Current Events in January 2022

A new study conducted by researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that rural living may pose a risk to consumers’ heart health. Their work showed that consumers who live in rural areas may struggle to get access to medical care for serious cardiovascular issues. 

“Although public health and policy efforts to improve rural health have intensified over the past decade, our findings highlight that large gaps in clinical outcomes for cardiovascular conditions remain in the United States,” said researcher Dr. Rishi K. Wadhera.

“These disparities suggest that rural adults continue to face challenges accessing the care they need for urgent conditions, an issue that has likely been magnified by the rapid rise in rural hospital closures over the last decade.” 

Identifying risks for rural consumers

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than two million consumers on Medicare. All of the participants were over the age of 65 and had been hospitalized with heart issues between 2016 and 2018. 

The researchers identified several concerns with rural health care, but especially with emergency health care in rural areas for cardiovascular patients. For starters, the study showed that mortality rates in rural hospitals were higher than in urban hospitals. The researchers also found that patients are less likely to receive typical procedures given to those having a heart attack or stroke in rural hospitals.

Despite these concerning findings, the study also revealed one positive outcome. 

“One bright spot is that we found that the subgroup of older adults who present to rural hospitals with a very severe type of heart attack – known as ST elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI – experience similar outcomes as their urban counterparts,” Dr. Wadhera said. “This is good news, and suggests that concerted public health initiatives over the past decade, like regional systems of care and transfer protocols, have helped eliminate the rural-urban gap in outcomes for the most emergent type of heart attack.” 

What is different in rural areas? 

The researchers point to several different reasons for disparities in health care for patients in rural areas. They explained that many hospitals in these regions aren’t as well-staffed as hospitals in more populated areas. This can make it difficult for follow-ups, scheduling rehabilitation sessions, or even discharging patients following a cardiovascular issue. 

The researchers also found that rural hospitals aren’t as well-equipped for cardiovascular patients because they may lack the tools and resources necessary to properly treat these serious conditions. Additionally, the team explained that many hospitals in rural areas have closed in recent years. This adds the burden of travel to high-risk patients who require emergency care, which can make it difficult for them to receive treatments in a timely fashion. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings emphasize the need for even stronger public health efforts geared towards emergency medical care in rural areas.  

“Our findings highlight that ongoing public health, policy, and clinical efforts are needed to close the gaps in outcome for urgent cardiovascular conditions, such as heart attacks and stroke,” said researcher Dr. Emefah C. Loccoh. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus explored the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected how teens use and think about social media. Although the pandemic has forced all consumers to be in front of screens more often, the team found that there are healthy ways to be on social media, and not all screen time should be a cause for concern. 

“I know a lot of parents were very worried about, ‘Oh, my gosh, my kid has so much screen time now,’ but what the research was finding is that children being online was not the important thing,” said researcher Jenna Glover, Ph.D. “It was the way they were engaging with being online. 

“For example, we know that active use can be helpful for a child’s mental health, and it certainly was during the pandemic. If you are creating content, like creating YouTube videos, or if you’re gaming with a friend, and talking with them while you’re doing it, you’re doing something active. That’s super helpful. If you’re passively scrolling TikTok or passively viewing YouTube videos for three or four hours, that’s toxic for your mental health.”

Social media is a source of connection

The team analyzed recent studies that looked at children and teens’ social media use and their mental health, including how much time they spend on their phones and how they use different social media platforms. 

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the study was that not all screen time and time spent on social media is problematic for teens’ mental health. In many cases, young people see social media as part of their lives and as a way for them to express themselves and connect with their friends and family. These platforms can be incredibly beneficial, especially during pandemic lockdown orders when in-person connections aren't happening. 

“There was a huge benefit, during the pandemic, to still being able to interact with peers, see family members, and still have those relationships and build those relationships,” Glover said. “There were certainly major benefits of social media that were really helpful for a child’s resiliency.” 

