Current Events in June 2021

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet next week to discuss a potential link between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines that use messenger RNA  (mRNA) technology. 

The meeting was planned after vaccine safety monitoring systems showed that a small portion of vaccinated people experienced a condition called myocarditis. The CDC said Thursday that the systems revealed a higher-than-expected number of cases of heart inflammation after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. 

The agency said more than half of the cases occurred in patients between the ages of 12 and 24 who had received either Pfizer’s or Moderna’s vaccines. Most cases (nearly 80%) occurred in men, and most happened within a week of receiving the second shot. 

Assessing the risk

At least 81% of the 475 people who experienced the condition had a full recovery from their symptoms. Those who experienced the condition accounted for less than 9% of doses administered overall.

“We’re still learning about the rates of myocarditis and pericarditis,” CDC safety expert Tom Shimabukuro said, according to Bloomberg News. “As we gather more information, we’ll begin to get a better idea of the post-vaccination rates and hopefully be able to get more detailed information by age group.”

The CDC said its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will convene next week to look at the available evidence and assess the risk of myocarditis following mRNA vaccination for COVID-19. Pfizer said it supports the CDC’s assessment.

“It is important to understand that a careful assessment of the reports is ongoing and it has not been concluded that the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines cause myocarditis or pericarditis,” the company said in a statement.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Reading found that teens are more likely to open up to people who they deem to be attentive listeners. 

The findings suggest that parents should try to learn to communicate better with their teens to make them more comfortable with being open. Being more engaged and making eye contact can help teens do just that. 

“We all know that listening to someone talk about their problems is an effective way of reassuring them and establishing a connection,” said researcher Dr. Netta Weinstein. “However, until now, there has been little thought given to the quality of that listening, and the difference that makes. 

“This study shows that in parent-teenager relationships, quietly listening to a teenager while showing them they are valued and appreciated for their honesty has a powerful effect on their willingness to open up.” 

Paying attention to listening skills 

The researchers had over 1,000 teens between the ages of 13 and 16 participate in the study. The participants were shown a series of videos where a teen was sharing something important with a parent. In half of the videos, parents practiced attentive listening skills; in the other half, they appeared aloof and distracted. 

Across the board, the participants were more drawn to the versions of the videos where the parents were paying attention and engaged in what the child was saying. When the parents in the videos made more eye contact and offered comfort and support to the teenagers who were sharing their feelings, the teens involved in the study felt more comfortable. 

The participants shared that the feelings of validation and empathy that they saw in the videos are two important factors in being willing to open up to their parents -- especially with vulnerable topics.

“With such a large group of participants, it is reassuring to see that active listening was universally beneficial across these years of adolescence,” Dr. Weinstein said. 

“The study has some important implications for teenage well-being as well. The participants said that the good listening model observed in the videos would lead to better well-being. Although we don’t know how often the expectation meets reality, but it’s clear that active listening is more likely to lead to a good outcome for teenagers than the more passive style we tested it against.” 

Several studies have explored how warmer and colder temperatures can affect the spread of COVID-19. Now, researchers from Imperial College London found that warmer weather may lead to fewer cases of COVID-19. 

But just because the summer months are associated with a decline in cases, that doesn’t mean safety precautions should be ignored; to ensure that consumers stay safe and healthy amidst the warmer temperatures, the researchers recommend adhering to all safety guidelines. 

“Our results show that temperature changes have a much smaller effect on transmission than policy interventions, so while people remain unvaccinated, governments mustn’t drop policies like lockdowns and social distancing just because a seasonal change means the weather is warming up,” said researcher Dr. Tom Smith. “However, our work also suggests that lower autumn and winter temperatures may lead to the virus spreading more easily in the absence of policy interventions or behavioural changes.” 

What role does temperature play?

The researchers analyzed the COVID-19 transmission rate across the country to determine how different geographic regions, temperatures, and population densities played a role in infection rates. Because policy measures were comparable nationwide for the majority of the pandemic, and there is a wide variety of temperatures across the country, the team was able to determine the precise role that temperature played in the spread of COVID-19. 

