Current Events in November 2021

Southeastern Grocers is recalling Fisherman’s Wharf brand Jumbo Cooked Shrimp.

The product may be contaminated with listeria.

The recalled product -- which comes in a 16-20 count 16-oz. bag with UPC 2114003262 and a best by date of 04/05/2023 -- was sold in all Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket, and Winn-Dixie stores.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it. Instead, they should discard or return it to any Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket, or Winn-Dixie store for a refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Southeastern Grocers toll-free at (844) 745-0463, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (EDT), and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EDT).

General Motors is recalling 3,889 All-Weather Floor Liners, part number 42686568, that were sold for use as front driver-side accessory floor liners for model year 2017-2021 Bolts.

Insufficient clearance between the liner and the gas pedal may result in the pedal becoming trapped by the liner.

A trapped gas pedal can result in unintended acceleration, causing the vehicle to not decelerate as expected when the driver lifts his foot from the gas pedal, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace the floor liner free of charge. Owners are advised to remove the floor liner from the vehicle until it is replaced.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on November 29, 2021.

Owners may contact GM customer service at (888) 988-7267, or Chevrolet customer service at (800) 222-1020). GM's number for this recall is N212345450.

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 46,868,744 (46,798,462)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 759,791 (759,154)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 252,181,189 (251,672,962)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 5,084,129 (5,076,863)‌

Mountain West new U.S. hotspot

States in cold weather sections of the country, especially along the Canadian border and in the Mountain West, have seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases over the last six weeks. Health officials say most of the new cases are being caused by the Delta variant.

Colorado reinstated crisis guidelines for hospitals around the state this week to handle the influx of COVID-19 patients. Officials are now administering booster shots to anyone aged 18 or older.

A spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment estimates that one in 48 Colorado residents has been infected. At this rate, she says it’s likely the entire population will be exposed to the virus where they live and work.

AstraZeneca to start selling vaccine at a profit

When it initially rolled out its COVID-19 vaccine, drugmaker AstraZeneca pledged to make initial sales at cost. Now, the pharmaceutical giant says it will increase the price of the vaccine in 2022 to produce a profit.

Americans won’t be affected by the decision since the vaccine, produced in cooperation with Oxford University, is not used in the United States. It was the first vaccine to receive government approval and has been used widely in countries other than the U.S.

AstraZeneca’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, told reporters during a conference call that the company waited until cases of the virus began a worldwide decline before raising the price. He said the company will continue to sell the vaccine at cost to developing nations.

Some vaccinated people are trying to ‘undo’ their shots

A video circulating on social media tells people who reluctantly got vaccinated to avoid being fired that they can “detox the vaxx.” The video instructs people to soak in a bath of baking soda, borax, and Epsom salts. It claims that doing so will withdraw the vaccine from the body.

Health experts say it’s one of the more outrageous examples of vaccine misinformation that is circulating on the internet. Besides not doing what the video says it will do, dermatologists warn that a borax bath will irritate the skin.

“Once you’re injected, the lifesaving vaccination process has already begun,” Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan, told NBC News. “You can’t unring a bell. It’s just not physically possible.” 

Around the nation

• New Jersey: How much immunity does a case of COVID-19 provide against future infections? State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, a Republican from Morris, believes it provides enough that it makes vaccinations less necessary. He’s introduced legislation to exempt former COVID-19 patients from vaccination mandates.

• Vermont: Despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, Vermont is still struggling to contain the spread of the virus. The number of positive test results is rising, with the Vermont Department of Health reporting 496 cases on Thursday. That number easily breaks the state’s previous one-day case record. 

• Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz is taking steps to try to blunt a sharp increase in coronavirus cases by increasing testing. Walz has announced the opening of three new COVID-19 rapid testing sites in the state. Some of the sites will receive assistance from the Minnesota National Guard.

• Georgia: The City of Atlanta lifted its indoor mask mandate this week as cases declined sharply. Even though the spread of the virus is now categorized as “moderate” throughout the state, health experts are still concerned. “As soon as it looks like we’ve come down, you know, from these high case numbers, this is the worst possible time to sort of let up on mitigation strategies,” Georgia State University epidemiologist Dr. Cherie Drenzek told WSB-TV.

• Tennessee: The state legislature has passed a sweeping COVID-19 bill that blocks local government agencies and school boards from imposing virus mitigation policies. It also provides unemployment benefits to workers who quit a job rather than be vaccinated. Gov. Bill Lee is expected to sign it into law.

