Category: Uncategorized

Daily Briefing – 294

NYS Vaccine Update – All State Mass Sites To Accept Walk-ins Starting Today 4/29

Today, April 29, all New York State mass vaccination sites will be Open to eligible New Yorkers for walk-in vaccination on a first come first serve basis for all. The walk-in appointments are reserved for first doses only with second doses to be scheduled automatically after administration of the initial shot. Additionally, all vaccine providers are encouraged to likewise allow walk-in appointments and for eligible New Yorkers.

As of Tuesday morning 8,994,649 (plus 86,491 from a day earlier) New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose and 6,497,373 are fully vaccinated (Plus 134,489).  In the Hudson Valley 957,281 (plus 8,924) have at least one dose and 664,778 (plus 13,925) are fully vaccinated. 

• Read the press release
• Visit the vaccine tracker site
• Make an appointment – visit the am I eligible site

NYS COVID Update – Bar Curfew to End in May

Governor Cuomo announced yesterday that the 12 a.m. food and beverage service curfew will be lifted for outdoor dining areas beginning May 17 and for indoor dining areas beginning May 31.

The Governor  updated COVID data through Tuesday April 27th.  There were 32 COVID related deaths for a total of 41,910 Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

Hospitalizations

• Patients Currently in Hospital statewide: 3,117
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 321

ICU Beds In Use (All Uses)

• Occupied ICU Beds Statewide: 4,127
• Occupied ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 396

Seven Day Average Positivity Rate:

• Statewide 2.02%
• Mid-Hudson: 2.28%

Useful Websites:

• Read the press release
• See the School Districts Dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site

US Vaccine Rollout – Majority of States Have Half of Adults Vaccinated

The United States is reporting an average of 2.7 million daily Covid-19 vaccinations over the past week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about equivalent to levels one month ago. Daily reported vaccinations peaked at 3.4 million on April 13.

More than 40% of Americans have received at least one shot, and that figure is roughly 54% for those age 18 and older. Half of the adults are at least partially vaccinated in a majority of states.

Read More at CNBC

Moderna is Working Toward a Single Shot for Both COVID and Flu Protection

Come for the COVID immunization. Stay for protection against the seasonal flu. That’s the goal that Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel has set out for his company, one of the pioneering developers of effective COVID vaccines, which he shared during a discussion at Fortune’s 2021 virtual Brainstorm Health conference on Tuesday.

Bancel said the company hopes to use its messenger RNA (mRNA)-based technology, which can be more adaptable to changing viral strains, to knock out several pathogenic birds with one stone.

Read more at Fortune

At-Home Covid-19 Tests Might Cost Too Much for Regular Use

Many health authorities have been looking forward to the introduction of the fast-acting tests, which people could take at home to see if they are infected. The paper-strip tests also could help curb the spread of the coronavirus, supporters say, if people used them a few times a week.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently cleared over-the-counter sales of two of these rapid at-home screening tests, one from Abbott Laboratories and another from Quidel Corp. Yet it appears the tests will cost consumers at least $20 for a pack of two, which health experts say is probably too pricey for frequent use.

Read more at the WSJ

Fed Holds Interest Rates Near Zero, Sees Faster Growth and Higher Inflation

As expected, the U.S. central bank decided to keep short-term interest rates anchored near zero as it buys at least $120 billion of bonds each month. The latter part of policy is a two-pronged effort to support an economy that grew strongly to start 2021 as well as to support market functioning at a time when 30-year mortgages still go for around 3%.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the recovery is “uneven and far from complete.” While he noted that inflation pressures could rise in the coming months, these “one-time increases in prices are likely to only have transitory effects on inflation.” Powell added that it’s still not time to talk about reducing policy accommodation, including the asset purchases.

Read more at CNBC

U.S. Consumer Confidence Reaches to 14-Month High

U.S. consumer confidence jumped to a 14-month high in April as increased vaccinations against COVID-19 and additional fiscal stimulus allowed for more services businesses to reopen, boosting demand and hiring by companies.

The upbeat survey from the Conference Board on Tuesday, which also showed a strong increase in vacation plans, suggested the economy continued to power ahead early in the second quarter after what appears to have been robust growth in the first three months of the year, believed by many economists to have been the second strongest since 2003. Growth this year is expected to be the best in nearly four decades.

