent sleeping were all associated with better moods in the morning and long-term. 

Though these findings focus on one specific group, the researchers hope that all consumers recognize the important connection that exists between sleeping habits and mental health and wellness. Working to create a stable and consistent sleep routine can be a great benefit for consumers. 

“The advanced wearable technology allows us to study the behavioral and psychological factors of mental health, including sleep, at a much larger scale and more accurately than before, opening up an exciting field for us to explore,” said researcher Yu Fang. “Our findings aim not only to guide self-management on sleep habits, but also to inform institutional scheduling structures.” 

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought about big changes for just about everyone, including scammers using robocalls to ensnare victims.

Robokiller’s annual Robocall Report for 2020 shows there was a dramatic drop in computer-generated calls from April to June as the pandemic caused businesses to close and people to shelter in place.

“The spam call decrease from January to April 2020 aligns with the quarantine and shelter-in-place orders of early COVID-19,” the authors write. “These shutdowns severely limited access to the technology needed for scammers to make large volumes of calls.” 

For the year, there were 6.7 billion fewer spam calls compared to 2019, but scammers were quick to adapt. After June, they switched to sending more spam texts. Spam texts, most of which were pitching scams or other fraudulent enterprises, totaled more than 55 billion last year, exceeding spam calls.

Robocalls made a late-year comeback

By the end of the summer, the report shows spam call volume returned to normal levels. The average between September and December was nearly 6 billion calls per month.

The top five scams identified by the report were:

• Social Security: 14 percent

• Vehicle Warranty: 12 percent

• Religious: 11 percent

• Vacation Offer: 10 percent

• Credit Card Offer: 9 percent

Social Security replaced 2019's top robocall scam category of credit card offers. The editors explain the shift by noting widespread economic uncertainty made consumers less likely to take on credit card debt. Instead, they were more receptive to pitches that had to do with government programs.

Text messages apparently were just as effective as phone calls. The combination of calls and texts resulted in increased losses per victim, the report shows. Last year, 31 percent of consumers reporting fraud said they were contacted via phone call, and 27 percent reported they were contacted via text.

There were 2.2 million fraud reports that claimed $3.3 billion in losses. Consumers reported losing $319 million to scams relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More of the same in 2021

Robokiller warns consumers to be prepared for more of the same as scammers continue to adapt in 2021. Based on recent trends, the company predicts scammers will design smarter, more believable phone scams as they attempt to recover financial losses from 2020. 

Consumers can protect themselves by not engaging with bogus texts and calls. Call screening apps have gotten more sophisticated and effective at blocking spam calls. Make sure you have one that’s up to date.

When you see an unfamiliar number on your Caller ID, it’s best to not answer. If it is important, the caller will leave a voicemail. 

Remember that federal law prohibits most robocalls. If the recorded message is about your auto warranty or a credit card, the call is illegal and is a scam. Just hang up.

There are a limited number of robocall categories that are allowed. They include political organizations and doctors’ offices calling to confirm an appointment. It’s best to ignore the rest.

Ford Motor Company is recalling thousands of vehicles that may have had obsolete Takata service parts installed in collision and theft repairs after the Takata recall was completed.

The recall involves two distinct vehicle groups.

The first includes 1,067 of the following vehicles:

• Model year 2004-11 Ford Rangers,
• Model year 2005-14 Ford Mustangs,
• Model year 2006 Ford GTs,
• Model year 2008-12 Ford Fusions,
• Model year 2009-11 Mercury Milans,
• Model year 2010-12 Lincoln MKZs,
• Model year 2007-10 Ford Edges and
• Model year 2007-10 Lincoln MKXs.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver or passenger airbag inflator or module and replace if necessary.

The second group includes 153,000 model year 2004-06 Ford Rangers in which obsolete Takata service parts may have been installed for repairs after collision damage or theft.

What to do

Ford is notifying owners that they can visit their dealer for an inspection and -- if necessary -- an airbag inflator replacement.

Notifications will begin the week of March 8.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 8,186 model year 2020 GLE350s and GLE450s.

