Current Events in September 2021

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 43,134,601 (42,936,899)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 690,918 (688,106)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 232,495,646 (231,962,768)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,759,699 (4,750,658)‌

Pfizer reports positive data in tests on kids

Pfizer and BioNTech, two drug companies that partnered on a COVID-19 vaccine, are reporting positive results in clinical trials involving children under 12. The companies said they are close to submitting a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

Researchers reported a "robust" antibody response and "favorable" safety outcomes when the vaccine was administered to children between the ages of five and 11. In the trials, the children received two doses of the vaccine, the same as adults, but the doses were smaller.

The companies say the data has been shared with the FDA for the agency’s initial review. 

People with Moderna vaccination may not need booster

Federal health officials have cleared the way for millions of Americans who received the Pfizer vaccine to receive a booster. There is no such approval yet for people vaccinated with Moderna’s vaccine, and some researchers say such a shot for that group may be unnecessary.

An analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that people who got Moderna's vaccine are less likely to be hospitalized than those who received a Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A CDC study released in early September revealed similar results. It showed that people who got two shots of the Moderna vaccine reduced their chances of being admitted to a hospital by 92%.

Pfizer tests vaccination alternative

In addition to producing a vaccine, Pfizer says it may also have a solution for the millions of Americans who refuse to be vaccinated. The company is testing a pill that it believes will be effective in preventing and treating the virus.

Pfizer said it has begun mid- to late-stage trials of a drug that is designed to be taken after someone has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or tested positive for the virus. The drug, PF-07321332, is designed to block the main enzyme that the coronavirus needs to grow.

“If successful, we believe this therapy could help stop the virus early – before it has had a chance to replicate extensively – potentially preventing symptomatic disease in those who have been exposed and inhibiting the onset of infection in others,” said Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer.

Around the nation

• Vermont: Vermont has seen its COVID-19 fortunes turned upside down. Through most of the pandemic, the state’s strict mitigation measures kept cases low. Now, all 14 counties in Vermont are identified by the CDC as having "high transmission" of the virus.

• Oregon: COVID-19 cases declined sharply last week in Oregon. State health officials report that new cases of the virus fell 14.3% from week-over-week, led by a double-digit decline in Lane County. 

• Mississippi: Mississippi has reclaimed the lead in COVID-19 deaths per capita. An analysis by the Mississippi Free Press found that the state has surpassed New Jersey in deaths from the virus and is one of the deadliest areas of the world when it comes to COVID-19 fatalities. At the same time, new cases have declined from their record high.

• Ohio: State health officials are concerned about the rising number of illnesses affecting children. Dr. Amy Edwards, an infectious disease specialist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, says a record number of kids are now being treated for the virus. The Ohio Hospital Association reports that 159 children were admitted over a six-day period.

• Iowa: Cases of the virus are increasing in the state’s nursing homes. State officials say 29 facilities are dealing with outbreaks affecting 284 residents and staff. Federal health statistics show that 36% of Iowa nursing home employees are unvaccinated.

Consumers who use a rewards credit card earn an average of $757 per year, according to a new survey commissioned by shopping platform Slickdeal.

Cards that pay rewards, whether in the form of cash or points toward future purchases or travel, have gained popularity with consumers in recent years. Cashback rewards cards reward some types of spending more than others, giving consumers a wide range of options when selecting a card.

In order to maximize benefits, people in the survey reported spending an average of six hours researching a single credit card before submitting an application. Three out of four people in the survey report using their card enough to hit the minimum spend requirement to receive reward benefits and points. 

"Credit cards aren't just another way to pay for your purchases,” said Louie Patterson, senior personal finance editor at Slickdeals. “If you choose the right rewards cards and you're strategic about how you use them, you can earn tremendous benefits such as free flights, hotel stays, or even cashback." 

Rewarding experiences

The survey found that more than half of rewards credit card users spent their rewards on a new experience, such as trying out a new restaurant, attending a concert, or traveling.

Travel appears to be a favorite category, with 55% of cardholders using rewards to pay for a large portion of a vacation. When they cashed in airline points, they were able to pay for a five-hour flight, on average.

"Once you've done the research on the right rewards card for you, there are a number of ways to maximize the benefits,” Patterson said. “Make sure you pay off the balance in full, look for opportunities to pay with your card for monthly fees such as insurance, cable, and cell phone bills, and be on the lookout for opportunities to earn bonus points, which may be awarded for specific types of purchases." 