Meta, Facebook’s new parent company, has made a major play to try to take a chunk out of TikTok. Multiple reports indicate that Instagram will be offering huge bonuses to creators who use Reels, its own program for short-form videos. 

How huge? TechCrunch cited a Reddit post showing a Reels Play offer of $35,000 to a single video producer if their content received 58.31 million views in a month. 

Meta has that kind of money to spend too. Earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged $1 billion to video creators who upload their content to Reels as part of Instagram's bonus program.

A ball of confusion 

So far, creators have been puzzled about exactly what determines the size of the bonus that they’re eligible to get. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t seem to be stepping up with much of an answer. TechCrunch said Instagram told it that the program is “experimental” and far from being fully developed. 

That only muddies the situation further for creators who use platforms like Reels, TikTok, and YouTube to make a decent living. Maddy Corbin, a self-described “blogger & social media strategist” who counts more than 50,000 followers on her fashion-focused Instagram account, said she was offered up to $1,000 for her Reels in a month. But she said other content creators were being floated completely different deals.

“I saw some people that had more followers than me and they could only make $600,” Corbin told TechCrunch. Some others with fewer followers were offered $800. “I wish I knew more on how that was generated. All I can think of is maybe it’s based off of past reels’ performance.”

Other platforms offer rewards for views

Not to be left out, Snapchat and YouTube have also begun offering incentives to creators. Snapchat’s bonus program -- “Spotlight Challenges'' -- hands out rewards from a prize pool. Each challenge has a different total prize amount and typically ranges from $1,000 to $25,000. The minimum prize that a Snapchat user can win in a Spotlight Challenge is $250.

YouTube is throwing $100 million toward capturing video content that will drive up its view counts. As part of its “Shorts” program, qualifying channels can receive between $100–$10,000 each month. 

Johnson & Johnson as we know it is no more. On Friday, the company announced that it intends to split off its consumer health business into a new publicly-traded company. In the company’s eyes, the separation would allow one entity to focus on consumer products and the other to hone in on business strategies in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

The company feels good about its chances. In announcing the split, it said the “new” Johnson & Johnson would remain the world’s largest and most diverse health care company.

“Throughout our storied history, Johnson & Johnson has demonstrated that we can deliver results that benefit all our stakeholders, and we must continually be evolving our business to provide value today, tomorrow and in the decades ahead,” Alex Gorsky, Executive Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, said. 

“Following a comprehensive review, the Board and management team believe that the planned separation of the Consumer Health business is the best way to accelerate our efforts to serve patients, consumers, and healthcare professionals, create opportunities for our talented global team, drive profitable growth, and – most importantly – improve healthcare outcomes for people around the world.”

Breaking down the split

The company hasn’t decided on a name for the consumer-focused operation yet, but shoppers don’t need to fret about their favorite brands changing names. Neutrogena, AVEENO, Tylenol, Listerine, Clean & Clear facial wash, Acuvue contact lenses, and BAND-AID will still be around and using the monikers they’re known by.

In confirming that those brands will stay put, Gorsky said having all of its consumer eggs in one basket will provide the company with the agility and flexibility to grow its iconic portfolio of brands and innovate new products. It doesn’t appear like there will be any cost-cutting job elimination either. 

“We are committed to the success of each organization, as well as our company’s more than 136,000 employees around the globe, who will remain the backbone of these businesses,” he said.

The new consumer company is expected to complete its separation in 18 to 24 months.

Health company focused on saving lives

On the other side of the Johnson & Johnson split, the company will play to its strength in pharmaceutical and medical needs, much like it did with its COVID-19 vaccine. The company said that side of the new Johnson & Johnson would continue to build on its offering of “life-saving treatments.”

“The new Johnson & Johnson would continue to play a leading role in advancing the industry forward by creating novel solutions, bringing together treatments spanning therapeutics, robotics, artificial intelligence and more, to change the way diseases are prevented, intercepted and eventually cured,” the company said.

The planned organizational design for the new health-focused company is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

A new study from the University of Cambridge explored how students’ relationship to different languages may impact their performance in school. According to the team’s findings, those who identify as being multilingual are more likely to receive better scores on exams.

“Too often we think about other languages as something that we don’t need to know, or as difficult to learn,” said researcher Dr. Linda Fisher. “These findings suggest that if pupils were encouraged to see themselves as active and capable language learners, it could have a really positive impact on the wider progress at school.” 