However, social media habits can become problematic when the intention shifts from connecting with others to a more passive approach. The researchers explained that when teens are mindlessly scrolling through apps, there’s no mental health or developmental benefit.

“...With the passive use, you’re not interacting with somebody; you’re not exploring aspects of your identity,” Glover said. “One of the things we compared it to is calories. Not all calories are created equal. There’s good nutrition and there’s bad nutrition, and technology is the same way. That passive use tends to be more like junk food. It fills children up, but there’s nothing helpful or substantive for their growth in it.” 

Making social media part of a healthy life

While the researchers don’t anticipate these screen time or social media habits changing anytime soon, they do encourage parents to talk to their kids about their time online and how it makes them feel. They also explained that rather than putting limits on hours spent on social media, parents should instead consider how their children are spending their time throughout the entirety of the day. 

“If children are sleeping, eating, doing chores and homework, and interacting with peers and family, then the amount of screen time is not that important,” Glover said. “It’s when those things get disrupted that screen time needs to be looked at to see if that’s what’s disrupting those activities. That’s a real shift in the literature. And it’s a shift in our social consciousness that it’s not about hours; it’s more about healthy activities as the foundation and making sure screen time is supporting those things, not taking away from them.” 

Giant Bicycle of Newbury Park, Calif., is recalling about 20,800 model year 2021 Giant and Liv adult bicycles.

The adjustable handlebar stem can become loose, posing fall and injury hazards.

The company has received 86 reports of the bicycle’s handlebar becoming loose, including three reports of riders falling off the bicycle.

This recall involves model year 2021 Giant Cypress DX, Giant Escape 3 Comfort, Liv Flourish FS 1, and Liv Alight 3 Comfort bicycles.

The bikes were sold in metallic black, dark silver, dark red/burgundy, grayish blue, plum, or sage, depending on the model.

Recalled bicycles have a serial number beginning with the letter “P” located on the underside of the bottom bracket of the frame, directly under the crank.

The model name is printed on the top tube. Giant is printed on the down tube of the Cypress DX and Escape 3 Comfort models and Liv is printed on the down tube of the Alight 3 Comfort model. Liv is printed on the chainstay of the Flourish FS 1 model.

The bicycles, manufactured in the Philippines, were sold at authorized Giant Bicycle dealers nationwide and online at www.giant-bicycles.com/us or www.liv-cycling.com/us from October 2020, through October 2021, for between $590 and $690.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bikes and contact Giant Bicycle. Consumers will be instructed to schedule an inspection and free repair at the authorized Giant Bicycles retailer where the consumer purchased the bicycle or any other authorized Giant Bicycle retailer.

Consumers may contact authorized Giant retailers or Giant Bicycle toll-free at (866) 458-2555 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday, by email at Recall@GiantBicycle.com, or online at https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/recall-information, https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/recall-info, www.giant-bicycles.com/us, or www.liv-cycling.com/us. Consumers can click on “Recall Information” at the bottom of the company's webpages for more information.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 311 model year 2014 Transit Connect vehicles with a Panoramic Fixed-Glass Vista roof.

An improper bond may exist between the panoramic roof and the vehicle body, which may result in the panel separating from the vehicle.

Panoramic roof panel separation that happens while the vehicle is in motion can increase the risk of an injury or crash.

What to do

Dealers will remove, clean, and reinstall the panoramic roof panel free of charge.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S35.

Back in December, senior Biden administration officials stated their desire to create a website so that Americans could order free COVID-19 tests. It looks like that goal has now been realized.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday that the website is now open to the public in its "beta phase" ahead of a full rollout on Wednesday.

The early launch is meant to ensure that the site is fully operational so that consumers can use it without any issues. CNN quotes a senior White House official as saying that the site is currently operating at a limited capacity. 

"This is standard practice to address troubleshooting and ensure as smooth of an official launch tomorrow as possible. We expect the website to officially launch mid-morning tomorrow," they stated.

Four free tests 

According to information found on the new website, every U.S. household will be able to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests at no charge. The orders should ship within 7-12 days.

