Vaccine distribution

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The Biden administration’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees has once again been blocked in court—at least for now—as a federal appeals court ruled Monday it will rehear the case and threw out its previous decision that upheld the vaccine requirement. Key Facts The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the vaccine mandate in April, after a district court judge blocked the requirement in January, siding with the anti-vaccine organizations and federal employees who brought a lawsuit challenging it. The court accepted a request Monday from the challengers to rehear the case en banc, which means that the court will issue a judgment from all the judges on the appeals court, rather than a panel of a few judges, as was the case with the April ruling. Because they’re rehearing the case, the court dissolved its ruling from April, which means the district judge’s ruling blocking … [Read more...] about Biden Vaccine Mandate For Federal Employees Blocked Again As Appeals Court Dissolves Earlier Ruling

SOCIAL DISTANCING Residents queue to receive their second dose of AstraZeneca at a vaccination site inside a mall in Parañaque City. — RICHARD A. REYES MANILA, Philippines — The government will start vaccinating frontline workers on Monday. There are an estimated 35.5 million workers in the identified “essential” sectors. “There will be a ceremonial rollout of vaccination for the A4 group,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Sunday, using the designation for vaccine priority workers. “It is crucial that we already start vaccinating them as they are our economic front-liners,” he added. The official vaccination drive began on March 1 among health workers (A1), then the elderly (A2) and adults with existing illnesses (A3). Official figures showed 1.4 million out of the 1.55 million health workers have received at least their first dose. On the other hand, only 1.3 million out of the 9.4 million elderly and 1.1 million out of the 14.5 million adults with medical … [Read more...] about Gov’t starts vaccination of frontline workers

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Maternal deaths soared during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly among Black and Hispanic women, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open on Tuesday, underscoring the vast inequalities that worsened during the crisis and the unique health issues the virus posed to pregnant people. Key Facts The number of maternal deaths in the U.S. jumped by a third (33%) after March 2020— roughly the start of the Covid-19 pandemic—compared to the two years before, according to an analysis of data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This disproportionately affected Black and Hispanic women, the researchers found, where deaths respectively increased by 40% and 74%. In the same time period, maternal deaths among white women increased by 17%. Health records that acknowledged “indirect causes” as an underlying cause of death jumped by 57% during the time period, the researchers … [Read more...] about Maternal Death Rates Soared During Pandemic—Especially Among Black And Hispanic Women, Study Finds

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Looking ahead to the July 4 holiday weekend, travelers will face daunting flight cancelations and delays. How do we know? During the Juneteenth and Father’s Day holiday weekend, more than 14,000 US domestic flights were canceled due to staffing shortages. And it’s not an isolated incident: Over Memorial Day weekend, airlines canceled over 7,000 flights. The turmoil will continue. Delta announced that it will downsize its schedule by 100 flights a day between July and August. The culprit? A mix of weather, air traffic control staffing, and COVID-related absenteeism : “Increased COVID case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups.” Other parts of the airline ecosystem have suffered, too; just two weeks after the end of mask mandates, the number of TSA employees contracting COVID increased by 50% . In effect, airlines face both indirect and direct staffing shortages from … [Read more...] about Airline Flight Delays Have An Underpublicized Cause: Covid-Related Absenteeism

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin During pregnancy, a mother’s body suppresses parts of the immune system to help tolerate the growing fetus. This means pregnant women are at an especially high risk of contracting disease, including Covid-19. The risk they face is two-fold: first, towards their own health, and second, towards the health of their unborn child. Still, not much is known about the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy. In a previous article , I summarized some of the key findings thus far. Since then, two new studies have been published, offering additional insights into the dangers of Covid-19 exposure during pregnancy. The first findings come from researchers at the University College London. Their work suggests that mothers who catch Covid-19 during their first trimester are more likely to have an early miscarriage. The second study , led by a group at Harvard Medical School, found that infants born to mothers who had Covid-19 … [Read more...] about Covid-19 During Pregnancy: Increased Risk Of Preterm Delivery And Infant Neurodevelopmental Issues

