Current Events in October 2021

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 45,836,469 (45,718,022)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 743,565 (741,597)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 245,746,227 (245,241,884)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,985,122 (4,976,499)‌

Many are willing to quit jobs rather than be vaccinated, survey finds

Vaccine mandates were devised to force people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A new study suggests it is encouraging people to quit their jobs instead.

The October Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 40% of unvaccinated Americans are willing to quit their jobs rather than be vaccinated. Nearly 25% of people in the survey said their employers are requiring them to be vaccinated.

This reluctance also extends to parents of children aged five to 11, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. Fifty-three percent of parents are worried that their child may be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 even if they don’t want them to.

Study finds ‘brain fog’ may persist for months

One symptom of COVID-19 is difficulty in thinking clearly, and a new study finds that this “brain fog” created by the virus often lingers for months after a patient recovers. The study, published in JAMA Network OpenTrusted Source, adds to existing evidence of cognitive issues related to the coronavirus.

“One of the main strengths of our study was that we had reliable and valid in-person cognitive measures,” said study author Dr. Jacqueline Becker.

In the study involving 740 patients, 24% had problems with learning new information. Memory recall, which refers to retrieving previously learned information, was affected in 23% of the participants.

Kiss roadies slam tour group over crew member's death

Roadies for the rock group Kiss are speaking out after guitar technician Francis Stueber died of COVID-19 while the band was on tour. Three crew members told Rolling Stone that not enough was done to protect them. They blamed the tour production company for Stueber’s death.

“Every day during the shows, we weren’t tested,” one of the anonymous crewmembers said. “And there are so many unknowns. Did we super spread this, did we spread this thing from city to city? It’s horrible that Fran passed, and it’s horrible if this is our protocol just for us to tour.”

Steuber died in a Detroit hotel room where he was quarantined by Wayne County health officials after being diagnosed with the virus.

Around the nation

• Washington: State officials say approval to vaccinate young children can’t come too soon. The Washington Department of Health reports that there have been 189 COVID-19 outbreaks related to schools in the state from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, with 1,284 cases associated with these outbreaks.

• Kentucky: Kentucky is another state where cases were surging in September, but they have dropped sharply in the last two weeks. Knox and Laurel counties are in the top 30 for the lowest COVID-19 case rates in the state. “We are almost decreasing in cases at the speed that we increased,” said Gov. Andy Beshear.

• New Jersey: New Jersey keeps inching up in the nation’s vaccination standings, The state entered the top 10 this week when its statewide vaccination rate hit 74%. The state’s standing was aided by Paterson, which now has a 90% vaccination rate.

• Massachusetts: Analysts at MassBenchmarks, studying GDP data, report that economic growth in the state slowed considerably in the third quarter. They also report that their outlook for the next six months is less optimistic than it was previously because of the Delta variant’s dampening effect on consumer spending.

• Utah: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing Xlear, a Utah-based company, over charges that it made unsupported claims about a COVID-19 treatment product. The complaint accuses the company of “violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, alleging that it falsely pitched its saline nasal sprays as an effective way to prevent and treat COVID-19.”

Nothing lasts forever. After offering its Prime members free delivery from Whole Foods for nearly three years, Amazon has decided that Whole Foods customers should pay for their delivery after all. Now, those customers will have to pony up $9.95 if they want Whole Foods to deliver their order.

The company said it was left with little choice. Despite the fact that Whole Foods’ delivery business tripled during the pandemic, the cost of getting orders from store to home needed to be addressed. A Whole Foods spokesperson told CNN that to cover the escalating cost of delivering groceries, it either had to add on a fee or raise prices. 

All is not lost for Prime members though. They’ll still get an extra 10% off storewide sales and in select ZIP codes, as well as free pickup from their nearest Whole Foods store.

Will Whole Foods loss be Walmart’s gain

Sensing that an opportunity was in the works, Walmart was ready for Whole Foods' announcement. Just last week, Walmart sent a rather sarcastic email to its customer base offering a rebate of $9.95 to anyone who signed up for Walmart+, the retailer's branded version of Amazon Prime.

"Because customers deserve a grocery delivery service that won't leave a Whole in their wallet for delivery fees — whoops, typo," read the email.

Not only do Walmart+ members get free grocery delivery, but they also enjoy free shipping with no minimum order -- a requirement the company lifted earlier this year. However, that “free delivery” might not last forever. On its site, the retailer says Walmart+ subscribers will have access to unlimited free deliveries “all [holiday] season long.” After that, who knows.

Besieged by troublesome headlines, Facebook has undergone a brand refresh, changing its corporate name to Meta. 

CEO Mark Zuckerburg announced the change late Thursday, saying “it’s time to adopt a new brand that encompasses everything we do.” Besides the Facebook social media platform, the company owns Instagram and WhatsApp.