The site also offers other resources for consumers who need COVID-19 tests more quickly than the shipping schedule. It also includes information on insurance reimbursement, free testing sites, and retailers and pharmacies that offer at-home tests.

The new site should provide the Biden administration with an opportunity to help meet its goal of buying 1 billion COVID-19 tests to give to Americans for free. The tests have recently been in short supply due to a spike in new cases related to the Omicron variant. 

Goodwill has reportedly become the victim of a data breach that is directly impacting the users of its ShopGoodwill.com e-commerce platform. 

TechRadar reports that hackers made their way into the company’s platform via an exploitable vulnerability that allowed them access to customer names, phone numbers, email addresses, and postal addresses. The larger unanswered question is how many customers the breach actually affected. 

Goodwill responds

Goodwill stated that it patched the vulnerability that led to the exposure. In a letter sent to customers affected by the hack, company Vice President Ryan Smith said the silver lining in this attack is that no customer financial data was stolen. 

"We were recently alerted to an issue on our website which resulted in the exposure of some of your personal contact information to an unauthorized third party,” Smith said. “No payment card information was exposed; ShopGoodwill does not store payment card information. While the third party accessed buyer contact information, they did not access your ShopGoodwill account."

Still, this is not a good look for the donation-driven company. In 2014, an estimated 868,000 credit and debit cards were compromised when the company’s computer network was infected with malware that gave hackers access to customer credit card data. 

Stolen data could lead to more trouble

Although financial information wasn't included in this hack, that information that was stolen could still lead to future problems for consumers. 

Hackers have been known to use stolen personal information for identity theft, which was on the rise in 2021. They could also combine the information with stolen passwords from other hacks in password spraying attacks to compromise other important accounts. 

For more information on identity theft trends and statistics, check out ConsumerAffairs' guide here.

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 66,457,054 (65,700,210)

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 851,732 (850,601)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 331,313,694 (328,350,251)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 5,548,119 (5,540,981)‌

Loss of smell could be genetic, scientists say

Scientists are closing in on the reason why some people infected with COVID-19 lose their ability to smell. They think they have found a genetic reason that explains why some patients are affected that way and others aren’t.

A study published this week in the journal Nature Genetics found a genetic risk factor associated with the loss of smell after a coronavirus infection. Scientists say the discovery brings researchers closer to understanding the pattern and could possibly lead to effective treatments. 

Researchers estimate that as many as 1.6 million Americans are unable to smell six months after contracting the virus. The precise cause of sensory loss, however, is still a mystery.

Study finds COVID-19 brain damage similar to Alzheimer's

Older COVID-19 patients may face added risk from the virus. A new study finds that older patients can suffer brain damage that is more extensive than what is caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine found higher levels of seven markers of brain damage in patients with COVID-19 with neurological symptoms than those without them. The excess markers are also found in the blood of patients who died in the hospital rather than in those discharged and sent home.

The study found 251 people who had no record or symptoms of cognitive decline or dementia before being hospitalized for COVID-19. Those with higher levels of the seven markets were more likely to die from the virus.

CDC director makes some COVID-19 course corrections

The Biden administration’s policies to handle the coronavirus pandemic have been called into question lately, culminating in the Supreme Court’s rejection of the vaccination mandate for private businesses. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is hitting the reset button.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Walensky said the pandemic has made twists and turns that have kept medical experts off balance. She says she should have said from the beginning that there is a lot about the disease that she and other experts just don’t know.

“I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations,” Walensky said. 

Around the nation

• Arizona: Two major hospital systems in Southern Arizona will allow employees to work, even if they test positive for COVID-19. Both Banner Health and Tucson Medical Center said they are following guidance from the CDC. “Team members who return under these guidelines will be required to wear N95/KN95 masks for 10 days after a positive test,” Banner Health said in a statement

• Maryland: After battling a surge in cases of the Omicron variant for weeks, state officials say COVID-19 numbers have begun moving lower. Even though the seven-day rate of cases is still well above the target range of 5%, it is sharply lower from Jan. 10’s average of 27.98%.