Being multilingual helped improve exam scores

For the study, the researchers asked over 800 eleventh graders in England to report on their language identity. The team had the students determine between 0 and 100 where they fell on the spectrum of monolingual to multilingual, with 0 representing speaking one language and 100 representing speaking multiple languages. 

The team then analyzed the participants’ grades from nine subjects on nationwide exams and collected information on whether or not the students were registered as English as a Second Language (EAL) learners. 

The findings showed that there were discrepancies among students who were registered as EAL at their schools and those who viewed themselves as multilingual; students who spoke multiple languages at home didn’t always identify themselves as being multilingual. 

“The fact that these terms didn’t correlate more closely is surprising considering that they are all supposedly meaning the same thing,” said researcher Dr. Dee Rutgers. “Just having experience of other languages clearly doesn’t necessarily translate into a multilingual identity because the experience may not be valued by the student.” 

When students viewed themselves as knowing more than one language, they performed better on the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams and in school overall. GCSE exams are qualification tests given to students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in specific subject areas. 

Each additional point the students ranked themselves on the multilingual scale was linked with an increase in scores on exams. However, there was no effect on test scores for students who were registered as EAL at school. 

“The evidence suggests that the more multilingual you consider yourself to be, the higher your GCSE scores,” Dr. Rutgers said. “While we need to understand more about why this relationship exists, it may be that children who see themselves as multilingual have a sort of ‘growth mindset’ which impacts on wider attainment.” 

Adding range through language

The researchers believe that fostering a stronger understanding of languages may help students latch onto them more, which could impact how they view themselves and improve their school performance. 

“There could be a strong case for helping children who think that they can’t ‘do’ languages to recognize that we all use a range of communication tools, and that learning a language is simply adding to that range,” said Dr. Fisher. “This may influence attitude and self-belief, which is directly relevant to learning at school. In other words, what you think you are may be more important than what others say you are.” 

Recent studies have found that factors like exposure to air pollution or consumers’ diets may impact the severity of COVID-19 infection. Now, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have found that more severe forms of the virus may cause sleeping disorders. 

According to their findings, sleep disorders may increase the risk of developing more serious cases of COVID-19. 

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the disease remains highly variable from patient to patient, it is critical to improve our ability to predict who will have more severe illness so that we can appropriately allocate resources,” said researcher Dr. Reena Mehra. “This study improved our understanding of the association between sleep disorders and the risk for adverse COVID-19 outcomes. It suggests biomarkers of inflammation may mediate this relationship.” 

Health risks associated with sleep disorders

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 5,400 patients at the Cleveland Clinic who had been tested for COVID-19 and also completed sleep studies. The team tracked the patients’ health outcomes over time and paid close attention to the severity of their COVID-19 infections and any sleep disturbances. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that participants with sleep disorders weren’t more prone to COVID-19 infection. However, even after accounting for risk factors like obesity and smoking, sleep disorders were linked with more severe infections once the patients tested positive for the virus. 

For participants with any kind of sleep apnea or sleep hypoxia, which is when blood oxygen drops significantly during sleep, there was a higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection. These patients were 31% more likely to be hospitalized and had a 31% higher risk of mortality after testing positive for COVID. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings can help lead to potential treatments for patients struggling with sleeping disorders and a COVID-19 infection. 

“Our findings have significant implications as decreased hospitalizations and mortality could reduce the strain on health care systems,” said researcher Dr. Cinthya Pena Orbea. “If indeed sleep-related hypoxia translates to worse COVID-19 outcomes, risk stratification strategies should be implemented to prioritize early allocation of COVID-19 therapy to this subgroup of patients.” 

The price of gasoline stabilized this week, adding almost nothing to weeks of steady gains that pushed prices at the pump to their highest levels since 2014.

AAA reports that the national average price of regular gas is $3.41 a gallon, about the same as last Friday. It’s gained about 15 cents a gallon over the last month. The average price of premium gas is $4.03 a gallon, a penny more than a week ago. The average price of diesel fuel is $3.64 a gallon, the same as last week.

Prices might have started falling this week, but demand for fuel increased while gasoline supplies declined. GasBuddy reports that spot fuel prices are still going down, meaning relief for motorists may be in sight.

“Not everybody loves changing their household clocks for the end of Daylight Saving Time,” said Andrew Gross, AAA’s spokesperson. “But the shorter days could lead to lower demand for gas. Drivers may head straight home from work to avoid the darkness rather than tack on side trips for shopping or errands.”