Read more at Reuters

EEOC Sets July Deadline for EEO-1

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that qualifying employers must submit EEO-1 Component 1 data for 2019 and 2020 starting on April 26 with a deadline of July 19. In 2020, the commission decided to postpone collection of 2019 data to this year because of the massive disruptions to the economy that resulted from the Coronavirus pandemic.

The EEO-1, Component 1 form collects workforce data from employers with 100 or more employees and federal contractors with 50 or more employees. These employers are expected to submit demographic information about the race, gender and the ethnicity of members of their workforce, broken down by job category.

Read more at EHS Today

Executive Order on Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors Issued

Jackson Lewis reports that on April 27, 2021 President Biden issued an Executive Order directing the minimum wage for certain federal contractors be increased to $15 per hour.  The Executive Order on Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors states that the minimum wage for certain hourly workers be increased to $15 per hour beginning January 30, 2022.  The Executive Order also dictates that wages for tipped workers be increased to $10.50 per hour, beginning January 30, 2022.

Pursuant to the Executive Order, the Secretary of Labor, “shall, consistent with applicable law, issue regulations by November 24, 2021, to implement the requirements of this order.” As such, we will need to await the regulations before have the full understanding of applicability and implementing obligations.

Read more at Jackson Lewis

Brexit Trade Deal Gets a Final OK From E.U. Parliament

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed the post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European Union, clearing the last hurdle towards its ratification, while expressing clear mistrust of the British government.

EU lawmakers cleared the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) by 660 votes to five, with 32 abstentions, the parliament announced on Wednesday, a day after the vote. Parliament’s consent brings to an end over four years of acrimonious negotiations and debate as Britain ended 47 years of EU membership, but mistrust lingers.

Read more at Reuters

Boeing Posts its Sixth Quarterly Loss in a Row

In its first-quarter 2021 earnings, the aerospace manufacturer revealed a net loss of $561 million or $0.92 per share, its sixth consecutive quarterly loss. Boeing’s loss from operations was $83 million, its operating margin was -0.5%, and its operating cash flow was negative $3.4 billion.

According to Boeing, the loss was mainly driven by lower deliveries of the company’s 787 jet, partially offset by more deliveries of the company’s 737. The company delivered 77 planes in the first quarter for $4.3 billion in revenue, but lost $856 million in operating costs to deliver an operating margin of -20.1%.

Read more at IndustryWeek

Daily Briefing – 270

COVID Update 

Governor Cuomo issued a press release yesterday morning providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Monday March 22nd. 

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

Hospitalizations

• Patients Currently in Hospital statewide: 4,641
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 551

ICU Beds In Use (All Uses)

• Occupied ICU Beds Statewide: 4,242
• Occupied ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 415

Other Data

• Statewide Positivity Rate: 3.34%
• Mid-Hudson Positivity Rate: 4.76%

Useful Websites:

• Read the press release
• See the School Districts Dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site

Cuomo: Budget Might Be Late, “Significant” Tax Hikes Not Needed

Governor Cuomo’s administration on Monday signaled there isn’t a need for “significant” increases in taxes for the state budget this year. The stance potentially puts Cuomo at odds with Democratic state lawmakers, who have proposed measures to increase taxes on upper income earners and the financial industry that would generate $7 billion.

Whether the spending plan can be put to bed by next week is up in the air, Cuomo said Wednesday, pointing to the recent COVID-19 diagnosis of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. the COVID-19 diagnosis and quarantining of the speaker’s staff would lead to a delay in a basic function of the state government was rebuked by Heastie.

Read more at Spectrum News

NYS Vaccine Update

154,705 doses have been administered across New York in the last 24 hours, and more than 1 million doses have been administered over the past seven days. Delivery of the week 15 allocation begins mid-week.   

As of 11 am Tuesday 5,373,954 (plus 88,344 from a day earlier) New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose and 2,860,176 are fully vaccinated (Plus 71,334).  In the Hudson Valley 532,256 (plus 10,711) have at least one dose and 251,792 (plus 6,327) are fully vaccinated. 

• Read the press release
• Visit the vaccine tracker site
• Visit the am I eligible site
• See the list of eligible underlying medical conditions

Vaccine Update – Texas and Georgia Join Growing List of States Making All Adults Eligible for Vaccine

Texas, Indiana and Georgia announced Tuesday that residents 16 years and older will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations starting Thursday for Georgia residents, Monday for Texans and on March 31 for Indianans. 