While that may be a valid reason -- after all, Google changed its corporate name to Alphabet -- the Facebook brand has been an object of criticism since 2017. At that time, it revealed that users' personal data had been used in an unauthorized way by a political marketing firm.

Since then, the criticism has only become more intense from both the political left and the right. Democrats have accused the company of allowing the distribution of misinformation, and Republicans have claimed that the platform censors conservative viewpoints. 

Leaked internal research

Last month, a former employee leaked internal documents showing, among other things, that Facebook executives were aware that the social pressures created by Instagram were having a harmful effect on teenage girls.

Mike Davis, founder and president of the Internet Accountability Project and a longtime Facebook critic, said the name change doesn’t really change anything.

“Facebook is following in the footsteps of Big Tobacco after the industry was exposed for its toxic and deadly impact on society,” he said. “Philip Morris got caught preying on kids, so they became Altria. Facebook got caught preying on kids, so they became Meta. But consumers and legislators should make no mistake: this is the same company that lies to its users, Congress and government regulators.”

Davis makes clear that he thinks Facebook, and many other “Big Tech” companies, should be broken up into smaller firms.

Business realignment

For its part, Facebook -- now Meta -- is presenting the name change as a fundamental realignment of its business, casting itself as a “social technology company” that will bring together its apps and technology under a single brand

The name is taken from the word “metaverse,” which is a virtual reality environment where users can interact with others in a purely digital space.

“The metaverse will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world,” the company said in a release.

Electric vehicles are set to snag consumers a larger tax credit. If all goes according to plan, the EV tax credit will grow from $7,500 to $12,500 under President Biden’s Build Back Better initiative.

The credit is part of a larger $555 billion fund that Biden has designated to tackle climate change, and the White House feels it needs the middle class’ buy-in on EVs to make that happen. In its estimation, the best way to do that is to “deliver substantial consumer rebates and ensure middle class families save money as they shift to clean energy and electrification.”

In an announcement, Biden’s team added that there’s also another carrot. Officials noted that buying an EV “will save the average American family hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs.”

Tesla, Honda, and Toyota vs. Detroit

For an EV to be eligible, the White House said it must be made in the U.S. and built by union workers. Those two elements are essential if a consumer wants the whole $12,500. Without those two components, the tax credit rolls back to $7,500. 

The “made by union workers” aspect is a thorn in the side of Tesla and foreign-owned automakers like Honda and Toyota. In the past, those companies have argued that Biden is favoring Detroit automakers by giving them an unfair advantage.

While buying an EV from a union-backed source may lead to more savings, consumers who buy a non-union manufactured EV are not at a total loss. While they won’t get the full $12,500 as things stand now, the proposal would allow Tesla, Honda, and Toyota EV buyers to receive an additional $500 for electric vehicles that are made with batteries built in the U.S.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Kansas explored the stressors that parents who are nurses may experience in their day-to-day schedules. Their findings showed a significant link between stress and sleep issues for parents who are also nurses. 

“We were really interested in looking at how the sleep-stressor relationship is different for nurses who are parents and nurses who are not parents,” said researcher Taylor Harris. “We also wanted to look at how many children parents have further influences the relationship between sleep and stress in those working parents, because caregiving at work and at home can be particularly difficult -- sometimes we don’t always look at that intersection specifically in the most prominent health care profession, which is nursing.” 

How does parenting impact stress and sleep?

For the study, the researchers had 60 nurses complete surveys for two weeks; some of the nurses involved in the study were parents, and others were not. The questions were about the participants’ sleeping patterns and stress levels, with each participant being prompted to complete the surveys four times throughout the day. 

The study showed that nurses with children at home weren’t getting as much sleep as those without children; parents also experienced more stress than non-parents. The surveys also indicated that having more children led to more stress and worse sleeping habits.

“The most striking findings were when looking at nightly sleep quality and stressor frequency and then nightly sleep quality and stressor severity,” Harris said. “We see how the participants who were parents had this stronger linkage between poor sleep and frequency and severity of stress, showing how for this population of nurses -- all either day shift or night shift workers -- being a parent really exacerbates that link.” 

These findings are concerning because struggling with sleep and having to manage a lot of stress at work and at home can negatively impact nurses. The researchers worry about nurses with children finding balance so they can do their best both at home and at work. 

“Sometimes we don’t think about the sleep-stressor link, and that can be really important in terms of intervention purposes for nurses who are parents, so that they can in turn be both better workers and better parents,” said Harris. 

“Caregiving both at home and work is really difficult and being able to provide whatever type of intervention that would help nurses sleep better would then help lower those stressor frequencies and severity of stressors and, in turn, promote better cognitive performance at work and just better quality of life overall.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington explored the best way to go about sticking to tasks for longer periods of time. Their findings identified two key components to maintaining attention: receiving feedback along the way and setting goals. 