Most states saw little movement in gas prices during the week, rising or falling by a couple of cents a gallon. Michigan experienced one of the biggest gas price increases of the week, with the average price rising 11 cents a gallon.

States with the most expensive gas

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

• California ($4.64) 

• Hawaii ($4.35)  

• Nevada ($3.96) 

• Washington ($3.87) 

• Oregon ($3.78) 

• Alaska ($3.72) 

• Utah ($3.71)

• Idaho ($3.69)

• Arizona ($3.64)  

• Pennsylvania ($3.59)

States with the cheapest gas

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

• Oklahoma ($3.03) 

• Arkansas ($3.06) 

• Texas ($3.07) 

• Mississippi ($3.09)   

• Missouri ($3.10) 

• Kansas ($3.11)

• Kentucky ($3.11)    

• Wisconsin ($3.14)

• Tennessee ($3.14) 

•  South Carolina ($3.15) 

Pier-C Produce of Leamington, Ontario, Canada, is recalling whole 2- lb White Onions sold as Pier-C 2lb white onions of Mexican origin.

The product may be contaminated with salmonella.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recalled product was delivered to a single retailer in the state of Florida between August 17th, 2021, and August 23rd, 2021.

It also was delivered to a single wholesaler in Florida between August 9th, 2021, and August 24th, 2021.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it. Instead, they should discard it or return it to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions may contact Pier-C Produce at (888) 783-8459, Monday -- Friday, from 8:30 a.m. -- 4 p.m. (ET).

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 46,798,462 (46,707,838)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 759,154 (757,745)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 251,672,962 (251,107,751)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 5,076,863 (5,068,862)‌

FDA recalls test kits over false positives

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recalling nearly 2 million Ellume at-home COVID-19 test kits. The agency said the kits may have a tendency to return “false-positive” results.

The recall is listed as “Class I,” meaning it is the most serious type. The FDA was first informed about the potential defect last month and since then has identified additional lots that may be affected.

The kits are sold over-the-counter and can be administered at home, making them a faster way to test people instead of relying on tests that are administered in a health care setting.

NFL player hospitalized with COVID-19

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer reports that a player on the team is receiving treatment at a hospital for COVID-19. Zimmer declined to name the player but said he had received a vaccination.

Zimmer said the player was taken to the emergency room on Tuesday when he complained of shortness of breath. Describing the situation as “scary,” Zimmer said the player is now in stable condition.

The Vikings are currently dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. Three players were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list today. Two other players were placed on the list on Monday.

Expert: Allergies no reason to avoid the vaccine

In explaining his decision not to get vaccinated, Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he was allergic to the vaccines. But a University of Florida health expert says that’s no reason to avoid the vaccine.

“People with a history of an allergic reaction to a medication, a food, an environmental allergen such as pollen, trees, weeds, dust mites, even those with a history of an allergic reaction to latex or venoms like a bee sting, are very unlikely to have an allergic reaction to one of the COVID-19 vaccines,” said Lyda Cuervo Pardo, M.D., a University of Florida Health allergist and immunologist.

Pardo said the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain eggs, gelatins, preservatives, or latex, some of the things people often worry about when it comes to allergies. “If there’s ever a concern about your candidacy to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the best advice is to see a board-certified allergist and immunologist so they can determine if it’s safe for you,” she said.

Around the nation

• Massachusetts: In a late-night session, the state senate has approved spending $3.8 billion on another round of aid to people who were hit hard by the pandemic. The money is the unspent portion of the state’s share of funds provided through the American Rescue Plan.

• New York: New York is wrestling with another surge in COVID-19 cases.  P.S. 166 in Queens is the second New York City school to switch back to all-remote learning because of a large number of cases. Kids will connect with teachers by video for at least 10 school days.

• Kentucky: State lottery officials say a Floyd County nurse who worked on the front lines during the pandemic retired this week after 36 years on the job. To celebrate, she purchased a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket and won $200,000.

• Florida: The Broward County Sheriff’s Office held a memorial service this week for nine employees who died from the coronavirus since April 2020. Sheriff Gregory Tony said about 1,800 of the department’s employees contracted the virus.