The results showed that regions with colder temperatures fared worse in terms of COVID-19 transmission. The opposite was also true; as temperatures increased, transmission rates went down. 

“We found evidence that, in the early phases of the pandemic, places with colder temperatures were associated with higher SARS-CoV-2 transmission intensities,” said researcher Dr. Ilaria Dorigatti. “However, the effect of climatic seasonality on SARS-CoV-2 transmission is weaker than the effect of population density and in turn, of policy interventions.” 

Continue to follow safety measures

Safety protocols, such as social distancing and lockdown orders, made the biggest difference in terms of slowing the spread of COVID-19 -- particularly in areas with high population density. Regions that were the most crowded were also linked with the highest infection rates. 

As the summer gets underway, the researchers encourage consumers to continue to abide by COVID-19 safety precautions, as that remains one of the best defenses against the virus. 

“While temperature and population density do influence SARS-CoV-2 transmission, our findings reconfirm that the most important drivers are public policy and individual behavior,” said researcher Dr. Will Pearse. “For example, during lockdowns, there was no meaningful signature of temperature influencing transmission. 

“This means, for example, that warmer regions should not expect to ease mobility restrictions before colder regions,” he continued. “This is especially true as warmer regions tend to have higher population densities -- for example, the population in Florida is more densely packed than in Minnesota.” 

The expected spike in demand after the Memorial Day weekend failed to materialize but even so, gas prices have begun to move higher again.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $3.07 a gallon, about three cents higher than last Friday. It’s 11 cents higher than a month ago.

The average price of premium gas is $3.68 a gallon, also up three cents in the last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $3.20 a gallon, two cents higher than a week ago.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a drop in demand for fuel for the week ending May 28. During the same week, total gasoline stocks increased to nearly 234 million barrels as U.S. refinery utilization jumped to 88.7%, the highest rate since February 2020. 

By keeping its average gas price stable this week Louisiana moved into first place among the states with the cheapest gasoline, displacing Texas, where prices rose 5 cents a gallon over the last seven days.

California remains the most expensive state for fuel with no other state even close. The average price in California moved up another three cents a gallon this week to $4.22. 

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May, released Thursday, shows gasoline prices declined 0.7% last month but were 56% higher than a year ago.

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 ($4.22)

• Hawaii ($3.97)

• Nevada ($3.66)

• Washington ($3.61)

• Oregon ($3.46

• Utah ($3.37)

• Alaska ($3.36)

• Illinois ($3.36)

• Idaho ($3.28)

• Pennsylvania ($3.18)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Louisiana ($2.71)

• Mississippi ($2.72)

• Oklahoma ($2.75)

• Texas ($2.75)

• Missouri ($2.76)

• Arkansas ($2.76)

• South Carolina ($2.80)

• Alabama ($2.82)

• Kansas ($2.85)

• Minnesota ($2.85)

Nissan North America is recalling 24,140 model year 2020-2021 Nissan Armadas and INFINITI QX80s with V8 engines.

The impeller can swell and bind within the fuel pump module, causing it to fail.

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 20, 2021.

Nissan owners may contact customer service at (800) 867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R21A2.

INFINITI owners may contact customer service at (800) 662-6200. INFINITI's number for this recall is R21A3.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 82 model year 2021 Edge vehicles.

The driver's seat belt retractor pretensioner assembly may not function correctly when activated in a crash.

A seat belt assembly that does not function as intended can increase the risk of injury.

What to do

Dealers will replace the driver's seat belt retractor pretensioner assembly free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 14, 2021.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C13.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 33,415,911 (33,394,843)

Total U.S. deaths: 598,342 (598,102)

Total global cases: 174,496,166 (174,082,010) 

Total global deaths: 3,759,196 (3,749,754)

An increase in Delta variant cases causes official concern

The COVID-19 variant first identified in India, codenamed Delta, is beginning to spread in the U.S., health officials warn. The variant is more contagious than the original virus.

"For those who are unvaccinated, they are increasingly at risk as more and more variants develop," Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN.

Murthy and other health experts say the news underscores the need to get a vaccination since all of the vaccines in use in the U.S. have been shown to be highly effective in blocking the variant.