West Virginia, Alaska and Mississippi are the only states where all adults are eligible to receive shots. Widening the eligibility for vaccines comes at a time when federal health officials have warned of a possible fourth surge of the virus as troubling new variants spread, urging Americans to get vaccinated. About 25 percent of the total U.S. population has received at least one shot, and 14 percent are fully vaccinated

Read more at the New York Times

With $9 Billion Coming to NYS to Help Schools With COVID – More in the Hudson Valley Are Reopening

As area school districts get ready for more in-person learning, hundreds of millions of federal dollars are coming to the region to help with the fallout of Covid-19. The American Rescue Plan will provide $130 billion to support education nationwide, and $9 billion is coming to New York State.

Newburgh Free Academy, and the city school district will be getting $30-$31 million in relief coming over the next few years. The Middletown School District will be getting $17.7 million to help recover from the pandemic.

Read More at Mid-Hudson News

U.S. Durable Goods Orders Fall in February

New orders for key U.S.-made capital goods unexpectedly fell in February, suggesting some cooling in business spending on equipment after recent strong growth.

Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, dropped 0.8% last month, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. These so-called core capital goods orders gained 0.6% in January. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders rising 0.5% in February.

Read more at CNBC

Richmond Fed: Growth of Mid-Atlantic Manufacturing Activity Quickens in March

Manufacturing activity across the central Atlantic region of the U.S. expanded in March at slightly quicker pace than that of the previous month, data from a survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond showed Tuesday. The index is compiled by surveying manufacturing firms across the Fifth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and most of West Virginia. Positive readings signal expansion, while negative readings indicate contraction.

Manufacturing activity in the area has been expanding uninterruptedly since July 2020, but the expansion pace has slowed significantly in recent months from a record-high peak reached in October.

Read more at Morningstar

PPP Expires March 31, 2021; SBA Issues Updated First and Second Draw Applications

Since President Biden has taken office, eligibility to obtain a First and Second Draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been expanded. As such, the Small Business Association (SBA) recently updated First and Second Draw PPP applications. Changes to these forms include the “per location” exception for certain entities as established in the American Rescue Plan of 2021.

As of now, the PPP is set to expire on March 31, 2021. However, the PPP Extension Act of 2021 – which would extend the PPP to May 31, 2021 – was passed with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and is awaiting action in the Senate.

Read More at Bond Schoeneck and King (includes links to 1st and 2nd draw forms)

SBA to Increase Lending Limit for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans

The U.S. Small Business Administration is increasing the maximum amount small businesses and non-profit organizations can borrow through its COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Starting the week of April 6, 2021, the SBA is raising the loan limit for the COVID-19 EIDL program from 6-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $150,000 to up to 24-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $500,000.

Read more at SBA

Egypt’s Suez Canal Blocked by Huge Container Ship Further Disrupting Global Logistics

Dozens of vessels are stuck after a giant container ship became wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest trade routes. Egypt says it has reopened the canal’s older channel to divert traffic, amid fears it could remain blocked for days. The incident has already created long tailbacks on the waterway, stopping dozens of other vessels from passing.

About 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. The Ever Given, registered in Panama, was bound for the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China and was passing northwards through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean.

Read more at BBC

Pfizer Testing A Pill To Treat Covid

Pfizer, which brought the first U.S.-approved Covid-19 vaccine to market, is conducting a stage one clinical trial on an oral antiviral therapy that a Covid-19 patient could take when they first develop symptoms, which would make it the first oral antiviral treatment of its kind for coronavirus. Pfizer will share details on the study and pre-clinical data on April 6 during an American Chemical Society meeting

Vaccinations and therapeutic treatments could be the way to return to normal activities. The U.S. has granted emergency use authorizations for other treatments such as antibody treatments developed by Eli Lilly and Regeneron, and a combination treatment using Remdesivir and baricitinib (an anti-inflammatory).  