Things to consider

When applying for a rewards credit card, consumers should not only consider what type of rewards would be the most beneficial; they should also be mindful of fees. Travel rewards cards, in particular, can carry a hefty annual fee that can wipe out some or all of any earned rewards.

Cards that pay cash back are among the most popular rewards cards and are the least likely to charge an annual fee. ConsumerAffairs has researched the best cashback cards and provides thousands of verified reviews.

Amid shortages of new cars, buyers faced even steeper challenges in September. As a result, new car sales are expected to be sharply lower when the final numbers are in.

In its preliminary estimate, Cox Automotive predicts that sales for the month will be down 8.5% from August and 26% lower than September 2020. In fact, when all the figures are tallied, Cox expects the worst month for new car sales since May 2020, when most of the economy was locked down.

By all accounts, there are plenty of people shopping for a new car or truck. But there are fewer choices as the shortage of new and used vehicles gets worse.

“After a strong spring selling season, the supply situation has worsened precipitously and is dragging sales down with it,” said Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough. “The monthly declines have been large – the sales pace has declined by more than a million units in each of the past five months. Available supply on dealer lots is now 58% lower than last September, down nearly 1.4 million units.”

Negative impact on consumers

This is having a negative impact on car buyers in a number of ways. First, there are limited vehicles to choose from. Forget color, you might not be able to find the model and trim level you want.

Buyers lucky enough to find their desired vehicle will have much less leverage negotiating a sale than they might have had before the pandemic. Manufacturers have cut back significantly on incentives because the vehicles are selling without them.

Dealers aren’t just holding to the sticker price; in some cases, they are raising it for vehicles that are popular or in short supply. That’s sending more buyers to the used car market, where prices have also risen and some late model cars and trucks are hard to find.

Still not enough computer chips

Auto industry analysts have not yet forecast an end to vehicle shortages, which are largely caused by a shortage of computer chips and other supply chain issues. That could mean very few vehicles for sale in December, a time when buyers traditionally reap savings with end-of-the-year sales.

An earlier study by Kelley Blue Book found that consumers in the market for a new vehicle are prepared to call off their search for three or more months. That, at least, could alleviate some of the demand pressures.

“With a large portion of the in-market population now saying they plan to delay their purchase given the current market conditions, it will be interesting to see how that could impact the ongoing delicate balance of supply, demand, and pricing across the industry,” said Vanessa Ton, senior industry intelligence manager for Kelley Blue Book.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is calling on Congress to take action to address the nation’s debt ceiling before financial disaster impacts the U.S. economy.

Yellen sent a letter to congressional leaders regarding the debt limit on Tuesday. In the letter, she said things could fall apart fast if Congress does not raise or suspend the current debt limit by October 18. If lawmakers don’t act, Yellen says it would hamper the federal government’s ability to spend money and function properly.

“At that point, we expect Treasury would be left with very limited resources that would be depleted quickly,” Yellen wrote. “It is uncertain whether we could continue to meet all the nation’s commitments after that date.”

What this could mean

In her latest warning, Yellen said that the federal government’s cash flows could go helter-skelter if Congress doesn’t act in time. One example she gave referenced the government’s daily gross cash flow, which has averaged nearly $50 billion per day and has exceeded $300 billion over the past year. 

“As a result, it is important to remember that estimates regarding how long our remaining extraordinary measures and cash may last can unpredictably shift forward or backward.  This uncertainty underscores the critical importance of not waiting to raise or suspend the debt limit.  The full faith and credit of the United States should not be put at risk,” Yellen wrote.

At the consumer level, the uncertainty of managing the U.S.’ cash flow effectively could cause the economy to spiral out of control. 

“We know from previous debt limit impasses that waiting until the last minute can cause serious harm to business and consumer confidence, raise borrowing costs for taxpayers, and negatively impact the credit rating of the United States for years to come,” Yellen warned. “Failure to act promptly could also result in substantial disruptions to financial markets, as heightened uncertainty can exacerbate volatility and erode investor confidence.”

Concerning news for some federal benefits recipients

Failing to raise or suspend the debt ceiling could mean bad news for federal benefits recipients in the short term. Yellen noted that it could limit the government from being able to pay beneficiaries who rely on the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF). She added that a debt issuance suspension period, previously determined to end on September 30, 2021, will continue through October 18, 2021.