“Sustaining one’s attention is notoriously difficult,” said researcher Matthew Robison. “The longer that an individual performs a task, the worse their performance tends to be. If you want to encourage people to maintain focus on a task, whether it be learning or job-related, or if you are designing something that you want people to engage with, giving feedback about their performance is a very powerful motivator.” 

Rewards don’t help keep our attention

The researchers conducted four experiments with the study participants. The team had them complete tasks that required focus and attentiveness for 30 minutes. They wanted to see how various factors -- including rewards, feedback, and goal setting -- impacted their ability to remain focused. 

In all of the tests, the participants lost steam over time. The longer the experiment went on, the harder it was to maintain attention the whole way through. Interestingly, the team learned that rewards weren’t an effective way to help the participants make it through the tasks. 

“Even in conditions when people report feeling motivated and engaged, it is difficult to maintain optimal performance, especially if the task is attentionally demanding,” Robison said. 

Goal-setting and feedback help us stay engaged

However, the researchers learned that getting feedback and setting goals helped participants get through the tasks. Goal setting didn’t help when it came to motivation to complete the tasks, but it was effective at helping the participants maintain their attention throughout the trial. 

Similarly, when the participants received feedback at scheduled times throughout the experiment, they were less likely to have wandering thoughts. The researchers believe that combining these two strategies may be the most effective way for consumers to best complete long-term tasks. 

Moving forward, the team hopes these findings are used in practical, real-world settings\. Even with the right strategies, maintaining attention on the same task for long periods of time can be difficult. 

“We need to be cognizant of the level of difficulty involved in sustaining attention when we ask others to perform tasks where they must be attentive for long periods of time,” said Robison. “It is possible that we put ourselves in harm’s way by relying too much on the human attentional system to accomplish feats that may not be achievable.” 

Motorists who are gassing up ahead of the Halloween weekend will find frightful prices at the pump. Even though gas prices rose more slowly this week than last, they remain at a seven-year high.

AAA reports that the national average price of regular gas is $3.40 a gallon, three cents higher than last week. A year ago, consumers were paying $2.15 a gallon. The average price of premium gas is $4.01 a gallon, four cents higher than last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $3.62 a gallon, also four cents a gallon higher than a week ago.

According to AAA, gas prices have gone up every day for the last month. There may be little relief until fuel supplies catch up with demand

“With the U.S. economy slowly recovering from the depths of the pandemic, demand for gas is robust, but the supply is tight,” said Andrew Gross, AAA’s spokesperson. “We haven’t seen prices this high since September of 2014.”

Even though the average price of gasoline is higher this week, some states saw little to no increase from the prior week. The exceptions are Missouri, where the average price jumped seven cents a gallon, and Hawaii and Mississippi, where the average price at the pump is up six cents a gallon in the last seven days.

States with the most expensive gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to AAA:

• California ($4.58) 

• Hawaii ($4.30)  

• Nevada ($3.93) 

• Washington ($3.88) 

• Oregon ($3.79) 

• Alaska ($3.72) 

• Utah ($3.74)

• Idaho ($3.71)

• Illinois ($3.57)  

• Pennsylvania ($3.57)

States with the cheapest gas

AAA reports these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

•  Oklahoma ($3.02) 

• Texas ($3.05) 

• Arkansas ($3.06) 

• Mississippi ($3.09)   

• Kansas ($3.11)

• Kentucky ($3.11)  

• Missouri ($3.12)   

• Wisconsin ($3.14)

• Minnesota ($3.15) 

•  Louisiana ($3.16) 

The great supply chain puzzle has a new possible answer: a shortage of truck drivers. A new study from the American Trucking Association (ATA) suggests that there is currently an 80,000 truck driver shortage, and there doesn’t appear to be any immediate solution in sight.

There are certainly plenty of things contributing to the current supply chain bottleneck, such as cargo ships being stuck in queues, but the trucking problem is one of the biggest. The trucking industry hauls 72.5% of all freight transported in the U.S. and is often one of the last steps in getting goods onto store shelves and into consumers’ hands.

The shortage of truck drivers has grown by nearly 27% in the last three years, according to the study. Bob Costello, the chief economist for the ATA, says it’s being driven by several factors. There are problems with recruiting and retaining female drivers, drug testing, time spent away from home and family, and the long hours that drivers are asked to do in a single stretch. 

Unfortunately, things could actually get worse. Costello estimates that the trucking industry will have to recruit at least 1 million new drivers by 2030 to replace the number of retiring drivers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be 231,100 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers each year. 

Pay rates and vaccine mandates are sticking points

Costello said that because there is no single cause of the driver shortage, there is no single solution. The pay for long-haul drivers ($47,130 in 2020) is continuing to grow, but he feels that rising pay rates alone won't solve the driver shortage.

“Because some drivers will choose to work less at a higher pay rate, negating the impact of the increase,” he said. “The solution to the driver shortage will most certainly require increased pay, regulatory changes and modifications to shippers’, receivers’ and carriers’ business practices to improve conditions for drivers.”