Read more at Forbes

Intel Announced ‘IDM 2.0’ Strategy for Manufacturing, Innovation and Product Leadership

Intel said it would spend $20bn on two new chipmaking factories in Arizona. Under a turnaround plan unveiled by its new boss, Pat Gelsinger, the firm will start making chips for other manufacturers. That will put it more directly into competition with the dominant Asian chipmakers, Taiwan’s TSMC and Korea’s Samsung Electronics. Investors took heart; shares rose in after-hours trading.

Read more at Businesswire

Germany’s Merkel Reverses Plans for Easter Lockdown

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cancelled plans for a strict lockdown over Easter, just a day after the measures were announced. Calling the plan a “mistake”, Mrs. Merkel said she took “ultimate responsibility” for the U-turn.

The proposed lockdown was agreed with regional leaders in talks overnight on Monday, with restrictions set to be tightened between 1-5 April. But the plan was reversed following a crisis meeting on Wednesday. It had been widely criticised by business leaders and scientists. The lockdown would have been Germany’s strictest yet, with most shops closed and gatherings limited.

Read more at the BBC

Daily Briefing – 255

COVID Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press conference yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Tuesday March 2nd.  The governor also made several announcements:

• Venues Will Be Able to Host Up to 100 People Indoors and Up to 200 People Outdoors; With Testing, Up to 150 People Indoors and Up to 500 People Outdoors; Social Distancing and Face Coverings Required
• Domestic Travelers Are No Longer Required to Quarantine or Test-Out Within 90 Days of Full Vaccination; International Travelers Must Continue to Follow CDC Guidance
• Beginning March 22, Outdoor Residential Gatherings Expanded to 25 People; 
• Non-Residential Social Gatherings Expanded to 100 People Indoors and 200 People Outdoors

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

Hospitalizations

• Patients Currently in Hospital statewide: 5,323
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 556

ICU Beds In Use (All Uses)

• Occupied ICU Beds Statewide: 4,257
• Occupied ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 416

Other Data

• Statewide Transmission Rate (R0):  .80
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 3.18%
• Mid-Hudson Positivity Rate: 4.14

Useful Websites:

• Read the press release
• See the School Districts Dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site

Republican Leaders Say Democrats’ Repeal of Cuomo’s Emergency Powers “Bogus”

Yesterday, New York State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay blasted the proposal advanced by the majorities in the State Legislature to, “supposedly revoke” Gov. Cuomo’s emergency powers. Barclay said, “Now that we’ve seen the details of what Democrats proposed, we can more fully appreciate it for the failure it is.  A year ago today, the governor signed the bill that expanded his authorities. In the past 12 months, we’ve seen lockdowns, business closures, jobs lost, schools in chaos, a nursing home coverup, and now criminal investigations and sexual harassment allegations. Somehow, Democrats still can’t seem to bring themselves to govern independently of Andrew Cuomo.”

Instead of immediately revoking the governor’s emergency powers the GOP said this bill “has been given the governor’s stamp of approval,” and removes the current expiration date of the governor’s emergency powers, currently set to expire on April 30, 2021 and left it open until the Federal government says the pandemic has ended.

Read More at The Niagara Frontier

NYS Vaccine Update – 24/7 J&J Sites Begin Vaccinations Tonight, More FEMA Sites to Open

Governor Cuomo Tuesday announced New York State is launching a  program to begin administering the Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine to eligible New Yorkers during the overnight hours at the Yankee Stadium, Javits Center and New York State Fair Mass Vaccination Sites.  As part of this effort, thousands of new appointments will be made available at each of the three sites in the coming days. Counties, pharmacies, and Federally Qualified Health Centers will also be receiving Johnson & Johnson allocations this week. 

As of 11 am Wednesday, New York’s health care distribution sites have received 3,290,980 first doses and administered 90 percent or 3,125,025 first dose vaccinations. In total the state has administered and 90 percent of first and second doses (4,819,412) of the 5,372,605 received. In the Mid-Hudson Region a cumulative total of 520,305 first and second doses have been distributed, 433,776 administered (83 percent). 

• Read the press release
• Read the FEMA site press release
• Visit the vaccine tracker site
• Visit the am I eligible site
• See the list of eligible underlying medical conditions

US Vaccination Rollout – When Might a Majority of People Be Vaccinated?