Yellen also said consumers who rely on the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF) may also be affected. 

“Because the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 provides that investments in [PSRHBF] shall be made in the same manner as investments for the CSRDF, the Treasury Department will also continue to suspend additional investments of amounts credited to, and will redeem an additional portion of the investments held by, the PSRHBF,” she said.

Despite that threat, there is good news for beneficiaries who might be affected by the debt ceiling issue. By law, both the CSRDF and PSRHBF have to be made whole once the debt limit is increased or suspended.

Ford put its money where its mouth is on Monday when it came to its commitment to electric vehicles. The company rolled out plans to make its single biggest investment ever towards that end -- one dedicated to building electric vehicle factories. The automaker says it plans to lead America's shift to electric with an $11.4 billion investment that will create 11,000 jobs at sites in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The announcement marks the third time this year that Ford has pushed its electric vehicle plans forward. Earlier this year, it announced plans to produce an electric version of its F-150 truck, produce more electric versions of its Mustang than gas-powered versions in 2021, and produce nothing but electric vehicles in Europe by 2030.

Boosting production and job growth

At Tennessee’s proposed plant -- dubbed Blue Oval City and located in Stanton, Tenn., -- Ford will build next-generation electric F-Series pickups and advanced batteries. A sister site -- BlueOvalSK Battery Park -- will be built in Glendale, Ken., and will consist of twin battery plants that will power a new lineup of Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles. 

The Kentucky plant is a joint venture with SK Innovation, a South Korean conglomerate. The two battery plants are set to begin production in 2025, with the second one in Kentucky coming online in 2026, according to Ford North America Chief Operating Officer Lisa Drake.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear stated that the planned battery park is the largest individual project and the biggest job-creation announcement in Kentucky's history. "At nearly $6 billion, it is three times larger than any economic development investment that we have ever seen," he said Monday.

Beshear also predicted that with construction work and downstream production, there will likely be more than the estimated 11,000 jobs Ford predicts for line workers. Many of those jobs are future-thinking positions that the White House, Amazon, and others are investing in. 

"These are really jobs of the future that frankly, you know, Kentuckians probably didn't have access to before, but now they do," Drake said.

Consumers are split over electric vehicles

Given America’s love for gas-powered vehicles, conventional thinking might propose that moving U.S. consumers to electric vehicles will take some convincing. However, a recent Pew Research Center report found that 47% of U.S. adults actually support phasing out the production of gasoline-powered cars and trucks, versus the 51% who oppose it. 

While they point out that the actual execution of electric vehicles leaves a lot to be desired right now, one ConsumerAffairs reader believes that Ford has the right idea.

“In principle, the [Mustang] Mach-E is an awesome car. It drives like the luxury car it’s advertised to be and you can tell Ford is generally headed in the right direction,” wrote Chris from Boulder, Colo.

A new study conducted by researchers from Penn State found that a class of diabetes and obesity drugs may protect diabetics from contracting severe cases of COVID-19. 

According to their findings, diabetics who were taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor drugs (GLP-1R) up to six months prior to contracting COVID-19 were more likely to have better outcomes. They had a lower mortality risk, were less likely to be hospitalized, and were less likely to have respiratory issues. 

“Vaccines have been shown to reduce hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” said researcher Jennifer Nyland. “But the scientific community continues to search for treatments that may complement vaccination by further reducing the risk for hospitalization, respiratory complications, and death from COVID-19 in at-risk patients with pre-existing conditions like diabetes.”

Understanding the protective benefits

For the study, the researchers analyzed electronic medical records from nearly 30,000 people who had type 2 diabetes and tested positive for COVID-19 between January and September of 2020. The team looked at three different types of diabetes drugs -- GLP-1R, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, and pioglitazone -- to see how these medications impacted the participants’ health outcomes. 

Of the three different drugs, GLP-1R was the only one that effectively reduced participants’ risk of hospitalization, death, and respiratory complications when taken within six months of contracting COVID-19. The researchers learned that pioglitazone was solely associated with a lower risk of being hospitalized, and DPP-4 inhibitors were linked only with a reduced risk of respiratory issues. 

“Our results are very promising as GLP-1R agonist treatment appears to be highly protective, but more research is needed to establish a causal relationship between the use of these drugs and decreased risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes,” said researcher Patricia “Sue” Grigson. 