U.S. will donate 500 million vaccine doses to other countries

The U.S. government, working with Pfizer and BioNTech, will donate 500 million doses of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine to countries with high percentages of low-income populations. The companies said they will provide the vaccine to the U.S. government at a “not for profit” price.

“Our partnership with the U.S. government will help bring hundreds of millions of doses of our vaccine to the poorest countries around the world as quickly as possible,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. “COVID-19 has impacted everyone, everywhere, and to win the battle against this pandemic, we must ensure expedited access to vaccines for all.”

Half the vaccine doses will be supplied to the U.S. government for shipment to other countries before the end of the year. The rest will be provided in the first half of 2022.

Houston hospital suspends 178 unvaccinated employees

Houston Methodist Hospital has suspended 178 nurses and other employees who have refused to get a vaccination. Hospital policy requires a vaccination unless the employee receives an exemption on religious or medical grounds.

"The science proves that the vaccines are not only safe but necessary if we are going to turn the corner against COVID-19," said Dr. Mac Boom, the hospital’s president. "The mRNA technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines isn't new or experimental. It's been around for many years."

The hospital is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by 117 Houston Methodist nurses who seek to overturn the facility’s vaccination mandate. The suit claims the vaccines are all “experimental” because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not granted final approval.

New unemployment claims keep falling

As businesses reopen and search for employees, it’s chipping away at the near-record unemployment rate caused by the pandemic. Fewer people are lining up for unemployment benefits.

The Labor Department reports that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell again last week, dropping to 376,000 -- 9,000 fewer than the week before. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020, when it was 256,000.

The number of Americans still drawing benefits also continued to fall last week. The total number of continuing claims for benefits in all programs for the week ending May 22 was 15,349,465, a decrease of 95,099 from the previous week. 

Moderna seeks clearance for vaccinating adolescents

There could soon be more vaccines available to innoculate adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15. Moderna has asked the FDA for emergency use authorization (EUA) for its vaccine to be used with that age group.

Currently, the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech is the only one being used to innoculate 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S.

In May, Moderna said that the Phase 2/3 TeenCOVE study of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents met its primary immunogenicity endpoint. In the study, no cases of COVID-19 were observed in participants who had received two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Around the nation

• Georgia: Nearly 20 known cases of a COVID-19 variant first found in India have been detected across the state, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. "It's more contagious, probably about 40-50% more likely to spread from one person to the next," said Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins.

• Washington: Amid all the incentives for people to get vaccinated, Washington health officials are raising eyebrows with the state’s “Joints for Jabs,” program, which offers a free marijuana cigarette to those who get vaccinated at clinics set up in marijuana retailers. The retailers are reportedly less than enthusiastic about the program.

• Michigan: New cases of the coronavirus fell to a multi-month low of 257 on Wednesday, showing major progress in a state that has been ravaged by the virus. At the same time, health officials expressed concerns about the slowing pace of vaccinations across the state.

The White House is taking its vaccination mission globally. On Thursday, the White House announced that it has ordered 500 million life-saving vaccines, with 200 million to be delivered by the end of the year and the remaining 300 million to be sent by June 2022.

President Biden couched the effort as a donation, one that “will serve as the foundation for a coordinated effort by the world’s democracies to vaccinate people around the world.” Biden tapped Pfizer as his partner in the mission. The vaccines will be delivered to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and the African Union.

“Thanks to the success of our vaccination program, the United States is beating COVID-19 here at home. 64% of adult Americans have received at least one shot in just four and a half months, daily death rates are lower than at any point in the pandemic, and our economy is rebounding,” the White House said in a statement. 

“Now, the United States is using the power of our democracy, the ingenuity of American scientists, and the strength of American manufacturing to beat the pandemic globally by helping to vaccinate the world.”

Distribution and U.S. jobs

COVAX -- “COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access” -- will be in charge of the global distribution of the vaccines. Overall, the organization includes 172 countries representing more than 70% of the world’s population.

Biden feels strongly that his vaccine mission will also benefit U.S. workers. Pfizer says it plans to produce the half-billion doses at four American plants in Michigan, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Missouri. All told, that means nearly 7,500 Americans will be employed to successfully meet the White House’s goal.