Experts have estimated that 70 to 90 percent of the population needs to acquire resistance to the coronavirus to reach herd immunity. A number of factors will determine how quickly this threshold is met, especially the pace at which newly vaccinated people join those who are immune after past infections. But the presence of more transmissible virus variants could complicate that progress. The projection below from the NY Times only shows the share of the total population with at least one shot based on the current rate of vaccination, but it provides a rough indication of when the virus’s spread could begin to stall.

The US CDC reported Tuesday about 51.8 million people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, including about 26.2 million people who have been fully vaccinated. 

Read more at the NY Times 

Vaccines Promised for All U.S. Adults by May 31st

The U.S. will have enough Covid-19 shots by the end of May to vaccinate all adults, Biden announced at a press conference yesterday. The authorization of the Johnson & Johnson shot plus a new deal to expand production mean supplies should be plentiful in the coming months. The president warned that the battle to defeat the virus is far from over,  The daily count of cases in the U.S. dropped below 50,000 for the first time since October.

Mr. Biden also called on states to give priority to teachers, school staff and child-care workers for vaccinations, as virtual learning continues for many students across the country. Several teachers unions have made vaccinations part of their negotiations for returning to in-person teaching. Mr. Biden said 30 states are giving priority to such workers for the shot.

Read more at the WSJ

SHRM Survey: 28% of Workers Don’t Want COVID-19 Vaccine

An alarmingly high number of employees assert that they have no intention of taking the vaccine, according to a recent survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). According to the survey of human resources professionals and employees in the United States, 60% of workers will probably or definitely get the vaccine once it becomes available to them, while approximately 28% say they would still choose not to get the vaccine, even if it meant losing their jobs.

The report also provides the HR professional and employee perspectives on the vaccine, employer and government incentives to get the vaccine, and how the pandemic has impacted remote work. Findings also highlight contrasting views on considerations that will factor into any return-to-work plan.

Read more at EHS Today

Biden Agrees Limit Number of People Who Will Get Checks in Covid Relief Plan

President Biden has backed a plan to cut the income caps for Americans to receive a direct payment as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package set to pass in the coming days, a Democratic source said Wednesday.  The phase-out levels for the $1,400 stimulus checks are:

• $75,000 in income for single filers; the cap for receiving some payment is now $80,000
• $112,500 for heads of households; the cap is now $120,000
• $150,000 for joint filers; now capped at $160,000

The structure would slash the direct payment income caps approved by the House. Under the

Read more at CNBC

The Extension of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefits Plans Continues

On Friday, February 26, 2021, the DOL released EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 (the “clarifying notice”).The notice provides guidance on the duration of the COVID-19 relief that was originally provided in the Notice of Extension of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants and Beneficiaries (“the notice of extension”). Specifically, the DOL clarified that the extension of timeframes will continue until the earlier of a) one year from the date an individual or plan is first eligible for relief or b) 60 days after the announced end of the national emergency (the end of the “outbreak period”).

Many employers must continue to honor the extended timeframes for individuals who become eligible to make certain elections in 2020 or 2021. Only individuals who became eligible to make these elections at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic will have exhausted their timeframes under this relief. So employers will need to work with their vendors and plan administrators to ensure that timelines are being administered in accordance with the new understanding of the DOL’s guidance.

Read more at Associate Member Rose & Kiernan (an NFP Company)

Report: U.S. Infrastructure Gets ‘C-,’ $2.59 Trillion Over 10 Years Needed To Fix It

The United States faces a $2.59 trillion shortfall in infrastructure needs that requires a massive jump in government spending to address crumbling roads, bridges and other programs, according to an assessment by an engineers group issued on Wednesday.  

The report, published once every four years, gave the United States a “C-” overall — up from a D+ in 2017 — and marked the first time in two decades the country received a “C” range grade — but found the country is spending just over half of what is required, labeling overall U.S. infrastructure in “mediocre condition.”

Read more at Reuters

HOW Study: The Impact of Remote Work

Dov Seidman of the HOW Institute of Leadership surveyed 1000 U.S.-based professionals who moved to remote work during the pandemic. The study focused on their feelings of connection. “Humans are social animals,” Seidman says. “For human organizations to thrive, connections between and among individuals need to be meaningful and rooted in common purpose.” Among his findings:

• Many workers reported their connection to their direct supervisors and to their organizations actually rose during the pandemic, a finding reinforced by studies like the Edelman trust survey which found trust in “my employer” went up. 
• A significant plurality of respondents (44%) felt their connection to coworkers had gone down.
• Feelings of disconnectedness were significantly higher among women and people under the age of 30.