More trials needed

The researchers explained that GLP-1R drugs have anti-inflammatory properties, which is likely how they provide protective benefits against COVID-19. Moving forward, the team hopes to conduct more trials with these drugs to better understand how this relationship exists. They also plan to see if these types of medications can help consumers who aren’t diabetic. 

“Further research is needed to confirm whether GLP-1R agonists can protect against severe COVID-19 complications,” said researcher Dr. Nazia Raja-Khan. “There is also a need to determine the conditions in which these drugs could be protective and how they could be used safely during COVID-19 hospitalization.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the American Geophysical Union explored the benefits of utilizing N95 face masks during peak wildfire seasons. 

Their findings showed that using this type of protective gear can be an effective way for consumers to protect themselves from wildfire smoke; ultimately, the masks were associated with a nearly 40% lower risk of hospitalization. 

“Familiarity with the use of face coverings to reduce the risk of respiratory disease has increased during the coronavirus pandemic; however, recommendations for their use outside of the pandemic remains limited,” the researchers wrote. “Here, we develop a modeling framework to quantify the potential health benefits of wearing a face covering or respirator to mitigate exposure to particulate air pollution.” 

Multiple benefits of face masks

For the study, the researchers tested how well different types of face coverings can filter out air pollution particles; their trials included synthetic, cotton, and surgical masks, and N95 respirator face masks. They pumped air and different kinds of pollution particles inside a plastic box with each face covering to determine which one was the most effective at filtering out particles and which ones were most likely to leak air out. 

The study showed that N95 masks were the most effective at filtering out harmful particles emitted during wildfires and were the least likely to let air out of the sides of the mask. While surgical masks were also able to filter out pollutants, the researchers explained that the air that was released from the sides of these types of masks ultimately made them ineffective. 

Synthetic face coverings reduced exposure to air pollution by a factor of 2.2 and cotton face coverings reduced exposure by a factor of 1.4. However, N95 masks lowered exposure to pollutants by a factor of 16. 

Staying out of the hospital

The researchers say N95 masks can help reduce the likelihood that consumers will be hospitalized following exposure to wildfire smoke. They analyzed data from 2012 wildfire hospitalizations in Washington and used those totals to estimate how many people were likely to consistently wear masks in peak wildfire season. 

In that year, wearing an N95 mask would have reduced related hospitalizations by about 30%. If consumers wear these types of face coverings to protect themselves from pollution moving forward, the team said hospitalizations could drop by as much as nearly 40%. 

While there are currently no face mask guidelines in place for consumers who live in areas where wildfires are common, the researchers hope these findings highlight the benefits of wearing the proper protective equipment. 

“I think this particular study serves a nice gap in terms of thinking about how we translate that kind of filtration data into real levels of protection, and real differences in health effects that we could see in a population,” said researcher Stephanie Holm. 

Ford Motor Company is recalling 17,692 model year 2021 Mustang Mach-E vehicles.

The windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, which could allow it to detach.

A windshield that separates from a vehicle in a crash can increase the risk of injury.

What to do

Dealers will remove and reinstall the windshield free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 27, 2021.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C22.

Velvet Ice Cream is recalling its 56-oz containers of Raspberry Fudge Cordial Ice Cream.

The product may contain peanuts, an allergen not declared on the label.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recalled product, UPC 0-7068210049-7 with codes A2 19521 26-012 printed on the bottom of the carton, was sold in retail stores in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia starting in late July.

What to do

Customers with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts who purchased the recalled product should not consume it, but discard or return it to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions may call (800) 589-5000, Monday through Friday from 8am-4:30pm (EST).

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 42,936,899 (41,941,348)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 688,106 (687,752)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 231,962,768 (231,642,439)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,750,658 (4,745,185)‌

New York faces shortage of health workers as vaccine mandate take effect

Starting today, health care workers in New York are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. With many workers refusing to get vaccinated, the state could face severe staff shortages.

"I am monitoring the staffing situation closely and we have a plan to increase our health care workforce and help alleviate the burdens on our hospitals and other health care facilities," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

One option that is supposedly under consideration is the deployment of National Guard medical personnel. The governor is also reportedly considering an executive order that would allow medical personnel licensed in other states to temporarily practice in New York.

Pfizer close to seeking vaccine approval for children

Children under age 12 remain a weak link in COVID-19 mitigation efforts since they are not eligible for vaccination. However, that could soon change. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says he expects his company will soon ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve his company’s vaccine for children.