Of course, like almost everything, there are also pandemic-related issues. The main one in the ATA’s mind is President Biden’s vaccination mandate. 

“ATA is committed to giving Americans access to life-saving COVID vaccines,” the organization said. “However, President Biden’s new vaccine mandate targeting certain employers raises a number of serious concerns for our industry and its most vital resource of all—the drivers.”

ATA officials met with the White House earlier this week to make Biden’s team aware that 37% of the current driver base say they would either leave or retire from their jobs because of the mandate.

Drivers being asked to haul more

The short-term prognosis for getting goods trucked from point A to point B doesn’t look good. The ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index increased by 2.4% in September.

“September’s sequential gain was the largest in 2021,” said Costello. “It is good that tonnage rose in September, but it is important to note that this is happening because each truck is hauling more, not from an increase in the amount of equipment operated as contract carriers in the for-hire truckload market continue to shrink from the lack of new trucks and drivers. 

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 45,718,022 (45,638,297)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 741,597 (739,254)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 245,241,884 (244,800,062)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,976,499 (4,967,907)‌

Researchers tout an old drug as a new treatment

There may be a cheap way to treat mild cases of COVID-19 before they get worse. Researchers in Brazil conducted a clinical trial using a generic antidepressant drug to treat the virus and are reporting positive results.

They say the drug, known as fluvoxamine, appeared to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms in close to a third of people in a high-risk category. The drug was administered to about half the subjects in a trial of about 1,500 patients.

"Fluvoxamine may reduce the production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines, that can be triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Dr. Angela Reiersen, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis who worked on the study, 

White House signals flexibility on mandates

In the face of growing resistance and resignations in response to its vaccination mandate for federal employees and contractors, the White House is showing a little flexibility. Coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients has signaled that the Biden administration could provide some give-and-take as it enforces the president’s executive order.

The mandate was issued in response to the fourth wave of the virus, which was driven by the spread of the Delta variant. But the administration’s attempt to force people to be vaccinated appears to only have hardened the resistance.

The new approach involves more carrot than stick. Agencies and contractors are being encouraged to counsel unvaccinated team members on the benefits of the vaccine, even after the mandate deadline. Federal employees face a vaccination deadline of Nov. 22; contractors have a Dec. 8 deadline.

COVID-19 slowed the economy in the last quarter

The spread of the Delta variant and worsening supply chain bottlenecks took a toll on the nation’s economy in the last quarter. The Commerce Department reports that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of economic growth, rose only 2% in the July through September period.

That marked a significant slowdown from strong gains earlier this year when people began to get vaccinated and businesses began to resume full operations. GDP rose at an unusually fast annual rate of 6.3% in the first quarter and 6.7% in the second quarter.

Providing a drag on growth in the third quarter, businesses struggled to find employees, and supply chain bottlenecks kept products from reaching consumers. This week, toymaker Hasbro reported that $100 million in orders went unfilled in the third quarter.

Around the nation

• New York: A judge has denied a motion from New York City’s largest police union to block the city’s vaccination mandate. The Police Benevolent Association had argued that the policy does not make clear potential exceptions for medical or religious reasons. The group also claims that the mandate does not give unvaccinated officers sufficient time to apply for such exemptions.

• North Carolina: Gov. Roy Cooper is urging his constituents to remain vigilant against the coronavirus, but he reports that the state’s numbers are moving in the right direction. "We’re relieved to see fewer people requiring hospital care and ICU beds for COVID-19. Our percentage of tests positive continues to decline and the number of people vaccinated increases every day, even though we want it to go faster," Cooper said at a news conference.

• California: Health officials have already drawn up plans to vaccinate young children. The state has established 4,000 venues to administer 1.2 million shots to children between the ages of five and 11 in the first week after the vaccine is approved for kids.

• Colorado: While the rate of coronavirus cases nationwide is going down, federal health statistics show that Colorado leads the U.S. in per capita case increases over the past two weeks. The state also has the fewest available hospital beds.

• Vermont: Gov. Phil Scott is under increasing pressure from medical professionals and some state legislators to reinstate a statewide mask mandate as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase. Scott says vaccinations are working and that mandating masks wouldn’t help reduce the spread of the virus.

Tesla’s Elon Musk might have a new best friend -- Hertz CEO Mark Fields. After Fields announced that Hertz ordered 100,000 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles, he fleshed out his plans a little further by saying that the order could actually double.

According to Electrek’s coverage, Hertz’s original deal stipulated that the rental car company would keep 50,000 of the Tesla vehicles it ordered and make the other 50,000 available to Uber drivers. However, the deal has an option that allows Hertz to procure another 100,000 vehicles that would become available to Uber drivers, giving them 150,000 total Tesla vehicles to work with. 

Why Uber?