• Massachusetts: Hospitals across the state had already postponed most elective surgeries because of COVID-19. Now they are including many non-elective operations. "We are deferring surgeries for what we consider to be benign tumors or masses. But some of those of course turn out to be cancer," Dr. Ron Walls, COO of Mass. General Brigham, told ABC News.

• California: The state’s new COVID-19 workplace rules have taken effect. In the event of an outbreak, the rules require employers to make FDA-approved COVID-19 tests available to all exposed employees at no cost, during work hours.

• Colorado: Emergency room (ER) doctors are appealing to Gov. Jared Polis for help in handling the influence of COVID-19 patients arriving daily at the ER. The leaders of the Colorado chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians say ERs are trying to deal with a greater number of patients but lack the staffing and resources to do so.

Over the last few weeks, airlines have been forced to deal with cancellations brought on by pandemic-stricken workers and weather conditions. Now, they’re facing a completely different specter – one brought on by a new 5G service set to be launched this week by AT&T and Verizon.

Airlines first waved the red flag on the issue in December, moving AT&T and Verizon to agree to hold off on 5G deployment until January 20 to help prevent problems within the aviation industry. Now that the launch’s reset is nearing the eleventh hour, major U.S. airlines are doing all they can to bring about another pause.

On Monday, the chief executives of several major U.S. airlines – including American, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, and United – publicly cautioned that the "vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially be grounded" if the new 5G technology is permitted to begin.

United Airlines separately raised a concern that the issue could affect more than 15,000 of its flights, more than a million passengers, and knot up tons of cargo annually.

FAA agrees with airline officials

Those executives were speaking to the choir at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency agreed that interference from the 5G rollout could possibly have an impact on flying in low-visibility situations, not to mention affect vital airplane instruments like altimeters. 

“This means that on a day like yesterday, more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subjected to cancellations, diversions or delays,” the agency warned. However, it tried to mollify the airlines by saying that it "will continue to ensure that the traveling public is safe as wireless companies deploy 5G.”

The agency said it continues to work with both the aviation industry and wireless companies to try to find a solution in which 5G-related flight delays and cancellations would be limited.

The impact could also impact deliveries

Shipping giants UPS and FedEx are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their airline industry brethren on this issue.

"The ripple effects across both passenger and cargo operations, our workforce and the broader economy are simply incalculable,” the carriers said in a letter. “To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt.”

If Wednesday comes and there’s no resolution, consumers and businesses could also be affected. "Immediate intervention is needed to avoid significant operational disruption to air passengers, shippers, supply chain and delivery of needed medical supplies," UPS and FedEx officials concluded.

If you’re a homeowner, you may have recently received some unsolicited offers from total strangers who say they’ll buy your house, sight-unseen, for cash.

The housing market is red-hot, with median home prices at record highs, so why would any homeowner respond to such an appeal? 

Josh Stech, CEO and founder of Sundae, a company that facilitates home sales to investors without using a broker, said these solicitations are targeting a certain type of homeowner – one who is desperate.

“The industry is partly fueled by a cottage industry of real estate gurus who make money offering to teach people how to find and prey on ‘desperate’ sellers,” Stech said in an interview with ConsumerAffairs. “While I won’t name names, I can confirm that wholesalers will use a number of well-honed predatory practices such as the bait and switch tactic.”

Middlemen for investors

Stech says many operators don’t really buy the home at all, but rather are “wholesalers” who act as a middleman for an investor. They persuade the homeowners to agree to a below-market price, citing needed repairs, and then find a way to reduce that price even more.

“They’ve also been known to use phony inspections and legal threats to lock in the seller at a price far below what the house is worth,” Stech said. “Once they have done all they can to secure the home at the lowest possible price, they then turn around and sell the house to an investor and pocket the spread as their ‘assignment fee’ without ever purchasing the home or putting up any money to make repairs.”