An adviser to the FDA has resigned over the agency’s speedy approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug. 

Earlier this week, the agency approved aducanumab, which goes by the generic name Aduhelm, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The FDA used an “accelerated” approval process, similar to the consideration it gave COVID-19 vaccines that received emergency use authorization last year. 

The expedited process drew concern from critics who said it received far less consideration than other drugs do before they’re brought to market. 

Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. David Knopman, a member of the FDA’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee (PCNS), resigned from the committee in protest of the drug’s approval. In a Wednesday interview with CNN, he said he and the other external advisers decided there wasn’t enough evidence to support approving the drug and disagreed with the FDA’s decision to do so. 

"I resigned from the PCNS committee because if I ever were asked to serve on a future panel, I wouldn't have wanted to be treated in the disrespectful way that the aducanumab external advisers were treated," he said. "While I disagree with the decision to approve aducanumab, we in the clinical care and clinical research worlds will simply have to learn to adapt to the new circumstances."

Advisory committee uncertain

Aduhelm, which is given by infusion, is the first new drug to be approved to treat Alzheimer’s in nearly two decades. It was approved for use in patients with “mild cognitive impairment,” which often signifies that the patient is on the path to dementia.

Trials of the drug were paused in 2019 over a lack of promising results. However, Biogen -- the company that makes the drug -- took another look at the data last year. The company said the data showed that some patients who got high doses of the drug hadn’t improved, but they had shown a slower rate of decline than other patients. 

In November, the PCNS committee convened and voted against the suggestion that it could help patients. The panel decided they were “uncertain” about whether the drug had any effects on the brain. The FDA isn’t required to make decisions that are in line with the advice of its committees, but it usually does. That’s why the decision to approve the drug raised eyebrows. 

The FDA said this week that patients who received the treatment had a significant reduction of amyloid beta plaque, while patients in the control portion of the initial trials had no reduction of amyloid beta plaque. Critics of the drug’s approval say Biogen may have been motivated by money to get the drug approved, given that the drug would be priced at $56,000 a year.

Looking for a job? If so, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggests being wary of job scams. With the pandemic ongoing, scammers are continuing to try and ensnare people looking for work-from-home positions. 

Bad actors know that people are still hesitant to return to the office, so they “post the perfect work-from-home jobs, claiming you can be your own boss and set your own schedule, all while making a lot of money in a short amount of time and with little effort,” the FTC said. 

The federal agency warns that things that sound too good to be true usually are. In this case, scammers will end up asking the person who responded for either money or personal information.

Four tips

To avoid falling victim to a job scam, the FTC recommends the following the following tips to avoid falling for a scam:

• Look out for job posters who ask for payment in exchange for a guaranteed job. If someone asks you to pay to get a job, it’s a scam. 

• Conduct online search results to see if there are complaints. Look online for independent sources of information, using the name of the company or person who’s hiring you. The FTC recommends adding the words “scam,” “review,” or “complaint” into the search. The results of an online search using these keywords are more telling than any testimonials you may find on the company’s website or in advertisements since those may be fake. 

• Don’t trust the person offering the job if they send you a check. If a potential employer or new boss sends you a check, asks you to deposit it and then buy gift cards, or asks you to send some money back to them, it’s a scam. “The check may look like it ‘cleared,’ and the funds look available in your account,” the FTC said. “But that check was fake, and once the bank discovers that, the money is already gone.”

• Rely on a trusted individual who is skeptical. Take your time before accepting. Run the job offer by someone you trust first. If it doesn’t sit well with that person, you may want to think twice before taking the job. 

Chalk one up for consumer privacy. At its worldwide developer conference, Apple announced that it’s turning up the heat on tracking and targeting to allow more privacy for the end-user.

The upgrades will be part of Apple’s forthcoming system software -- iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8 -- which is scheduled to be released in the fall to coincide with the new iPhone models.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been on a two-year privacy crusade and wants consumers to know that Apple takes its responsibility to safeguard user data seriously. He hopes the new upgrades will help illustrate that stance.