The Uber opportunity is particularly enticing to Fields. Hertz has a long-standing relationship with Uber drivers because many of them rent their vehicles from Hertz rather than buying their own. 

It’s as close to a no-brainer as an Uber driver can get. Hertz would carry the responsibility of paying for the Teslas and they would get an electric vehicle that offers them an environmental upside and lower costs. In a blog post, Uber claims that when rideshare drivers go electric, they gain 3 to 4 times greater emissions savings than average car owners.

The Tesla rentals will start out at $334 a week and, as the program gets its footing, fall below $300. That cost includes insurance and maintenance. But Hertz isn’t letting just any Uber driver get their hands on one of the rentals. For the initial launch period, it requires that drivers have at least a 4.7-star rating and at least 150 trips under their belts to be eligible for the rental program.

“We believe this will be a win-win for drivers who rent: a chance to both increase earnings and reduce environmental impact,” Uber’s Andrew Macdonald, SVP of Mobility and Business Operations, wrote in a blog post. 

“Drivers can enjoy gas savings as well as higher earnings potential due to Uber’s Green Future Program, which provides incentives – such as $1 more per trip up to $4,000 annually – for drivers to transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. They’ll also have access to the Tesla Supercharger network and to Uber’s exclusive EVgo discounts.”

The cost of renting an apartment is surging, especially in major cities where rents plunged during the pandemic. A new report from Realtor.com shows that people who fled urban areas during the pandemic are moving back.

Rents fell sharply early in the pandemic because fewer people wanted to live in congested urban areas when they were working remotely. But in September, Realtor.com data shows that rents in the 10 biggest U.S. technology cities like Austin and New York were 6.3% higher than in March 2020.

‘Past the recovery phase’

On a national basis, the report shows that rents grew at a double-digit annual pace -- 13.6% -- for the second month in a row. George Ratiu, manager of Economic Research for Realtor.com, says the nation’s big tech hubs saw the fastest growth.

"September data confirms the U.S. rental market has moved past the recovery phase and is fully back in business,” Ratiu said. “Rental demand remains unseasonably high, driven by still-limited housing supply, rising mortgage rates pushing buyers towards renting, and more people returning to big cities."

The move from U.S. cities to the suburbs early in the pandemic fed demand for single-family homes, so prices for those houses skyrocketed. While the housing market has cooled a bit, prices remain at all-time highs. 

“Rents didn't rebound from COVID-19 declines as quickly as for-sale home prices, but rental activity has now reached a level not unlike the homebuying frenzy seen earlier this year, before fall seasonality kicked in,” Ratiu said. “The good news is that if rents continue to parallel home listing prices, rental price growth could potentially begin cooling this winter."

Technology centers see the most demand

Realtor.com notes that the rebound in rents in technology centers like San Francisco and Austin began in April, at about the time the vaccine rollout reached critical mass. Over the last two months, rents have accelerated even more. 

The average rent in the 10 largest U.S. technology cities grew by 9.9% year-over-year in September and was 6.3% higher than in March 2020. During the height of the pandemic, rents were down as much as 7.2%.

Rents in Austin experienced the biggest September gain, rising 22.3%. Rents were up 15.5% in Denver. Seattle, where rents fell 12.1% at one point during the pandemic, recorded an average rent increase of 8.1% in September.

Raitu says the days of rental deals in metros like San Francisco and Manhattan may be over, but he sees a silver lining for renters with more flexible timelines. He believes people who sign a lease in January or February may end up getting slightly better deals. 

He also says people who must rent an apartment now should be prepared to compromise on location and amenities to remain within their budget.

There was a lot of job-switching in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic prompted millions of people to move and make major life changes. It turns out many people who changed jobs earned more money.

A report from ADP shows that overall wage growth in the third quarter of this year rose 3.3%. But people who changed jobs during that period saw their wages grow twice as fast, at 6.6%.

Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, says wage growth has begun to match pre-pandemic levels for all employees. What stands out is the sharp increase in pay for people who quit jobs to take new ones.

 "As the economy continues to regain lost footing due to the pandemic, we are seeing pockets of unevenness in wage growth across the workforce as employers continue to offer competitive compensation, as well as in sectors such as leisure and hospitality which reported the greatest employment gains,” Richardson said. “Further, females switched jobs at a higher rate than men and outpaced their male counterparts in wage growth and job switching wage growth, though from a lower wage level."

Labor shortage gives employees more leverage

The labor shortage may be contributing to the trend. Employers are struggling to fill open jobs and are having to offer increased compensation to attract qualified workers. As employers increased their hiring, wage growth was positive across almost all sectors. The biggest wage gains were in trade, professional services, and construction.

Leisure and hospitality saw the biggest job gains, with 15% employment growth. The sector is slowly recovering from the major layoffs during the pandemic. 

The data suggests that employers are filling jobs with people they have attracted from other organizations, not from the ranks of the unemployed. Job switching increased from the previous quarter from 5.8% to 6.6%. 