The lighting control unit may malfunction and cause the left exterior reverse light to remain illuminated after the transmission is shifted into a different gear.

If the reverse light remains illuminated in a gear other than reverse, it may cause confusion about the driver's intention to other motorists, and increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lighting control unit free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin April 6, 2021.

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

T-Mobile opened the week with what might be a true game-changer: the return of a real unlimited data plan with 5G, 4K video streaming -- and, for the cherry on top -- no throttling on speed. 

The company believes this innovation is a major throwdown to any service who’s been wagging loudly about their 5G service. “Everyone who is tired of hearing what a 5G network can do and is ready to experience it,” the company boasted.

The plan rides on the backbone of T-Mobile’s new Magenta MAX, a platform that the company says will give American consumers the “largest and fastest 5G network.” With Magenta MAX, T-Mobile says its unlimited Premium Data will work for both 4G LTE and 5G, so customers can’t be slowed down based on how much they use. 

To sweeten the pot for consumers, the company’s new Zero Cost to Switch deal gives AT&T and Verizon customers up to $650 in savings ($475 for AT&T and $650 for Verizon) and will let users pay zero in device switching costs when they bring their own phones.

Avoiding "speed bumps" in service

In explaining its apples-to-apples differences, T-Mobile says that legacy smartphone plans are built for lower capacity 4G LTE networks -- so prior to this, Verizon, AT&T, and even T-Mobile’s unlimited plans allowed providers to lower a user’s network priority if they’d used a massive amount of data, such as for downloading audio or video.

In that situation, users tended to run into “speed bumps” if the network got congested. T-Mobile claims that Verizon and AT&T market this as “Premium Data” and give most customers 50GB. “But, there’s nothing premium about paying more for fast 5G that’s only in ‘some parts of some cities,’” T-Mobile said in a news release. The company claims that its upgraded network is “so powerful it can start unleashing the power of 5G to deliver unlimited Premium Data.”

“When you’re a heavy data user with a super-fast 5G smartphone, you don’t want to be hit with speed bumps. It’s like having a Ferrari and being forced to drive it in the school zone. Well, now it’s time to open ‘er up on the wide open magenta road! And we are just getting started. Buckle up!,” said T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert.

Everything that’s included

Magenta MAX takes the place of Magenta Plus and launches Wednesday, February 24 for consumers and small businesses alike. 

The cost for Magenta Plus users is typically $57 per line per month for three lines, with autopay and monthly taxes and fees included. But for customers moving to Magenta MAX, the monthly fee drops to $47 for the same amenities for a limited time.

In addition to unlimited talk, text, and unlimited Premium Data on both 4G and 5G, T-Mobile is offering some rather attractive enticements to get users to move or upgrade. Those include: 

• Netflix on Us – now for single lines and family plans;

• Unlimited UHD streaming at up to 4K UHD resolution;

• 40GB of high-speed smartphone mobile hotspot data (and unlimited 3G speeds after that) – the industry’s best for consumers;

• Unlimited Gogo in-flight texting and Wi-Fi for the duration of a flight;

• For worldwide travelers, free texting and data in 210 countries and destinations, as well as unlimited talk, text and data in Mexico and Canada with up to 5GB of high-speed data; and

• Free Scam Shield Premium protection, which includes free Scam Block and Caller ID.

Don’t forget the fine print

No matter how good a deal sounds, there’s always fine print that consumers should read and understand before they jump in with a new carrier or an upgraded plan. In T-Mobile’s situation, it’s no different. Straight from the company, here are all the finer points of its new offer that should be considered:

• For more information on T-Mobile’s network, visit t-mobile.com/coverage

• Starting Feb 24, for more information on new Magenta MAX and all of T-Mobile’s plans, visit t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans. 

• For more information on T-Mobile’s Zero Cost to Switch deal, visit t-mobile.com/offers/switch-to-t-mobile-from-verizon-or-att.