Changes for Apple, Android, and Windows users

While the privacy boost will generally be seen across the entire Apple product landscape, there are some specific places where consumers face privacy challenges.

FaceTime: FaceTime users have experienced privacy issues in the past, but Apple says that is coming to an end. Effective with the new system software, FaceTime calls will extend beyond Apple devices, with the ability to create a link from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and share it through Messages, Calendar, Mail, or third-party apps. 

The pro-user advantage here is that anyone can join a FaceTime call from their web browser, but it won’t be an Apple-only feature going forward. That change will now also include Android and Windows devices. Apple says FaceTime calls on the web will remain encrypted end-to-end to keep privacy from being compromised.

Siri: Apple is tightening the privacy on Siri -- but only on iPhone and iPad. In iOS 15, Siri’s on-device speech recognition will be processed entirely on iPhones by default, and the company says Siri’s performance should improve significantly. 

Mail: When it comes to Mail, Apple says the upgraded privacy protection will stop senders from learning whether an email has been opened. It will also hide IP addresses so senders can’t learn a user’s location or use it to build a profile on them. 

Apps: Want to know what app is on your trail? The forthcoming App Privacy Report contains an overview of how apps use the access that users have granted app developers when it comes to locations, photos, cameras, microphones, and contacts. The report will include information for the previous seven days of use and will also detail other domains that an app may have contacted.

Stopping sketchy behavior

What do privacy and security experts think about Apple’s move? Dr. Don Vaughn -- the Head of Product at Invisibly, a digital privacy ecosystem -- says he has mixed feelings.

"Apple's iOS 15 will certainly help stop some of the sketchy data collection practices that apps and websites use to make money off people's personal data,” he told ConsumerAffairs.

“However, Apple's scorched earth approach to data completely misses the opportunity to help people derive value from their own data. Rather than deleting data like browsing behavior, Invisibly believes people should be allowed to collect and license that data to earn money and personalize content."

JBS, the world’s largest meat supplier, said Wednesday that it paid $11 million in ransom in response to the cyberattack that recently shut down its North American and Australian operations.

In a statement, the company said the ransom payment was made after most of its plants had come back online. 

"This was a very difficult decision to make for our company and for me personally," said Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA, in a statement. "However, we felt this decision had to be made to prevent any potential risk for our customers."

Earlier this month, the cyberattack forced JBS to shut down some of its computer networks after an organized attack by an unidentified hacker group. The government has since attributed the ransomware attack to REvil, a criminal group believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe.

“As the lead federal investigative agency fighting cyber threats, combating cybercrime is one of the FBI’s highest priorities,” the FBI said in a statement. “We have attributed the JBS attack to REvil and Sodinokibi and are working diligently to bring the threat actors to justice. A cyberattack on one is an attack on us all.”

No data compromised

In Wednesday’s statement, JBS said no data was leaked as a result of the attack. 

"Preliminary investigation results confirm that no company, customer or employee data was compromised," JBS said.

The JBS cyberattack was the latest in a string of ransomware attacks on operating systems. In May, the operators of the Colonial Pipeline paid roughly $4.4 million to the gain of hackers that broke into its consumer systems. 

“This decision was not made lightly,” but it was one that had to be made, a company spokesman said last month. “Tens of millions of Americans rely on Colonial – hospitals, emergency medical services, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, airports, truck drivers and the traveling public.”

Experts have identified a clear link between poor sleep and mental health struggles, both for consumers young and old. 

Now, researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine explored how insomnia that starts in childhood and lasts through adolescence and adulthood impacts mental health. The team learned that persistent insomnia can increase the likelihood of anxiety and mood disorders. 

“We found that about 40% of children do not outgrow their insomnia symptoms in the transition to adolescence and are at risk of developing mental health disorders later on during early adulthood,” said researcher Julio Fernandez-Mendoza. 

Persistent symptoms led to worse outcomes

The researchers analyzed data from 700 children enrolled in the Penn State Child Cohort. At the first check-in, the children’s parents reported on their insomnia-related symptoms. The researchers then followed up as late as 15 years later, at which point the participants detailed their own sleep habits and answered questions about their mental health. 