Who’s getting hired

People aged 24 and under got hired the most, followed by people over age 55, possibly reflecting those rejoining the workforce in recent months. ADP said female wage growth jumped by 4.5%. That’s partly because they are coming from a lower wage, while the increase for men has been much more subdued, only at 2.4% in September 2021.

Before the pandemic, job switchers normally saw only a $5,000 to $10,000 a year bump in pay. During the pandemic, the rewards for people who leave one job for another have been larger, especially women.

Data from LinkedIn shows that job transitions for women have risen 54% when compared with 2020, which is a record. Men have also been on the move but at a slightly slower pace, increasing 46%.

College students are no strangers to stress. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Washington State University explored how they may also be struggling with separation anxiety. According to their findings, leaving pets at home to go away to college may increase symptoms associated with separation anxiety. 

“Students who are struggling with missing their pets should know that they’re not alone,” said researcher Alexa Carr. “There’s nothing necessarily wrong with them if they are experiencing a lot of distress from leaving their pets. It can be an isolating experience to lose that coping resource.” 

Coping with anxiety

For the study, the researchers surveyed 150 first-year college students who also had pets at home. Participants were surveyed before the semester started and then again two weeks into the first semester. They answered questions about how attached they were to their pets, their mental health, and how they felt being separated from their pets. 

The researchers found that 75% of the participants had symptoms consistent with separation anxiety related to leaving to their pets. For those who reported significant attachments to their pets, or who had dogs at home, those symptoms were even more severe. 

The researchers also identified several other factors that increased the risk and severity of separation anxiety for first-time college students: sleeping with pets, spending a significant amount of time with pets, talking to pets, identifying pets as friends, and treating pets like people. 

Because of how widespread this issue is, the researchers wonder how these findings will impact future pet-related policies at universities around the country. While therapy animals have proven to be beneficial for college students’ mental health, giving students the opportunity to house their pets on-campus may be problematic long-term. 

“It’s a big responsibility to take care of an animal, and would a student then be able to balance their school responsibilities, social lives, and jobs?” said Carr. “There are more things to take into consideration and explore before we could advocate for more pets on campus.” 

While several studies have looked at the health risks associated with the nutritional makeup of fast-food items, few studies have explored other ways that fast food can be harmful to consumers’ health.  

A new study conducted by researchers from George Washington University found that many fast-food items -- like burritos, chicken nuggets, and cheeseburgers -- contain traces of phthalates and plastics. These chemicals can pose significant long-term health risks, including damage to the endocrine system. 

“We found phthalates and other plasticizers are widespread in prepared foods available at U.S. fast food chains, a finding that means many consumers are getting a side of potentially unhealthy chemicals along with their meal,” said researcher Lariah Edwards. “Stronger regulations are needed to help keep these harmful chemicals out of the food supply.” 

Chemicals pose a health risk to consumers

For the study, the researchers tested more than 60 different fast-food items and three different types of reusable gloves for potentially harmful chemicals. They detected phthalates and plasticizers in the large majority of the items tested.

The study showed that items containing meat were the most likely to have the highest levels of these kinds of chemicals, with chicken burritos and cheeseburgers topping the list. On the other hand, cheese pizzas had the lowest levels of these chemicals out of all the foods that were tested. 

Overall, 86% of the foods and all of the gloves tested contained a commonly used plasticizer called DEHT. These chemicals are typically used to keep things soft; however, this becomes problematic because the chemicals can seep into the food and are then digested. 

Two phthalates were found in large percentages of the food items; DnBP was detected in more than 80% of the fast-food products, and DEHP was found in 70% of the foods. These chemicals can pose serious risks to consumers’ reproductive processes and cognitive function. 

Low-income consumers may be more at risk

While more work needs to be done to determine more of the health risks linked with these chemicals, the researchers say making homemade meals is one of the best ways to avoid ingesting phthalates and plasticizers. However, they also worry about how consumers in low-income areas may struggle to get access to more natural food options. 

“Disadvantaged neighborhoods often have plenty of fast food outlets, but limited access to healthier foods like fruits and vegetables,” said researcher Ami Zota. “Additional research needs to be done to find out whether people living in such food deserts are at higher risk of exposure to these harmful chemicals.” 

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 45,638,297 (45,558,326)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 739,254 (737,615)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 244,800,062 (244,264,890)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,967,907 (4,959,865)‌

FDA panel greenlights vaccine for kids

A panel of health experts advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pfizer’s vaccine for children as young as five. The group made its recommendation late Tuesday after reviewing clinical trial data.

The decision is now up to the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both agencies typically go along with the recommendations of their advisory committees.

Members of the FDA advisory committee said the clinical trial data shows that the Pfizer vaccine provides a strong defense against COVID-19 and "effectively neutralized the Delta variant" in young children.