• For more information on qualifying credit, plan requirements, free phone offers, and cancellation policies, vist https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/magenta-max. The details regarding those items can be found at the bottom of the page.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 28,139,690 (28,078,822)

Total U.S. deaths: 499,128 (497,670)

Total global cases: 111,555,751 (111,169,948)

Total global deaths: 2,469,417 (2,462,262)

U.S. death toll reaches 500,000

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus (COVID-19) reached 500,000 over the weekend according to various unofficial counts. The count maintained by Johns Hopkins University shows just under 500,000 deaths.

The milestone is occurring almost a year after the first U.S. death from the virus. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 2,462,000 people across the globe, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has, by far, suffered the most deaths of any country.

Ironically, the death toll reached that grim height just as cases of the virus appear to be in decline. In the U.S., cases have declined in the last four weeks in all but four states.

Fauci suggests masks may be needed for months

The rising optimism about the coronavirus got a dash of cold water over the weekend. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top White House adviser on COVID-19, said Americans may need to wear a mask in public into next year.

Making the rounds of network news talk shows on Sunday, Fauci took issue with an assertion by a Johns Hopkins researcher who suggested last week that the U.S. could reach herd immunity by April.

"We want to get that baseline really, really, really low before we start thinking that we're out of the woods," Fauci said.

Stimulus gets a step closer

Congress is a step closer to passing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package designed to help people impacted by the virus and boost the economy. The House Budget Committee has approved the measure and sent it to the floor for a vote, which could come by the end of the week.

The measure would send every American a direct payment of $1,400 while enhancing unemployment payments and sending money to state and local governments. President Biden said he’s willing to work with Republican critics but says the spending measure needs to be large to accomplish its goal.

“Let me ask them what would they have me cut, what would they have me leave out?” Biden asked.

NIH director slams ‘politicization of masks’

As cases and deaths from the coronavirus begin to decline, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said the toll would have been much lower if every American complied with mask mandates.

In an interview with Axios on HBO, Francis Collins said the facts showed that wearing masks in public reduced chances of infection. He charged Republicans of turning it into a costly political issue.

"A mask is nothing more than a life-saving medical device, and yet it got categorized in all sorts of other ways that were not factual, not scientific, and frankly dangerous,” he said. “And I think you could make a case that tens of thousands of people died as a result."

Unlocking the mystery of wide-ranging symptoms

Why do some COVID-19 patients have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, while others get very sick and even die? It’s a question that has challenged doctors for the last year of the pandemic.

Now scientists are offering some clues. They believe it is all determined by how the patient’s immune system interacts with the virus. Massachusetts researchers studied the antibodies generated by children and adults who had the coronavirus but had only mild symptoms.

The adults and children had almost identical immune responses to the virus. But severely ill adults had increased levels of IgA antibodies, which result in more cytokines. If there are too many IgA antibodies, scientists say there could be a “cytokine storm,” one of the symptoms of severe COVID-19.

Around the nation

• New Jersey: The state has had its share of “glitches” in its vaccination program, but Gov. Phil Murphy says those bumps in the road are on their way to being fixed. "We've had some spirited challenges with our principal vendor," Murphy told CNN over the weekend. "It's in a better place this week, thank God."

• Wisconsin: State health officials had some good news over the weekend. For the first time since November 22, there were no COVID-19 deaths reported. Officials also say 6 percent of the state’s population has been vaccinated.

• Ohio: A statewide mask mandate remains in effect, but Gov. Mike DeWine has dropped the overnight curfew that he implemented last year. State health officials report that cases and hospitalizations are falling, but they urge residents not to let down their guard.

In this tough economy, there may be ways to make extra money with your car. Consider Uber and Lyft, for example. But scammers have devised another way that sounds even easier and more lucrative. But be warned -- it’s not real.

It works like this: You get a text or email promising that you can earn hundreds of dollars each week just by wrapping your vehicle with advertisers’ logos and slogans. As you drive around town each day, your car serves as a rolling billboard, for which advertisers are ready to pay.

At least, that’s the pitch. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports that it’s actually a new scam, and the organization has heard from people all over the country who have been victimized.