On ABC News’ “This Week” program, Bouria said Pfizer and its vaccine partner BioNTech are preparing to submit the clinical trial data they have gathered on children between the ages of five and 11, saying it will “be a matter of days, not weeks.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 26% of all COVID-19 cases occur in children. Government figures show that an average of 266 children were hospitalized each day last week for treatment of the virus.

Health experts: Stillbirths may be linked to COVID-19

The coronavirus could be claiming the lives of very young victims. Health experts point to federal health statistics that show an increase in stillbirths among women who have had COVID-19.

“We’re seeing the numbers more out of Mississippi and Alabama. In Florida it’s hard to get hard numbers on these types of occurrences,” Dr. Tiffany Wells, OBGYN from Baptist Health, told WJXT-TV in Jacksonville.

Wells says no research has been done to establish causation between the virus and stillbirths, but she notes that lost pregnancies are increasing in the South while they remain very low in the nation as a whole.

Around the nation

• Idaho: The state is reportedly running out of space in its morgues due to a spike in COVID-19 deaths. It has also caused problems for funeral homes in the state. “We’re so far behind on cremations,” Lance Cox, owner of Bell Tower Funeral Home in Post Falls, Idaho, told the Washington Post. 

• Texas: Hospitalizations are falling across the state but deaths are not. COVID-19 deaths in Texas rose past 62,000 last week. Some media sources report that about half of those fatalities came after vaccines were rolled out in late 2020.

• Virginia: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is making vaccine mandates a central part of his campaign in an effort to draw a contrast with his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin. McAuliffe has urged nursing homes in the state to enforce mandates. Youngkin said he urges everyone to be vaccinated but he has stopped short of supporting mandates.

• Michigan: State health officials are preparing to roll out the Pfizer booster shot this week. Shots will be administered at many pharmacies around the state, but people must make appointments to get the booster.

• New Jersey: Nursing homes across the state, which were hard hit during the early months of the pandemic, are reporting new outbreaks. However, officials say outcomes are better than a year ago because there are fewer severe cases. “People are still testing positive, but they’re not all going to the hospital. And we’re seeing more cases with mild symptoms,” said James McCracken, CEO of a large nursing home group.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has handed down a record-breaking fine to United Airlines for repeatedly violating the tarmac delay rule. The airline is being forced to pay $1.9 million for its transgressions and has been given a stern warning not to cross the line again.

It appears the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) has had its eye on United for a while. Regulators found that 20 of the company’s domestic flights and five of its international flights in recent years remained on the tarmac for a lengthy period of time without providing passengers an opportunity to deplane. 

What consumers should know about the tarmac rule

There are all sorts of things that can keep an airplane stuck on the tarmac and delay take-off -- weather, traffic, mechanical issues, security threats, and delays in getting crew members aboard being the usual culprits. If you ever get stuck in a tarmac delay, you have rights as a consumer. Here are some basics you should know:

How long can an airline keep passengers on a departing flight before it is required to start moving the airplane to a location where passengers can safely get off? “For flights departing from a U.S. airport, airlines with more than 30 passenger seats are required to begin to move the airplane to a location where passengers can safely get off before 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights,” is the DOT rule. However, one ConsumerAffairs reviewer intimated that the three-hour rule might be longer than it sensibly should be. 

“89 degrees in the plane and we have been sitting here for 2 hours and another 30 mins or more possibly. What makes it tough is that it is 89 degrees in the plane, lots of kids that are getting dehydrated and so am I. Water or anything is not forthcoming. What a service!,” E of Merritt Island, Florida, said in their review of United.

How long can an airline keep passengers on an arriving flight without providing an opportunity to get off of the airplane? “For flights landing at U.S. airports, airlines are required to provide passengers with an opportunity to safely get off of the airplane before 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights,” the DOT states.

However, there are exceptions to these requirements. The #1 exception to the time limit is for safety, security, or air traffic control-related reasons. The DOT says passengers should not exit the airplane unless the airline says that they can do so safely.

If you get off, there’s no requirement that forces the airline to let you back on. The sticky wicket in the DOT rule is that if an airline says you can get off the airplane during a tarmac delay and you choose to get off, the airline is not required to let you back on the airplane.

Food and water are required. The tarmac delay rule also requires airlines to provide "adequate food and water, ensure that lavatories are working and, if necessary, provide medical attention to passengers during long tarmac delays.”