Merck will make its pill available to poor countries

Poor nations around the world have struggled to vaccinate their populations. Merck, which recently announced details of a pill that has shown effectiveness in treating COVID-19 cases, says it will make quantities of the treatment pills available to nations that are being overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases.

The company announced the signing of a voluntary licensing agreement to facilitate affordable global access for molnupiravir, an investigational oral COVID-19 antiviral medicine for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization.

“Merck’s mission to save and improve lives is a truly global commitment,” said Frank Clyburn, executive vice president and president of Human Health at Merck. “This agreement...is another important element in our multi-faceted strategy to accelerate broad, affordable access to molnupiravir, if approved or authorized, for patients no matter where they live.

CDC: Some people may need a fourth shot

While Americans are just beginning to roll up their sleeves for a booster shot, health officials at the CDC are contemplating the need for some people to get a fourth shot. Updated CDC guidance issued this week said some people with certain health conditions that make them moderately or severely immunocompromised may get a fourth mRNA COVID-19 shot.

The CDC has already authorized a third dose for certain immunocompromised people who are 18 and older. The agency said a third dose instead of a booster is necessary to bolster these consumers’ immune systems.

The CDC reports that a number of small studies have shown that fully vaccinated immunocompromised people made up nearly 44% of the breakthrough cases that required hospitalization.

Around the nation

• Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis is denying published reports that Florida is trying to recruit unvaccinated police officers from states that have vaccination mandates and are in danger of losing their jobs. However, he acknowledges that the state is seeking officers from northern states to fill vacancies in the state police.

• Louisiana: Gov. John Bel Edwards has announced that the state is ending its COVID-19 mask mandate. It’s the first state to roll back a mask mandate that was enacted during the summer’s Delta variant outbreak. Edwards said he believes the virus surge in his state is over.

• Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz did a little bragging about his state on Tuesday, noting that Minnesota currently ranks third in the nation for adults who have completed their initial COVID-19 vaccination series, in addition to a booster shot. Walz made his remarks during a photo op, where he received his booster shot.

• Oregon: Officials say 203 state employees have been placed on paid administrative leave for failing to be fully vaccinated by the mandate deadline. The employees are spread across a number of state agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and State Police.

• New Mexico: Health officials report that cases are still rising across the state, even as the numbers fall in other states around the country. The New Mexico Department of Health confirmed 2,335 new cases around the state over the weekend, as well as 15 deaths.

Now that the U.S. has finalized plans to accept vaccinated international travelers into the country, airlines are girding themselves for what Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian called an “onslaught of travel all at once.” 

The airlines don’t have much time to prepare either. The new mandate goes into effect on Monday, Nov. 8. 

There are several layers to what airlines will now be counted on to process. The updated to-do list calls for carriers to not only make sure a person has proof of vaccination, but they also have to: 

• Match names and dates of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination

• Determine that the record was issued by an official source in the country where the vaccine was given

• Confirm where the passenger got their vaccinations, which ones they received, etc.

How big is the surge?

The return to travel is already starting to develop. According to data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), inbound U.S. travel is close to completely rebounding from pre-pandemic levels. On Monday, nearly 2 million people passed through security checkpoints operated at U.S. airports. That’s more than double the number of travelers from a year ago, and it’s nearly 300,000 less than the same period in 2019.

Hopper -- a company that uses ​​predictive analytics to offer consumers an advantage in finding affordable flights -- said searches for all inbound international U.S. flights have spiked by 32% since the White House’s announcement. That’s a 21% increase above the weekly average. 

The real eye-opening statistic in Hopper’s analysis is the number of round-trip flights being searched for from Europe to the U.S. The company says those searches have gone up by 133% since the announcement, marking a 70% increase over the weekly average. It’s the biggest increase Hopper says it’s seen on this particular segment this year. 

Things could be a little sloppy at first

Speaking at the Future of Travel Mobility conference, Bastain warned that processing all those additional travelers will be “a bit sloppy at first. There will be lines, unfortunately,” he said.

Bastian should know. Delta’s largest hub is Atlanta Hartsfield, which also happens to be the busiest airport in the world. He believes airlines will likely lean on technology in order to keep up with the new demand. In Delta’s situation, he said the company has developed an app to help travelers navigate the new list of rules.

As of December 26, 2021, China Telecom Americas will no longer be doing business in the U.S. Citing security concerns, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order on Tuesday that prevents China Telecom from providing any domestic or international services in the U.S.

The move is a major blow for China Telecom because its mobile virtual network in the U.S. includes more than 4 million Chinese Americans, 2 million Chinese tourists a year visiting the United States, 300,000 Chinese students at American colleges, and more than 1,500 Chinese businesses.

However, it wasn’t completely unexpected. In 2020, the Executive Branch warned that it was considering shutting down the U.S. operations of state-controlled Chinese telecommunications companies, including China Telecom Americas. 