• New Mexico: Acting Department of Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase is urging vaccinated residents to get a booster amid a sharp rise in breakthrough cases. “What we’re learning is people start becoming more likely to get a vaccine breakthrough infection at about five and a half months,” Scrase said. “Immunity does wane, we’re seeing it in our data, and what this means for us is we all need to start getting in line to get a booster.”

Uber’s policies that cover passengers with disabilities has landed the company in hot water with federal officials. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the rideshare company for charging disabled passengers “wait time” fees because they need more than the two minutes that Uber uses as a default to get into a vehicle. 

The lawsuit claims that the policy dates back to April 2016, when the company began charging riders wait times in a number of cities. The DOJ says the extra fee violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires companies to make reasonable modifications in policies and procedures that might deny equal access to individuals with disabilities. 

The department’s lawsuit alleges that Uber starts charging a wait time fee at the two-minute mark even when it’s plain and clear that a passenger’s need for extra time is disability-based.

“Passengers with disabilities may need additional time to enter a car for various reasons. A passenger may, for example, use a wheelchair or walker that needs to be broken down and stored in the car,” the DOJ stated. “Or a passenger who is blind may need additional time to safely walk from the pickup location to the car itself.”

While Uber has yet to comment on the wait time fee allegation directly, it may try to fight back against the DOJ’s accusations. On its website, the company claims that its technology and the transportation provided by drivers “has transformed mobility for many people with disabilities, and we’re committed to continuing to develop technologies that support everyone’s ability to easily move around their communities.”

DOJ demands that Uber change its practices

The DOJ is asking the court to order Uber to stop putting individuals with disabilities at a disadvantage by modifying its wait time fee policy to abide by the ADA. It’s also asking that Uber be required to educate both its staff and its drivers on the ADA, pay money damages to people subjected to the illegal wait time fees, and pay a civil penalty.

The agency left the door open for the suit to apply to “other companies that provide transportation services, but fail to ensure equal access for all people, including those with disabilities.” According to NPR, both Lyft and Uber have been part of similar lawsuits in New York City, Chicago, and other cities. The companies previously claimed that they are exempt from the ADA because they are technology companies and not transportation companies.

The DOJ is asking consumers who believe they have been discriminated against by Uber because of a disability to contact it by phone at 833-591-0425. Consumers can also send an email to Uber.Fee@usdoj.gov to provide information. 

Walmart’s second round of holiday deals is underway and runs through the weekend, offering discounts on a wide range of holiday gifts. The promotion began Wednesday evening at Walmart.com and continues in stores Friday, ending Nov. 14. It’s part of the retailer’s strategy to encourage consumers to shop early.

Some of the deals include:

• Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 for $139, marked down from $219

• Shark EZ Bagless Self-Empty Robot Vacuum, on sale for $288, regularly $499

• Apple AirPods with Charging Case, $89, marked down from$119

• Canon MG2522 Wired All-in-One Printer, $29 

• HP Intel Core i5 Laptop, regularly $499, now $379

• Samsung 60″ Class 4K Smart TV, $548, regularly $850

Other sale items during the weekend promotion include a Shark Cordless PetPRO with Powerfins for $159, marked down from $279; a GoPro Hero8 Black Bundle for $249; and a Blackstone 22-inch Adventure Ready Griddle for $117.

Walmart announced holiday promotion plans last month, breaking its traditional Black Friday sales into three events running throughout November. The third and final event begins on Black Friday weekend.

Walmart + members will get early access to the holiday deals, free shipping with no order minimum on items shipped by Walmart, free delivery from stores, discounts on prescriptions, and access to mobile Scan and Go to make shopping faster. 

Other retailers

Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and other major retailers have also rolled out holiday shopping deals well before Black Friday. The trend began several years ago but is being encouraged this holiday season because of supply chain constraints, which could create shortages closer to Christmas.

Target is offering daily deals that include a mix of products, including specials on toys, furniture, and apparel. Best Buy is offering a series of holiday deals every Monday.

Amazon is currently offering deals on holiday gift items and plans to keep adding products on a daily basis. Current deals include offers on TV sets and wireless headphones.

The board of American Airlines’ pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), has collectively rejected a proposal from the airline that included pay incentives for pilots if they worked peak-period days around the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays. 

The proposal that American offered was 50% additional pay for any flying done on peak period days and for work performed by Check Airmen (CKA), which are aircraft pilots who perform an oversight, safety, and qualification role for commercial pilots undergoing evaluation. Premium flights and CKA overtime days would be paid at 100% overtime pay. 