Stech says the wholesaler’s profit comes at the expense of the homeowner, who loses a significant amount of their equity.

“In some cases, an offer can be $70,000 below what the home is really worth,” he said. “That is a lot of money to a person who may have fallen on hard times and needs to sell their home.”

Homeowners have options

The problem many homeowners face is a lack of money to make the repairs and improvements needed to sell the property at its market value. If significant repairs are required, the property might not pass a mortgage inspection and must sell for cash. Cash buyers typically offer well below market value.

Stech says his company can provide an alternative by putting a homeowner in touch with a number of investors who purchase “as-is” properties. The difference, he says, is his company provides a platform where buyers must compete with one another.

“Sundae serves as an advocate to ensure the seller gets the best price,” Stech said.

There are other alternatives as well. A homeowner may apply for a home equity loan to make the repairs, then list the home for sale with a real estate broker. 

While they may be more likely to get closer to the market value, there are costs involved. There are usually closing costs for the home equity loan, and a typical brokerage fee is 6% of the sale price.

Since the start of the pandemic, steaming videos at home has become increasingly popular. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, the cost of streaming is going up.

Netflix has announced a price increase for all packages in the U.S., the sixth since 2014. The price hikes will be phased in over the next few weeks for existing subscribers, but they are going into effect immediately for new customers.

The basic plan, which allows for viewing on one device at a time, is going up by $1 to $9.99 a month. The standard plan, which provides HD streaming on two devices at once, is going up from $13.99 per month to $15.49.

The premium plan, which gives subscribers the capability to view in 4K quality is also going up by $2 a month, pushing the price to $19.99 – on par with some premium cable channels.

Unhappy customer

Michael, of Arcadia, Calif., may balk at the increase. In a ConsumerAffairs review of Netflix last month, Michael said he had the basic plan, not realizing he would be required to pay more to steam in 4K

“I Googled it today and found out that because we're on the basic plan we only get the SD (standard definition) quality I mentioned above,” Michael wrote in the review. “If we want better-looking movies on our TV then we have to pay for it by upgrading to Standard for full HD (1080p) for $13.99 or Premium for 4k quality for the cost of $17.99.”

Of course, those charges were in effect last month. Now it’s $2 a month more.

“I never heard of such a thing and we're not willing to pay more to get the high quality we should be getting,” Michael concluded.

Investing in content

Netflix says the higher prices are necessary to pay for its investment in programming. In a statement to Deadline, Netflix said the company realizes that consumers have lots of viewing options and that it must compete on quality, not just price.

 “We’re updating our prices so that we can continue to offer a wide variety of quality entertainment options,” a company spokesman said. “As always we offer a range of plans so members can pick a price that works for their budget.”

A new study conducted by researchers from NASA explored the most recent trends in warm weather patterns. Their work showed that 2021 came in as tied for the sixth warmest year on record since 1880. The report also showed that the last eight years have all been record-high years in terms of temperature. 

“Science leaves no room for doubt: climate change is the existential threat of our time,” said researcher Bill Nelson. “Eight of the top 10 warmest years on our planet occurred in the last decade, an indisputable fact that underscores the need for bold action to safeguard the future of our country – and all of humanity. NASA’s scientific research about how the Earth is changing and getting warmer will guide communities throughout the world, helping humanity confront climate and mitigate its devastating effects.” 

Understanding weather patterns

NASA has several different methods for recording the global temperature throughout the year, including ships and weather stations. NASA then confirms those readings with data from the organization’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), and they compare the final readings with temperatures from 1950-1980, which serve as the baseline. 

This work showed that 2021 was tied with 2018 for the sixth warmest year since 1880. The planet was nearly two degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was during the 1800s, as well as 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average. Overall, the data shows that our planet is continuing to get warmer. 

A separate analysis from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produced identical results. The NOAA uses 1901-2000 as their baseline period for determining temperature averages, and their work confirmed that 2021 was the sixth warmest year on record.  