A nearly two months-long salmonella outbreak has now spread to at least 29 states, and health authorities have not yet been able to conclusively identify its source.

“State and local officials have collected food items from some of the restaurants where sick people ate,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its most recent update. “The outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg was found in a sample taken from a takeout condiment cup containing cilantro and lime. The sick person reported that the condiment container also contained onions, but none were left in the cup when it was tested.”

The CDC said the multiple food items in the tested sample present a problem for investigators since it isn’t possible to know which food items were contaminated. 

“We are using this information in conjunction with other available information to help narrow the list of possible foods linked to illness,” the agency said.

The CDC said it has confirmed 279 illnesses from the foodborne pathogen, with more than half being reported since the previous update. There have been 26 hospitalizations in connection with the outbreak but no deaths.

The latest lead may help investigators find the source. It also adds to the evidence that the food source was mostly distributed to restaurants and not sold directly to consumers in grocery stores.

Health departments have identified “subclusters” of people who got sick after eating at restaurants. The patients are people who do not know one another and whose only connection is getting sick after eating food from a restaurant.

What to do

The CDC believes the actual number of cases may be higher than 279 since many people recover without seeking medical treatment. The primary symptoms of salmonella are:

• Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F

• Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving

• Bloody diarrhea

• Frequent vomiting 

• Signs of dehydration

The CDC says people with any of these symptoms should speak to their health care provider for treatment. They should also compile a list of all the food they ate in the week before symptoms appeared.

Confirmed cases of salmonella poisoning should be reported to the local health department.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia explored the risks associated with the hookworm parasites that commonly infect dogs. Their findings showed that many of the traditional treatments used to help dogs recover from the hookworm parasite have become unsuccessful. 

The researchers focused their study on greyhounds from three different areas: an active racing kennel, adoption kennels, and vets offices that work with adoption organizations. They analyzed dogs’ fecal samples over the course of a year and also looked into the treatments they were given for the hookworm parasites and how well they responded to the treatments. 

The study showed that 80% of the dogs were infected by hookworm parasites. Typically, dogs are given one of three medications to treat this type of infection. However, in this study, the dogs still showed traces of the hookworm parasite even after receiving treatment. 

Resisting antibiotics

The researchers explained that when infected dogs are in close contact with other infected dogs, even when it’s not necessarily the same parasite, there’s a much greater chance of infection. The more the parasites spread, the more likely they are to mutate, and the more likely they are to become more resistant to antibiotics. 

Dogs can pass the infection in one of three ways: female dogs can pass it through their milk to puppies, they can eat infected worms, or they can come into contact with the worms in the ground. It’s also important to note that the hookworm parasite can be contagious to humans, leading to an itchy rash. The researchers say humans who are infected with hookworm parasites will also have a harder time treating the condition as antibiotic resistance increases.

“Personally, I would not take my dog to a dog park,” said researcher Ray Kaplan. “If your dog picks up these resistant hookworms, it’s not as easy as just treating them with medication anymore. Until new types of drugs are available, taking your dog to a dog park has to be considered a risky activity.” 

Instagram sent shockwaves through the social media community on Monday when it announced that it’s pausing any further development of its “Instagram Kids” project. 

For months, the Facebook-owned company has resisted urges from advocacy groups and state attorneys general to shelve the idea. It tried to quell the hue and cry by announcing new safety features for younger users. In a blog post, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said the company’s original intentions were good. 

“We started this project to address an important problem seen across our industry: kids are getting phones younger and younger, misrepresenting their age, and downloading apps that are meant for those 13 or older … We’re announcing these steps today so we can get it right.”

Instagram defends app but decides to pull the plug

The straw that may have broken Instagram’s steadfastness came in the form of a Wall Street Journal article. In its report, the Journal asserted that Instagram’s own in-house research suggested that there was a “significant teen mental-health issue that Facebook plays down in public.”

Instagram executive Pratiti Raychoudhury responded to the article, saying that it doesn’t accurately reflect the facts. “It is simply not accurate that this research demonstrates Instagram is ‘toxic’ for teen girls. The research actually demonstrated that many teens we heard from feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced.” 

Raychoudhury claims that more teenage girls who struggle with issues like loneliness, anxiety, sadness, and eating said that Instagram made those difficult times better rather than worse. The only area where teen girls supposedly said Instagram wasn’t helpful was when it came to body image. 