The union said it considered all aspects of the proposed deal, but it wound up voting 20-0 to reject it. 

“While understanding that its rejection creates a disparity among our fellow work groups that have accepted management’s proffered incentives, the Board concluded that the need to achieve meaningful permanent improvements in a new collective bargaining agreement must remain APA’s focus,” the union said in a statement.

Navigating contract negotiations

The incentive offer comes at a time when many airlines are scrambling to keep up with staffing issues amid a renewed demand in travel brought about by the U.S. lifting international travel restrictions. 

But, for American, it also comes at a time when the airline and its union are in the middle of contract negotiations. The APA says airline management has been dragging its feet for months on proposals it made regarding quality-of-life concerns and sustainable solutions to improve operational integrity.

American disagrees. Despite the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights at the beginning of November and a grievance filed by flight attendants over accommodations between flights, the company thinks it deserves some recognition for its offer. Officials say it would have tripled the pay for flight attendants who fly trips over the holidays and provided $1,000 holiday attendance bonuses to ramp workers and mechanics. 

“We are, of course, disappointed, especially since we have holiday pay programs in place for all other frontline groups at the company,” said Kimball Stone and Chip Long, American’s senior vice presidents of flight operations.

“But we will continue to look for opportunities to work with APA to support you during the holidays, as well as explore our options to maximize availability of existing premiums” under the collective bargaining agreement. The pilots’ contract still allows for the company to assign 150% pay to certain trips when staffing is tight.

A new study conducted by researchers from the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology explored one way that parents may be able to reduce the risk of egg allergies in their children. According to their findings, introducing eggs during infancy and making them a frequent part of kids’ diets may help lower the risk of developing an allergy. 

“Egg allergy is the second most common food allergy throughout the world,” said researcher Dr. Xiaozhong Wen. “Current evidence suggests that early introduction of egg during infancy, followed by consistent and frequent feedings, seems protective against development of egg allergy. We are still investigating optimal timing of infant egg introduction and frequency of feeding.” 

Minimizing risk of allergy

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 2,200 parents enrolled in the Infant Feeding Practice Study II. Parents answered survey questions about when they first introduced eggs to their babies, how often their children were eating eggs, and any type of allergy development through the first six years of life. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that getting infants to eat eggs before their first birthdays was associated with a lower risk of allergies later in childhood. The team found that infants who ate more eggs early in life had an even lower risk of developing an allergy; the opposite was also true -- kids who developed an allergy at one or six years old weren’t eating eggs as often in their first year of life. 

Of the parents who had their infants eat eggs from a young age, the risk of an allergy was under 1% for both one- and six-year-olds. Just 0.5% of parents reported an egg-related allergy within the first year of life, and that percentage only went up to 0.8% by the time the participants were six years old. 

While the researchers plan to do more work in this area to better understand how food allergies impact kids, they hope these findings highlight some of the benefits associated with an early introduction to eggs. 

While several studies have highlighted the health risks associated with alcohol consumption, a new study conducted by researchers from Monash University found that there may be some benefits. According to their findings, moderate drinking may come with some protective health benefits for older consumers. 

“Excess alcohol consumption is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease and a major risk factor for mortality. Yet, prior studies suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events,” the researchers explained.

“However, this evidence is based on data from younger individuals, and confirmation in older adults is lacking. Thus, we sought to investigate the risk of CVD events and all-cause mortality associated with alcohol consumption in initially healthy, older individuals.” 

How alcohol impacts health

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 18,000 older adults enrolled in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study. Participants reported on their daily alcohol consumption, and the researchers followed up with medical exams to determine the long-term health outcomes. 

The researchers divided the participants into five groups depending on how much they drank per week: zero drinks per week, 0-3.5 drinks per week, 3.5-7 drinks per week, 7-10 drinks per week, and more than 10 drinks per week. Most of the participants consumed between 3.5 and seven drinks per week; however, more than 18% drank no alcohol at all. 

In terms of health outcomes, drinking was linked with some protective benefits. Participants who consumed at least 3.5 drinks per week were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than participants who didn’t drink at all. The study also showed that moderate drinkers -- those who had between 3.5 and seven drinks per week -- had a lower overall mortality risk than non-drinkers. 

While these findings point to the protective health benefits linked with moderate drinking, the researchers also noted that none of the participants had any significant health risks, including any history of cardiovascular disease. However, moving forward, they hope to do more work in this area to better understand how alcohol impacts consumers’ health long-term.