“The complexity of the various analyses doesn’t matter because the signals are so strong,” said researcher Gavin Schmidt. “The trends are all the same because the trends are so large.” 

What contributes to rising temperatures? 

Though the yearly global temperature is affected by several factors, the researchers say the climate patterns in the Pacific – which include La Nina and El Nino patterns – play a role in the weather we experience. This year, they credit the La Nina pattern for making things not as warm as they might have been. They explained that this weather cycle may have lowered the global temperature by 0.06 degrees Fahrenheit. 

However, it’s also important to consider the factors that contribute to the rising global temperatures. Increases in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide levels are primarily the culprits for these increases that are felt worldwide. 

As the global temperature continues to increase, and these yearly reports reflect similar trends, the researchers hope their findings emphasize the impact that climate change is having on the world. 

Nissan North America is recalling 425 model year 2022 Frontiers.

The seat belt bracket mounting bolts on the left-rear seat may have been incorrectly tightened.

A loose seat belt bracket may break in a crash, causing a loss of seat belt restraint and increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Dealers will replace the bolts on the left-rear seat and repair any damaged threads -- as necessary -- free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 27, 2022.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at (800) 867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC856.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 839 model year 2021 Rangers and Broncos.

The cruise control radar module was misaligned during production.

A misaligned radar module may prevent the vehicle from maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles when adaptive cruise control is active.

In addition, the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system may react slowly, or not react at all, during a pre-collision assist braking event.

Any of these conditions can increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will adjust the angle of the cruise control radar module free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on February 7, 2022.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S52.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants consumers to know that COVID-19 test kits are in such short supply that scammers are jumping in the fray to “help” with shortages. Fraudsters are going as far as creating fake COVID-19 testing sites to market fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits. Complicating matters, the FTC says, is that those fake websites are so authentic-looking that they’re hard to spot. 

“They look real, with legitimate-looking signs, tents, hazmat suits, and realistic-looking tests,” said Ari Lazarus, a consumer education specialist with the FTC. “And the damage these fake testing sites can cause is very real.”

The scammers are luring in victims by hawking “free” test kits, but what they’re really after is personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card information, and other health data. All of that information can be leveraged for identity theft or to run up a person’s credit card bill. 

“Worst of all, they’re not giving people the help they need to stay healthy,” Lazarus said.

What to be on the lookout for

The FTC cautions consumers that there are four things to keep in mind when looking into testing sites. Here are the things the agency says to do:

Get a referral. Instead of trying to figure out whether a site is legitimate on your own, the FTC suggests that you go somewhere you have been referred to by your doctor or state or local health department. In short, don’t trust a random testing site you stumble upon while online.

Check the source. Did you hear about a new testing site on a neighborhood social media group or email listserv? That “neighbor” could actually be a scammer. See if the site is also listed on your state or local health department’s website.

Check with officials to see if a site is legitimate. Again, rather than going it alone and playing detective, the FTC says to check with your local police or sheriff’s office to find out if a testing site is legitimate. If the authorities determine that a testing site is fake, they can make an effort to shut it down and keep others from getting conned. 

Dispute scam charges. If you think that you may have already been scammed and shared your credit card information, the FTC says to get in front of the situation by disputing the charge.

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 64,084,673 (63,232,336)

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 846,506 (844,631)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 320,852,830 (317,485,959)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 5,523,313 (5,516,175)‌

Supreme Court blocks mandate for businesses

The U.S. Supreme Court, on a six to three vote, has blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 mandate for private businesses. Known as “vaccine-or-testing rules,” the mandate required large employers to vaccinate employees or test unvaccinated employees on a regular basis.

At the same time, the justices did allow the administration to require vaccinations for health care workers if their facilities accept Medicare and Medicaid. That edict covers an estimated 10 million employees.

The court’s majority ruled that the Biden administration probably did not have the unilateral power to impose a mandate that employers ensure their workers were vaccinated or tested every week for COVID-19. Biden celebrated the partial victory, declaring that the mandate for health care workers will save lives.