- A + A SINGAPORE (June 28): When Canadian expat Michelle went to renew the lease on her three-story house in Singapore in May, her landlord wanted to raise the rent by almost 40%. Michelle tried to negotiate but the owner wouldn’t budge on the S$10,000 (US$7,200) a month asking price. She’s moving her family into a three-bedroom apartment next month. “I took what I could get,” said Michelle, who asked not to use her full name on concern it may impact her business in the city-state. There’s “a lot of greed at the moment.” Rents are skyrocketing in Singapore, particularly in the prime accommodation favored by expatriate residents, as surging demand from locals and newer arrivals collides with pandemic-induced delays in supply. Rental prices for the private properties leased by expats are rising on average by 20% to 40%, according to 10 real estate agents interviewed by Bloomberg , though some landlords are even asking for double the previous rent. The island’s … [Read more...] about Singapore’s surging rents shock expats and encourage scammers

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022. - A + A THE share price of DRB-Hicom Bhd has been on a downward trend since December 2020, when the shortage of semiconductors became apparent the world over. Last Friday, DRB-Hicom was trading at RM1.16 — its lowest since March 23, 2020. This means DRB-Hicom is now trading at the level when stocks tumbled in reaction to the first Movement Control Order (MCO), which was implemented in March 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19. This is in contrast to other automotive or automotive-based groups listed on Bursa Malaysia. For example, Bermaz Auto Bhd is trading at more than double the level on March 23, 2020, and MBM Resources Bhd is 38% higher than at the start of the pandemic. Shares in Sime Darby Bhd, which is also a conglomerate like DRB-Hicom, were up 43.5% last Friday compared with March 23, 2020. UMW Holdings Bhd, another conglomerate with a huge automotive … [Read more...] about At an almost two-year low, DRB-Hicom is still demonstrating upside uncertainty

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 28): AMMB Holdings Bhd’s 51%-owned subsidiary AmGeneral Holdings Bhd (AGHB) has obtained approval from the Minister of Finance (MoF) for the sale of its 100% stake in AmGeneral Insurance Bhd (AGIB) to Liberty Insurance Bhd (LIB). AGHB had on July 19 last year inked an implementation agreement with LIB for the disposal of AGIB at a price tag of RM2.29 billion (subject to adjustment), to be satisfied via cash and a 30% stake in LIB. “AGIB is currently 51%-owned by AMMB and 49%-owned by Insurance Australia Group (IAG). Upon completion of the deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, LIB will acquire 100% of AGIB’s shares, while AMMB will receive its share of the sale proceeds in the form of cash and consideration shares. As a result, AMMB will hold a 30% interest in the businesses of AGIB and LIB,” AMMB’s statement said. Following the approval from MoF for the sale of AGIB to LIB, AMMB anticipates signing the sale and purchase … [Read more...] about AMMB unit secures MoF approval for stake sale of AmGeneral Insurance to Liberty Insurance

THE Covid-19 pandemic “marathon” is not over, even if we wish it to be. Many seem to have a relaxed outlook already, with a drop in mask usage and increased unprotected social gatherings. We have lost all momentum to fix indoor ventilation significantly and vaccination of young children has sadly faltered. Communication by health authorities has been limited to current emerging data and science on our Covid-19 risks. While we work to restart the economy, restore our children’s education loss and support those who have lost jobs or are having food security issues, we must remain mindful of the situation. I would like to briefly summarise current understanding from research and data on Covid-19 and highlight the three pandemics that are occurring. Note: I have not referenced many studies in this letter to facilitate reading. But the comments made are all based on current available data from reliable sources. First pandemic: Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic continues to evolve. … [Read more...] about Three pandemics – The worrying long-term effects of Covid-19

This Friday, July 1, there will be an official declaration that Thailand is now in “post pandemic” mode. Here’s an overview of the current situation and what to expect. The word endemic is being avoided as Thai officials believe it will be up to the World Health Organisation to make that call. According to the Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrajit, “What we expect to see is only small or medium clusters that will not do any harm to our public health service. The disease will be under control.” He commented on the international concerns over two new Covid-19 sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, noting that infections had already been detected in Thailand but, at this stage, had not led to an increase in the number of serious cases being admitted to hospitals. On the tourist side of the pandemic, deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul announced that the International Air Transport Association is predicting that foreign visitors to … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Post pandemic Thailand – What to expect