Read more at the HOW Institute

WHO Official: Pandemic Unlikely to End in 2021

Global coronavirus case numbers increased last week after six consecutive weeks of decline as infections climbed in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, the World Health Organization reports. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that countries should not rely solely on vaccinations to control the spread of the virus, while WHO Executive Director of emergency services Dr. Mike Ryan says it would be “premature” and “unrealistic” to think the pandemic will end in 2021.

Read more at The Guardian (free registration)

Daily Briefing -223

COVID and “Winter Cluster Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo issues a press release yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Saturday, January 2nd. 

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital =  7963
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of  Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 30%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  926
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 34%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5720
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  4035
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 29%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  687
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  414
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  =39%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.02
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 7.98%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site
• Johns Hopkins Vaccine Tracker
• State transmission rates (R0)

Senate Overrides Trump’s Veto of NDAA Defense Bill

The Senate voted to override President Trump’s veto of a $740.5 billion defense bill Saturday 81-13.  The National Defense Authorization Act is an annual measure that secures hazard-pay raises for troops and authorizes funds for aircraft, ships, nuclear weapons, and other national-security programs. Mr. Trump had threatened to veto this year’s bill before it passed Congress, but lawmakers had moved forward anyway, approving it with wide majorities.

Mr. Trump has objected to several provisions in this year’s NDAA. He has criticized it for including measures that would strip military bases of names honoring Confederate military leaders and regulate troop withdrawals he has sought in Afghanistan and Germany. 

Read more at the WSJ

Georgia Senate Runoff Election

Georgia’s Senate run-off elections arrive tomorrow after a whirlwind two-month campaign that smashed fundraising records, inspired historic voter turnout, bombarded the airwaves with ads, and loomed over congressional negotiations on major spending legislation.

The stakes may never have been higher in such a narrow election. Amid President Donald Trump’s incessant attacks on Georgia’s election integrity, four people are seeking two seats that will determine which party controls the Senate. For President-elect Joe Biden, nothing less than his entire agenda is on the table.

• Read the story at Bloomberg
• See the latest polling at 538

Empire Center: NYS Summary of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Data Raises More Questions Than It Answers

The Empire Center’s Bill Hammond writes that as part of his Dec. 11 briefing, Gov. Cuomo shared a table listing the percentages of 46,000 COVID-19 cases that contact tracers had linked to various exposure sources in September, October and November. Topping the list was a category called “household/social gatherings,” which was said to account for 73.84 percent of the traced cases. “Healthcare delivery” was second at 7.81 percent, followed by “higher education student” at 2.02 percent, “restaurants & bars” at 1.43 percent and another 26 groupings with lower percentages.

Cuomo cited the high number for “household/social gatherings” as bolstering his policy against in-home parties of more than 10. But the category in question seemed to encompass a range of possibilities, including transmission within a household (say, from a husband to a wife, or a child to a parent) as well as get-togethers involving outside guests. Lumping these two common scenarios together made it difficult to judge the risk of either exposure source on its own.

Read more at Empire Center

Unemployment Claims Fall

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week but remain elevated more than nine months into the health and economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.  Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slid to a seasonally adjusted 787,000 for the week ended Dec. 26, compared with 806,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 833,000 applications in the latest week.

Though jobless claims have dropped from a record 6.867 million in March, they have held persistently above their 665,000 peak hit during the 2007-09 Great Recession. The weekly unemployment claims report, the most timely data on the economy’s health, aligns with other recent weak economic reports, including a decline in consumer confidence to a four-month low in December and drops in both consumer spending and income last month.

Read more at Reuters

Covid-19 Vaccine’s Slow Rollout Could Portend More Problems

Of the more than 12 million doses of vaccines from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. with BioNTech SE that have been shipped, only 2.8 million have been administered, according to federal figures. 

Public health officials and states say uptake is lagging for several reasons, beginning with holiday seasons that have kept staff of hospitals and nursing homes away from work. They also note they are facing high percentages of people, including some health-care workers, who are skeptical of taking the shots.  Hospitals and other sites are staggering appointments to avoid pulling too many workers from caring for patients amid a nationwide surge in Covid-19 cases. Administration of the vaccines also takes more time than a typical flu shot, particularly since they are being done in a socially distant way and may be preceded by a Covid-19 test.  In addition, people who receive vaccines are being monitored for at least 15 minutes in case of allergic reactions. 