Some pharmacies closing on weekends

If you need a prescription filled, you might have to wait until Monday. Some pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens, are reportedly closing on weekends because of COVID-19 induced staff shortages.

"It's been bad before, but right now there's pharmacies closing because everybody in the pharmacy's got COVID," Gallipot Pharmacy pharmacist Mark Villines told KTEN-TV in Denison, Texas.

CVS said a few of its 10,000 stores are curtailing hours, including closing on either a Saturday or Sunday, to maintain efficient operations due to illness among staff.

Polish scientists find genetic link to COVID-19 deaths

Why do some people have mild or no COVID-19 symptoms while others die? Polish scientists report that their findings point to a genetic link.

Researchers at the Medical University of Bialystok estimate that the gene could be present in about 14% of the Polish population. They say the presence of the gene is the fourth most important factor when it comes to determining the severity of the illness after age, weight, and gender.

Marcin Moniuszko, a professor in charge of the study, suggests a genetic test "may help to better identify people who, in the event of an infection, may be at risk of an acute disease, even before the infection develops." 

Around the nation

• Texas: Officials in Austin-Travis County have issued new orders for businesses. The orders authorize businesses to impose health and safety requirements, provide notice of the protections that are being provided, and display signs requiring customers to wear masks.

• Ohio: State Attorney General Dave Yost is defending his lawsuit that resulted in the Supreme Court’s overturning of President Biden’s vaccination mandate for private businesses. Yost said it wasn’t about whether vaccines work or if a mandate is a good idea, but that a mandate must be enacted by Congress, not an agency or the Biden administration.

• Connecticut: With hospitals throughout the state loaded with COVID-19 patients, the  Connecticut Department of Public Health is asking skilled nursing facilities, long-term care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and home health agencies to accept hospital transfer patients with COVID-19. 

• Michigan: Michigan is dealing with a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has stopped short of implementing stringent mitigation measures, as she did early in the pandemic. She said those measures aren’t necessary now because vaccines are readily available.

• Arkansas: Schools across the state are dealing with a rising number of COVID-19 cases among students. The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) reported Thursday that 97% of the state’s school districts have 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period. 

The White House has announced that America’s crumbling roads and bridges are up next in its infrastructure agenda. The Biden team says its Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will not only rebuild deteriorating roads and bridges, but it will also replace lead pipes and improve the quality of the internet to “every family in America.”

If the administration’s recipe goes according to plan, the offshoot of the infrastructure improvements will create good-paying jobs and bolster the country’s manufacturing and supply chains. However, the plan doesn’t stop there. The White House also pledged that 40% of its investment in climate and clean energy will directly benefit disadvantaged communities.

“With over 44,000 bridges in poor condition around our country, today’s announcement of $27.5 billion in long-overdue funding is great news for rural and urban communities alike,” Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said in a statement emailed to ConsumerAffairs. 

“These investments will create good-paying jobs in all 50 states, DC, and the territories. Bridges connect communities and are critical to everyday life—helping Americans get to work, visit family, or explore our great country. Thanks to President Biden and Congressional Democrats, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for the American people and helping ensure they succeed in the 21st century economy.”

Clean energy, cheaper internet, and more

Here’s a quick look at what the White House hopes can be completed in its plan:

Bridge repair: The government is investing $27 billion over the next five years in funding to replace, repair, and rehabilitate bridges across the country to all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Tribal governments.

EV charging action plan: On top of what General Motors and others are doing to spread the availability of charging stations for electric vehicles, the President’s new goal is to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers.

Clean energy: Biden said the Department of Energy is establishing a new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which will oversee $20 billion in funding to scale up clean energy, create new, good-paying jobs for American families and workers, and reduce pollution.

Clean water: Also in the works is a lead pipe and paint action plan to replace all of the nation’s lead pipes in the next decade while expanding access to clean drinking water.