Look out for red flags

Victims report they were instructed to fill out an online form. Almost immediately, someone contacted them to tell them they “got the job.” That’s red flag number one; normally, you have to be interviewed. At the very least, a legitimate business would want to talk with you before extending an offer.

Victims are told they will soon receive a cashier’s check and they should deposit it in their bank account. That’s to be used to pay to have the advertising wrap applied to the car. That should be another red flag. 

Fake cashier’s checks are often used in scams, and this one is no different. When deposited in the victim’s account, the check quickly shows up in the account balance. Only later -- sometimes weeks later -- the bank discovers that the check is fake and takes the money back out of the account. But by then it is too late for the victim, who has been instructed to pay $3,500 or more to a vendor to apply the wrap. By then, they have followed instructions to pay using Venmo or Cash App.

That’s red flag number three. Those apps are meant to pass money back and forth between people who know each other. They aren’t meant to pay a business with which you have had no contact. The “vendor” of course is really the scammer, who collects the money and disappears. No work is ever done to the car.

Fake check scams

This is just the latest version of the fake check scam, which tries to persuade people to deposit fake money into their bank account and send the scammer real money. It is often carried out under the guise of offering the victim some kind of job.

Keep in mind that banks will make the funds from a deposited check available before the money is actually transferred into the account. If you spend the money and the check is fake, the bank has the right to recover the funds from you.

To avoid this and other common scams, it pays to know the red flags: Payment is offered in the form of a cashier’s check; the victim is instructed to pay using apps, gift cards, or some other payment that is not recoverable; and the promised payoff comes too easily.

In other words, it’s too good to be true.

After a United Airlines-flown Boeing 777 failed and rained debris over Denver on Saturday, Boeing has recommended the grounding of all 69 in-service and 59 in-storage 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines until the FAA establishes an appropriate inspection protocol. 

United Flight 328, with 231 passengers aboard, was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver airport. No one was reported injured either on the plane or on the ground.

"The plane started shaking violently, and we lost altitude and we started going down," David Delucia said, adding that he and his wife put their wallets in their pockets "in case we did go down, we could be ID'd".

United suffered a near-identical engine failure on one of its 777s in 2018 on a flight from San Francisco to Honolulu.

Planes grounded and investigations started

If bad things come in threes, then Boeing has to hope that 2021 will be the last of its three-year-long sidelining. It spent 2019 and 2020 trying to recover from the issues and crashes revolving around its 737 MAX aircraft before finally resuming production of the model in Spring, 2020.

In the wake of Saturday’s incident, United immediately halted operations of 24 of its 777 aircraft. Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau also grounded planes with the Pratt & Whitney engine on Monday, and Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines idled theirs without a government mandate.

Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau has seen this situation before. The ministry reported that a Japan Air Lines (JAL) flight was forced to return to Naha Airport due to an engine malfunction In December 2020. Interestingly enough, the JAL plane was the same age -- 26-years-old -- as the United Airlines plane in Saturday's incident.

Addressing the situation, Boeing said it is “actively monitoring” the event that occurred in Denver. Pratt & Whitney said it had “dispatched a team to work with investigators.” On the U.S. government side, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has ordered “extra” inspections of Boeing 777 jets fitted with the Pratt & Whitney 4000. 

"We reviewed all available safety data following [Saturday's] incident," said FAA administrator Steve Dickson in a statement. "Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes."

The good and bad news about engine failure

How bad is losing an engine in an incident like United’s? A modern twin-engine airliner suffering engine failure is designed to fly safely for hours with only one functioning engine. An example is a 2017 Paris to L.A. incident in which the crew took the aircraft to a lower altitude and diverted to Goose Bay, Canada, where it landed safely two hours later. Nonetheless, there are potential problems involved with engine failure. 

“The shrapnel from an uncontained failure, however, can cause serious damage to the rest of the plane, and if it passes through the cabin, it can be lethal. Experts say the failure in the Denver incident appears to have been uncontained, but the damage to the aircraft itself was thankfully minor,” said BBC special correspondent, Theo Leggett.