Ultimately, participants that experienced insomnia-related symptoms from childhood through adolescence or adulthood were more likely to struggle with their mental health. Those whose insomnia symptoms tapered off as they grew up experienced no heightened risk of anxiety, whereas those who developed insomnia as the study progressed were nearly two times as likely to struggle with internalized disorders, such as depression and other emotional and behavioral disorders. 

Participants with persistent insomnia symptoms that spanned from childhood through adulthood were nearly three times as likely to develop an anxiety or mood disorder. 

Treatments for insomnia are needed

In this study, nearly 40% of the participants never outgrew their insomnia symptoms. In thinking about how that impacts mental health, these findings highlight the need for more comprehensive solutions for insomnia and other sleep-related issues. 

“These new findings further indicate that early sleep interventions are warranted to prevent future mental health problems, as children whose insomnia symptoms improved over time were not at an increased risk of having a mood or anxiety disorder as young adults,” Fernandez-Mendoza said. 

Several studies have identified the risks associated with women drinking alcohol while pregnant. Now, experts from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology explored how alcohol can impact women before they conceive. 

According to their findings, drinking alcohol can hinder a woman’s likelihood of getting pregnant if it’s done during an ovulation cycle. Because of this, they recommend that women actively trying to conceive should avoid heavy drinking. 

“We found that heavy drinking during any phase of the menstrual cycle was significantly associated with a reduced possibility of conception compared to non-drinkers,” said researcher Dr. Kira Taylor. “This is important because some women who are trying to conceive might believe it is ‘safe’ to drink during certain parts of the menstrual cycle.”  

How alcohol affects conception

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from over 400 women between the ages of 19 and 41 that were enrolled in the Mount Sinai Study of Women Office Workers. Over the course of 19 menstrual cycles, the women provided monthly urine samples and reported daily on their alcohol intake. 

The researchers learned that women who had more than six drinks per week during their menstrual cycles, which was defined as “heavy drinking,” were less likely to conceive than women who weren’t drinkers. However, the study showed that it wasn’t just heavy drinking that impacted the likelihood of conception; moderate drinkers -- who had between three and six drinks per week -- also had a lower chance of getting pregnant. 

“During the luteal phase, which is the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle before bleeding would start and when the process of implantation occurs, not only heavy drinking, but also moderate drinking was significantly associated with a reduced possibility of conception,” Taylor said. “At the time of ovulation, usually around day 14 of the cycle, consuming a lot of alcohol -- either heavy or binge drinking -- was significantly associated with reduced chances of conception.” 

Binge drinking -- which is having four or more drinks in one day -- during any point in the menstrual cycle also reduced the likelihood of pregnancy; however, binge drinking during ovulation was linked with the lowest chances of conception. 

“If we assume that a typical, healthy, non-drinking woman in the general population who is trying to conceive has approximately a 25% chance of conceiving during one menstrual cycle, then out of 100 women approximately 25 non-drinkers would conceive in a particular cycle, about 20 moderate drinkers would conceive, and only about 11 heavy drinkers would conceive,” said Taylor. “But the effect of moderate drinking during the luteal phase is more pronounced and only about 16 moderate drinkers would conceive.

The researchers noted that their study was limited in scope, but that their findings could be immensely important to women who are looking to have children.“Our study only included a few hundred women and, while we believe the results strongly suggest that heavy and even moderate alcohol intake affects the ability to conceive, the exact percentages and numbers should be viewed as rough estimates,” Taylor said. 

The cost of living rose again in May, but not quite as much as in April. The Labor Department reports the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% last month, compared to 0.8% in April. Year-over-year consumer prices rose 5%, the biggest annual increase since August 2008, just before the financial crisis.

The numbers should come as no surprise to consumers, who have seen higher prices in just about every corner of the economy, from the supermarket meat counter to the gasoline pump.

Prices are also surging on the used car lot, fueled by a shortage of new cars. The index for used cars and trucks jumped 7.3% last month, accounting for about one-third of the seasonally adjusted all items increase. 