Officials had offered China Telecom a chance to disprove the agency’s findings, and they established a process that allowed for China Telecom, the U.S. Executive Branch agencies, and the public to present any remaining arguments or evidence regarding the matter.  

“The Federal Communications Commission has a long history of working to open American markets to foreign telecommunications companies when doing so is in the public interest,” Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said.  

“These connections can make us stronger because they help share our democratic values with the rest of the world.  But we also recognize not every connection is consistent with the national security interest of the United States. That’s because some countries may seek to exploit our openness to advance their own national interests.  When we recognize this is the case and cannot mitigate the risk, we need to take action to protect the communications infrastructure that is so critical to our national security and economic prosperity.”

FCC offers to help China Telecom’s U.S. users

Fortunately for China Telecom’s U.S. users, the FCC is not leaving them out in the cold. The agency said it will help customers transition to other mobile service providers. Officials say they will issue a guide that outlines what other options consumers might consider for mobile services.  

This document will be available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese and made available on the FCC’s website. 

Home mortgage rates are still relatively low, but they’re not as low as they have been. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the rate on loans for purchases and refinancing has hit an eight-month high.

"Mortgage rates increased again last week, as the 30-year fixed rate reached 3.30 percent and the 15-year fixed rate rose to 2.59 percent - the highest for both in eight months,” said Joel Kan, the MBA's associate vice president of Economic and Industry Forecasting.

Because of the recent string of rate increases, there was a fifth straight decline in refinancing activity. Homeowners who had not yet refinanced found less of an advantage in locking in at last week’s higher rate. Despite that, lenders were still busy.

"Purchase applications picked up slightly, and the average loan size rose to its highest level in three weeks, as growth in the higher price segments continues to dominate purchase activity,” Kan said.

Both new and existing-home sales last month were at their strongest sales pace since early 2021, but the housing market is now relying more on homeowners who are moving up. The number of first-time buyers continues to fall.

The number of current homeowners who refinanced their mortgages last week dropped by 2%, making up just 62.2% of total applications. That percentage has fallen as rates have gone up.

Refinancing could still be an option

While the market is changing, it’s not too late to refinance your mortgage; it just depends on your present rate and if it makes financial sense. Although a new mortgage at a slightly lower rate will lower your monthly payment, homeowners also need to consider closing costs. The fees have to be considered when deciding how much a new mortgage will save you money over time.

According to Forbes adviser, taking two years to make up the difference between lower monthly payments and closing costs is ideal. An important consideration, however, is how long you intend to keep the house before selling.

Finding a lender with both low rates and low closing costs will make refinancing more profitable. ConsumerAffairs has rated the best mortgage lenders based on thousands of verified consumer reviews.

Eating large quantities of ultra-processed foods has been linked to several health concerns, including heart health issues, chronic infections, and inflammatory bowel disease. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Ohio State University has found that highly processed foods may also increase the risk for long-term memory concerns. 

However, the team points out that when processed foods are supplemented with DHA -- the omega-3 fatty acid -- it may help to lower the risk of memory decline. 

“These findings indicate that consumption of a processed diet can produce significant and abrupt memory deficits -- and in the aging population, rapid memory decline has a greater likelihood of progressing into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease,” said researcher Ruth Barrientos. “By being aware of this, maybe we can limit processed foods in our diets and increase consumption of foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acid DHA to either prevent or slow that progression.” 

How diet impacts memory function

For the study, the researchers had three-month and 24-month old mice divided into three different diet groups. One group ate their typical diet, another group followed a highly processed diet, and a third group followed a processed diet with DHA supplements. The mice followed the diets for four weeks, after which the researchers analyzed their brain scans to see how the diets impacted their memory function. 

The researchers observed that the older mice exhibited the greatest changes to brain and memory function, regardless of which diet they followed. However, the older mice that followed the highly processed diet showed signs of memory loss and had higher inflammatory properties in the hippocampus and amygdala. 

“The amygdala in humans has been implicated in memories associated with emotional -- fear and anxiety-producing -- events,” Barrientos said. “If this region of the brain is dysfunctional, cues that predict danger may be missed and could lead to bad decisions.” 

There were some positive findings though. The researchers learned that the older mice had better brain health outcomes when DHA supplements were mixed into their diets. These mice had fewer inflammatory markers in their brain scans and also showed fewer symptoms associated with memory loss. 

In terms of how consumers can use these findings to their benefit, the researchers recommend prioritizing healthy foods. While the DHA supplements were beneficial, eating an unlimited amount of processed foods isn’t likely to yield the best long-term health outcomes. 

“These are the types of diets that are advertised as being low in fat, but they’re highly processed,” said Barrientos. “They have no fiber and no refined carbohydrates that are also known as low-quality carbohydrates. Folks who are used to looking at nutritional information need to pay attention to the fiber and quality of carbohydrates. This study really shows those things are important.”