Leggett said it is also worrisome that the incident appears to be markedly similar to the aforementioned United Airlines 2018 incident.

“If the cause in this case is found to be the same -- and remember, it may not be -- that would raise questions about why the response to that incident from the manufacturer and regulators was unable to prevent a repeat,” Leggett said.

Texas consumers are feeling the back end of a one-two punch. Last week, they went days without electricity as frigid temperatures pushed the electric utility grid to the breaking point. Now they are receiving sky-high electric bills, some for thousands of dollars. Texas officials say they want some answers.

Over the weekend, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held talks with some members of the state legislature to discuss the spike in energy bills affecting Texans, many of whom received the bills after enduring days of shivering inside their homes with no electricity.

“We have a responsibility to protect Texans from spikes in their energy bills that are a result of the severe winter weather and power outages," Abbott said following the meeting, which he called productive. “We are moving quickly to alleviate this problem and will continue to work collaboratively throughout this week on solutions to help Texas families and ensure they do not get stuck with skyrocketing energy bills.”

Variable-rate power plans

The consumers getting hit with huge electric bills are those who enrolled in their utility company’s variable-rate power plan. Under these plans, utility customers pay for electricity based on the wholesale cost the utility pays.

Usually, it saves them money. But during last week’s deep freeze that gripped the entire state, the wholesale costs of electricity surged. Many of the residents are getting bills for thousands of dollars. According to the New York Times, one customer got a bill for nearly $17,000.

State regulators may have also played a role. A week ago, as temperatures were plunging across the state, the Texas Public Utility Commission ordered the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to alter its pricing structure, which it said was not working in these extreme conditions.

“The Commission directed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to modify pricing models to more accurately reflect the scarcity conditions in the market,” the commission said in a statement. “Specifically, the Commission directed ERCOT to ensure that firm load being shed in ERCOT’s Energy Emergency Alert Level 3 operating condition is accounted for in ERCOT’s scarcity pricing." 

Huge increase in the cost per kilowatt-hour

As a result of that order, the standard price of electricity in Texas jumped from an average of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour to $9.

Abbott said the state leaders attending the weekend teleconference agreed that the state must take steps to alleviate at least some of the burden facing Texas utility customers. Some consumer advocates, meanwhile, are targeting utility companies that marketed variable-rate plans, calling them “predatory.”

A Dallas County Judge, Clay Jenkins, took to Twitter to ask Texans affected by high energy bills to provide details, including the name of their electricity provider.

Bitcoin fell about 10 percent on Monday after Elon Musk tweeted that prices “seem high.” 

On Saturday, Musk -- who recently came out as a supporter of digital currencies -- responded to a user who said that gold was better than both Bitcoin and cash. 

“Money is just data that allows us to avoid the inconvenience of barter,” he wrote on Twitter. “That data, like all data, is subject to latency & error. The system will evolve to that which minimizes both.”

“That said, BTC & ETH do seem high lol,” he added. 

Volatile cryptocurrencies

By Monday morning, Bitcoin had dropped 10 percent to a price of $51,993, according to data from Coin Metrics. Analysts have pointed out that it’s not unusual to see fluctuations in the price of bitcoin. 

“It’s worth pointing out that price swings of more than 10% aren’t a rarity in crypto,” CNBC said in a report. “Bitcoin once climbed to almost $20,000 in 2017 before shedding 80% of its value the following year.” 

But if Musk’s statement did cause the drop, it wouldn’t be the first time the Tesla CEO has moved the market through a social media comment. Earlier this month, Musk confirmed that he’s a proponent of Bitcoin, saying on social media chat site Clubhouse: “I do at this point think bitcoin is a good thing, and I am a supporter of bitcoin.” 

The statement is believed to have contributed to raising the price of the cryptocurrency close to 20 percent. The digital coin is up more than 80 percent so far this year. Musk has said he believes it’s“on the verge of getting broad acceptance by conventional finance people.”