Food prices, as measured in the survey, increased 0.4%, the same as in April. The energy index was unchanged in May, with a decline in the gasoline index once again offsetting increases in electricity and natural gas.

An economist’s take

The CPI, excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, was up 0.7% following a 0.9% rise in April. Economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economics said consumer prices are soaring and in May, were higher across almost all categories.

“Only energy was down and that could easily turnaround in June,” Naroff told ConsumerAffairs.  “The increase over the year was the second-highest in thirty years, which was also true when you exclude volatile food and energy.”

Naroff cautions consumers that inflation pressures are not likely to ease anytime soon, as demand is expected to increase faster as the economy reopens completely.  

“It is looking as if inflation this year will be the highest since 1991," he said.

In addition to food and used cars, apparel prices were higher in May as millions of people prepared for a return to the workplace. Clothing prices rose 1.2% and were up 5.6% from May 2020.

The cost of putting a roof over your head also crept higher last month. May shelter costs were up .2% and 2.2%  on the year. 

As they say, nothing is forever -- and that apparently includes a COVID-19 vaccination. 

On Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky repeated his company’s position that people will most likely need additional COVID-19 vaccinations for the foreseeable future.

Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Health conference, Gorsky says the booster shots will likely be essential until global herd immunity is accomplished and all of the riskier variants are contained.

His comments came on the heels of Dr. Anthony Fauci reminding Americans to get vaccinated to keep the Delta variant from spreading across the U.S.

Why do we need a booster?

Gorsky said the protection provided by approved COVID-19 vaccines is probably enough for the time being, but he noted that their effectiveness will diminish over time. “We could be looking at this tagging along with the flu shot, likely over the next several years,” he stated.

Ugur Sahin, CEO of the German biotech firm BioNTech, told CNBC in a recent interview that researchers are seeing a decline in antibody responses against the virus after eight months. The company anticipated this situation back in December and said that it could create a vaccine for new coronavirus variants in six weeks if necessary.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 33,394,843 (33,379,300)

Total U.S. deaths: 598,402 (598,006)

Total global cases: 174,082,010 (173,709,075) 

Total global deaths: 3,749,754 (3,739,415)

New cases, deaths down sharply in the last week

For much of the nation, the coronavirus is becoming just a bad memory. This week, new cases of the virus and resulting deaths hit their lowest point since the early days of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 Tracking Project at Johns Hopkins University reported fewer than 14,400 daily infections over the last week. Daily deaths have averaged fewer than 500 during that same period.

Health officials say it’s too early for a victory lap, noting that some states -- especially in the South -- lag the rest of the nation in vaccinating their residents. About 42% of Americans are fully vaccinated, and more than half have received at least one dose of vaccine.

U.S. eases international travel restrictions

In good news for the airline industry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has loosened travel recommendations for more than 100 countries. The latest ratings posted on the CDC website include 61 countries that, until recently, carried the agency’s highest warning level.

Most of the other nations on the list had recently carried the lower “Level 2” or “Level 1,” designations. Several popular European destinations -- including France, Spain, and Italy -- were lowered or remained at “Level 3.”

The CDC move coincided with a call by airline executives at the beginning of the week to ease international travel restrictions. The executives called for joint action by both the U.S. and British governments. 

Fauci warns against the spread of the Delta strain

COVID-19 variants have fueled the spread of the virus in many parts of the world where the vaccine rollout has been slower than it has been in the U.S. The Delta variant, which was first identified in India, appears to spread easily.

Even with a large percentage of Americans fully vaccinated, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says it is imperative to keep the variant from spreading in the U.S.

“In the U.K., the Delta variant is rapidly emerging as the dominant variant,” Fauci said at a White House briefing. “It is replacing the B.1.1.7. We cannot let that happen in the United States.”

Study shows single-shot vaccine effective against variants

The Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine has caused some concern lately because of rare but serious side effects. A new study, however, suggests that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that the vaccine is also highly effective in countering some virus variants.

“The concern is whether SARS-CoV-2 variants may reduce the efficacy of current vaccines that were designed to protect against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Dan Barouch, senior author of the study and also Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  “These findings therefore have important implications for vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.”