Cheaper and wider internet: President Biden's infrastructure law includes what he terms a historic investment of $65 billion that should help close the digital divide and “ensure that all Americans have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is coming to the table with its own plan to provide broadband subsidies of up to $30/month for low-income households and up to $100 towards the purchase of a computer.

The cost of living is rising with increasing speed. This week, the Labor Department reported that consumer prices in December were 7% higher than the year before, led by energy, food, and automobiles.

But an analysis of ConsumerAffairs reviews shows that consumers are feeling the pinch just about everywhere. Even when they are satisfied with a company’s service, they can’t resist noting that costs aren’t what they used to be.

“Customer service is great,” Scott, from California, wrote in a review of Orkin. “Scheduling is an A also and it's done on the computer. But Orkin should be aware of fixed income customers and not go raising prices above the inflation rate. Other than that, they're excellent and they do the job.”

Kathryn, of Riverside, Calif., tells us she has noticed that even the cost of insurance for her pet has gone up in recent months.

“We chose Prudent Pet because it was affordable and covers possible hereditary conditions that a lot of other companies don’t cover,” Kathryn wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “The only complaint I have is that our premium jumped up and is about $20 MORE a month than it was last year, and our dog is not even two years old yet nor has he had any major health issues to cause such a big premium jump. It’s still more affordable than other companies I’ve looked into.”

A big increase since 2008

Michalina, of Clinton, Conn., has noticed a big change since she remodeled her bathroom in 2008. Granted, that was a long time ago, but inflation was practically non-existent during much of that time. 

“The crew was professional, considerate, and truly experts in this craft,” Michalina wrote in a review of Bath Fitter. “The price, however, was surprisingly steep given the amount of work and compared to 2008.”

Despite the price, Michalina gave Bath Fitter a 5-star review. Joe, of Rochester, N.Y., was also favorably impressed with Endurance Auto Warranty – except for the cost.

“The plans were a little pricey, especially for people that are on fixed incomes,” Joe told ConsumerAffairs. “I realized that it’s inflation time, but even so, for some people that need their vehicles, the prices are a little high.”

Difficult for consumers on fixed-incomes

So far, inflation doesn’t seem to have stopped consumers from spending. However, economists are concerned that conditions could change if prices continue to climb. And the latest evidence suggests that they will.

On the heels of the increase in consumer prices, the Labor Department reported this week that producer prices – a measure of costs at the wholesale level – were also higher in December, rising 0.2%.

The cost of services – things like pet insurance, pest control, and auto warranties – rose even faster, gaining 0.5%.

While many studies have reported on the negative ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected young people, a new study conducted by the University of Zurich found some positive results. Their work showed that school closures related to the pandemic gave teens the opportunity to sleep more and improve their general health and well-being. 

“Although the lockdown clearly led to worse health and well-being for many young people, our findings reveal an upside of the school closures which has received little attention until now,” said Jenni. 

Sleep is important for teens’ well-being

The researchers surveyed over 3,600 high school students during the COVID-19 lockdown and compared those results with similar surveys from over 5,300 high school students in 2017. The participants answered questions about their sleep habits, general well-being, mental health, and dietary patterns. 

Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from the study is that the students reported sleeping significantly more during the week while on lockdown. Attending virtual school allowed the kids to sleep an hour and a half longer during the week on average, but they were still going to bed around the same time that they normally did on school nights. Overall, this translated to more sleep each night. 

“The students got about 75 minutes more sleep per day during the lockdown,” said Jenni “At the same time, their health-related quality of life improved significantly and their consumption of alcohol and their consumption of alcohol and caffeine went down.” 

The researchers believe that finding ways for teens to get more sleep during the week should be emphasized moving forward. The team’s findings highlighted the ways that getting just an hour more of sleep benefited teens’ general wellness. By giving kids the chance to sleep later with a later school start time, it may improve their mental health and their overall performance in school. 

“Our findings clearly indicate the benefit of starting school later in the morning so that youngsters can get more sleep,” Jenni said.