Despite its defense of the project, Instagram ultimately decided to pull the plug on the app after facing wave after wave of criticism. However, Mosseri still says the idea has merit. 

“We firmly believe that it’s better for parents to have the option to give their children access to a version of Instagram that is designed for them — where parents can supervise and control their experience — than relying on an app’s ability to verify the age of kids who are too young to have an ID,” he wrote. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of New South Wales explored some of the benefits consumers can gain from incorporating strength training into their exercise routines. Contrary to popular belief, they say activities like lifting weights can be a great way to burn fat. 

“A lot of people think that if you want to lose weight, you need to get out and run,” said researcher Dr. Mandy Hagstrom. “But our findings show that even when strength training is done on its own, it still causes favorable loss of body fat without having to consciously diet or go running.” 

The benefits of staying active

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 60 earlier studies that included information from 3,000 participants. While each study was different, all of the participants worked on strength training about three times per week for as long as an hour per day. The researchers measured their body fat over the course of five months to see how this kind of exercise affected them.

Ultimately, the study showed that regular strength training helped reduce the participants’ body fat by 1.4%. The researchers explained that consumers don’t always get the most accurate reading of body fat when they weigh themselves.

“Resistance training does so many fantastic things to the body that other forms of exercise don’t, like improving bone mineral density, lean mass, and muscle quality,” said Dr. Hagstrom. “Now, we know it also gives you a benefit we previously thought only came from aerobics. 

“If you’re strength training and want to change how your body looks, then you don’t want to focus on the number on the scale too much, because it won’t show all your results,” she continued. “Instead, think about your whole body composition, like how your clothes fit and how your body will start to feel, and move, differently.” 

The study highlights that there isn’t just one way to exercise to lose body fat. As long as consumers stay active and eat healthily, they’re likely to reap the benefits of those habits. 

“If you want to exercise to change your body composition, you’ve got options,” Dr. Hagstrom said. “Do what exercise you want to do and what you’re most likely to stick to.” 

Polaris Industries of Medina, Minn., is recalling about 14,000 model year 2011-2021 Phoenix 200 ATVs sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The throttle speed control stop can break and become stuck, posing a crash hazard.

The firm has received 18 reports of throttle stop breaking or sticking, including one report of a crash which resulted in a minor injury.

This recall involves all model year 2011 through 2021 Phoenix 200 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) sold in red, blue or gray.

“Polaris” is decaled on the front body and the sides of the ATV seats and “Phoenix 200” is decaled on the side panels.

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is located on the vehicle’s front left frame.

The ATVs, manufactured in Taiwan, were sold at Polaris dealers nationwide from September 2010 through June 2021 for between $3,500 and $4,300.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled vehicles and contact Polaris to receive a free replacement throttle speed control bracket. Polaris is notifying dealers and contacting registered owners directly.

Consumers may contact Polaris at (800) 765-2747 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at https://www.polaris.com/en-us/off-road-recalls/ to check your vehicle identification number “VIN” or at https://www.polaris.com/en-us/recalls/off-road/.

It appears that the con artists behind the spate of COVID-19 scams and the recent money-flipping scam have moved their game. Various federal and state agencies are warning consumers that scammers have found some new ways to fleece the public: an Amazon AirPods raffle scam and an order confirmation scam. 

The order confirmation scam

If you receive a text message from a number you don’t recognize saying you need to confirm a delivery by clicking on a link, stop right there. The scam — called “smishing” — starts with the pretense that it’s from Walmart, Costco, Target, or Amazon and that you need to confirm a recent purchase you supposedly made. 

These scam messages say a shipment confirmation will follow and, when it does, your credit card on file will be automatically charged. “The message asks you to call a phone number if you did not make the transaction in question or to report an unauthorized transaction. If you dial the number, you will likely be asked to provide your account credentials or payment information so that your account can be ‘credited,’" cautions Attorney General Chris Carr. “The scammers will then use that information to steal your money or commit identity theft. This scam can also occur via email or text message.”

Carr says consumers can avoid this scam simply by not calling the number provided or clicking on the links. You can double-down on your protection by logging in to your online account with the retailer or contacting the company through a verified telephone number to see if, in fact, there was an unauthorized charge made to your account.