Many older adults increased pandemic alcohol consumption

Older Americans were the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine and begin the transition to post-pandemic life. A new poll suggests that many of these same people also need to dial back their alcohol consumption to normal levels.

The National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 23% of adults over age 50 who drink alcohol reported that they routinely had three or more drinks in one sitting. Another 10% of adults who drink use other drugs while drinking, including marijuana or prescription medications that can interact with alcohol in risky ways.

“Even before the pandemic, heavier and more risky drinking habits were increasing in older adults at a faster rate than among younger adults,” said Anne Fernandez, Ph.D., a University of Michigan psychologist who worked with the poll team on the report.

Around the nation

• Iowa: State police officials blame the pandemic for a sharp rise in traffic fatalities last year. As a result, highway patrol director Col. Nathan Fulk said the state is increasing enforcement efforts. “Since the pandemic, we’ve encountered some of the most dangerous driving we’ve witnessed in our 85-year history,” he said.

• South Carolina: Gov. Henry McMaster has officially ended South Carolina’s COVID-19 state of emergency. “The end of the emergency doesn’t mean the end of the effort,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, the state’s top health official. “So there’s much more work that we’re going to be doing to get more folks vaccinated.”

• Illinois: The state has seen fewer daily cases of the coronavirus since the start of the month, and nowhere are infection rates improving faster than in Chicago, according to health officials. Chicago is now averaging fewer than 100 daily COVID-19 cases compared to more than 2,300 daily cases in November.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its international travel advisory. As vaccination numbers grow and the spread of COVID-19 becomes better contained, travelers now have access to more countries that they were advised not to visit just a week ago.

Overall, the CDC’s revised list includes new travel advice for more than 120 countries, moving 33 countries where the pandemic is "sustained, but controlled” into the lowest risk category. Those nations include Israel, where there’s a 99.2% recovery rate; Iceland, where there are only 52 current COVID-19 cases; and Singapore, which recently reported only four new cases. 

Other frequently visited international destinations at Level 1 include Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Caribbean countries like the Cayman Islands and Belize.

Countries the CDC says travelers should avoid

Even though the CDC may have updated its travel advice for more than 120 countries, that does not mean that there are now 120 additional places travelers can visit. Things are a little more complicated than that.

There are still 85 Level 2 and Level 3 countries, which the CDC says travelers should be fully vaccinated before visiting. That includes many tourist destinations in Europe like France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. At the top of the pecking order on the CDC’s warning list -- Level 4 -- there are 61 countries that the agency says travelers should avoid altogether. However, it leaves the final determination to the traveler. 

“If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel,” the CDC warns.

Tourist favorites at Level 4 include The Netherlands, Sweden, Jamaica, Egypt, and the Czech Republic, as well as many South American countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Chile.

Countries where its citizens aren’t permitted to come to the U.S.

The CDC notes in its advisory that there are still citizens of other countries that are currently prohibited from entering the U.S. because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With some exceptions or presidential proclamations, immigrants or nonimmigrants who were physically present in eight areas/countries within a 14-day period of trying to enter the U.S. will not be allowed entry. 

Those areas include China, the U.K. (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), Brazil, India, Iran, and European nations that are a part of the European Schengen area. Countries found in that last area include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The U.S. vs. U.K. stand-off

Particularly troubling to airline executives is that the U.S. and U.K. appear to be having a stand-off about allowing each other’s citizens to visit. Just as the CDC has visitors from the U.K. on its prohibited list, the U.K. has visitors from the U.S. on its Amber list. That leaves a lot of empty seats that airlines would like to fill. 

Before the pandemic, the number of visitors to the U.S. from the U.K. was around 4.75 million, and an estimated 4.6 million Americans visited the U.K. in 2019.

"As we see people reclaiming their lives and reconnecting with loved ones, it’s clear that the infection rates of our countries indicate an extraordinarily low risk to travel between the US the UK, provided travelers are vaccinated or can produce a negative PCR test prior to boarding a flight,” Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, said at an airline summit at London Heathrow on Monday. “Our modeling studies conducted with Mayo Clinic put the risk of transmission on a plane traveling between the UK and US at 1 in 1 million.”