The United States Postal Inspection Service reminds consumers that if the scammer’s attempt uses the Postal Service as part of the ploy, the USPS offers tools to track specific packages — but only if you choose to use them. “Customers are required to either register online, or initiate a text message, and provide a tracking number. USPS will not send customers text messages or e-mails without a customer first requesting the service with a tracking number, and it will NOT contain a link,” the agency said. “So, if you did not initiate the tracking request for a specific package directly from USPS and it contains a link: don’t click the link!”

The Amazon AirPods raffle scam

Want a free pair of AirPods? OK, but you might also get some unwanted malware along with them.

The Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division said it’s received complaints about text messages that state they're from Amazon, claiming that the lucky recipient has won a pair of AirPods in an Amazon raffle. Supposedly, all you have to do to claim your prize is click the link in the message. 

If you click, be prepared for an avalanche of anxiety. Clicking usually loads malware onto your device or leads you to a phishing website that prompts you for personal information, such as your Amazon login and password.

Burnaby Now reports that the scam is also known as the “fitness watch text” or the “Apple Watch raffle scam.” And the Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports that another variation is a scam involving Whole Foods. 

“The scammer sent a text with a link for address and name to enter into a raffle contest of secret shopper opportunities at Whole Foods Market for 400$ a week,” reported one consumer at the BBB’s Scam Tracker website. “I responded with name and address. They sent a text saying something would be in the mail. A fake check for 1950.53$ and a single page with 'instructions' came a day later in the mail for buying an American Express gift card to send to an email with ‘shopper experiences survey’ to send as well.”

If you’ve noticed that robocalls are starting to creep back on your phone, a new report suggests why. Out of the estimated 80 billion unwanted robocalls in the last 12 months, TNS' biannual Robocall Investigation Report dismisses any public perception that the top big six US carriers (AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter Communications, Comcast, T-Mobile and Verizon) are to blame. Trying to meet the standards recently created by the Federal Communications Commission, those carriers have done what they were tasked with and originate less than 5% of all high-risk robocalls, despite accounting for three-quarters of all intercarrier traffic.

So. where exactly are these robocalls coming from? Well, the ingenious among the roboscammers have figured out that using Voice over Internet Protocol, where calls are made over internet networks, is the workaround. The report states that 66% of all high-risk calls (scam/fraudulent calls which attempt to acquire call recipient personal information and/or money) and 61% of all nuisance calls (not of malicious intent or negligent noncompliance) originate from VoIP telephone numbers – representing the largest two sources of these unwanted calls.

The report reveals that following a brief dip in unwanted calls during the COVID-19 lockdown, unwanted calls increased by 6% to a total of 37.9 billion in the first half of 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020. 

Key findings

Besides the VoIP discovery, other key findings from the report include:  

Neighbor spoofing plagues Americans

Neighbor spoofing — the technique of masquerading the calls as coming from the same area code — jumped 127%, and use of the same area code as well as the same prefix saw an increase of 52%.

Robocallers doubling down on home landline phones

Landline phones were approximately twice as likely to receive an unwanted call as wireless numbers, a reminder that robocalls are not just a mobile problem. 

STIR/SHAKEN adoption is growing with Tier-1 carriers

Despite the roboroaches raising their ugly heads again, the report says that the FCC’s and carrier efforts to advance STIR/SHAKEN implementation have actually paid off. Tier-1 carriers have deployed the mandated call authentication framework, with more than 50% of the total calls in June authenticated, up from 35% at the beginning of 2021. And while the top six carriers account for three-quarters of all intercarrier traffic, 95% of high-risk calls originate from non-Tier-1 service providers.

Consumers open to branded calling

Consumers are getting wise. According to a TNS survey earlier this year, 77% of consumers never answer phone calls from numbers they don’t recognize. But, most (63%) say they would answer a call if the caller ID displayed the logo of a brand they can identify.  

Taking action

The Federal Trade Commission can’t be happy with the robocall trend going the wrong way. The report says that the agency saw a 36% increase in complaints received from January to March of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. And the FCC saw a similar increase in complaints to the do not call list, up 55% when comparing January to June of 2021 with the same period a year ago. 

“So, at the end of the day, the big six telecoms have done what they were tasked with by the FCC, but TNS’ report data underscores an important narrative, which is that carrier progress on STIR/SHAKEN implementation, legislation and the new FCC Robocall Mitigation Database have had a positive impact on Tier-1 carrier success in combating robocalls, but robocall bad actors are adapting to VoIP providers and smaller carriers,” said TNS report author Jim Tyrrell.