Read more at the WSJ

Vaccine Tracker Now Available On Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center has launched a tracking tool to offer daily updates and nationwide perspective on the progress of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in the United States.

The vaccine tracker shows the latest numbers for doses administered by U.S. states that have started to make this data available. As of Monday, Dec. 21, data for 21 states is included, and the tracker will expand as more states make this data available, new vaccines are approved, and consistent data standards are established.

• Read the Article
• Visit the Tracker

National Geographic: What We’ve Learned About How Our Immune System Fights COVID-19

Scientists have made significant strides in understanding one of the pandemic’s biggest mysteries: Why some people recover quickly while others develop severe cases of the coronavirus.
Twelve months of study have shown that our bodies, in many cases, develop a robust and persistent immune response to SARS-CoV-2, but for some people with severe cases, it can go haywire and hurts more than helps.

Our fundamental comprehension of immune responses to the coronavirus has grown significantly, but more questions—like the longevity of immunity—are still to be answered, especially amid concerns that mutations may help SARS-CoV-2 evade our immunological defenses. With vaccination on the horizon for many at-risk individuals, the immune response’s intricacies are even more critical to understand.

Read more at NatGeo

SARS-CoV-2 Variants are Optimized for Spreading – Following the Evolutionary Rule Book

Natural selection is a powerful force. In circumstances that are still disputed, it took a bat coronavirus and adapted it to people instead. The result has spread around the globe. Now, in two independent but coincidental events, it has modified that virus still further, creating new variants which are displacing the original versions. It looks possible that one or other of these novel viruses will itself soon become a dominant form of sars-cov-2.

So far, the evidence suggests that despite their extra transmissibility, neither new variant is more dangerous on a case-by-case basis than existing versions of the virus. In this, both are travelling the path predicted by evolutionary biologists to lead to long-term success for a new pathogen—which is to become more contagious (which increases the chance of onward transmission) rather than more deadly (which reduces it). And the speed with which they have spread is impressive.

Read more in The Economist

Daily Briefing – 222

COVID and “Winter Cluster Plan” Update

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Tuesday, December 29th. In addition to the Buffalo Bills announcement (see story below) the governor announced that a total of 203,000 New Yorkers have received the first dose of vaccine. Next week the State will open eligibility to ambulatory care health care workers and public facing health care workers (including those administering COVID-19 tests).

Hospitalization tracking data for the Mid-Hudson region and the rest of the State are below.  

• Hospitalizations Statewide
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  7892
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in State  = 31%
• Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Patients Currently in Hospital in Region   =  906
  • COVID Hospitalizations as Percent of Region Population =  .004%
  • Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region  = 35%
• ICU Beds Statewide
  • Total ICU Beds   =  5,662
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  4054
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 31%
• ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 
  • Total ICU Beds   =  684
  • Occupied ICU Beds =  430
  • Percent of ICU Beds Available  = 41%
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.02
• Statewide Positivity Rate: 8.66%

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State Vaccine Information Site
• State transmission rates (R0)

Mid-Hudson COVID-19 Cluster Maps

• Orange County
  • Highland Falls
  • Middletown
  • Newburgh and New Windsor
• Rockland County
• Westchester County
  • New Rochelle
  • Ossining
  • Peekskill
  • Tarrytown
  • Port Chester
  • Yonkers

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine Approved by UK Regulator

Britain became the first country to authorize the covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The vaccine is cheaper and easier to make than those already in use, but clinical-trial data caused confusion: a half-dose followed by a full dose appeared more effective than two full doses. The British regulator has approved two full doses, saying there was insufficient evidence for approving an initial half-dose.

Read more at CNBC

U.S. Reports First Case of New Covid-19 Variant

Colorado reported the first case in the U.S. of a fast-spreading variant of Covid-19 that was first detected in the U.K. and led to a widespread lockdown and travel restrictions there. Health officials said the case was confirmed by a state lab and found in a man in his 20s in Elbert County, southeast of Denver. The man, who had no history of travel, had been placed into isolation and details of his case were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials said they were working to identify other potential cases and contacts through contact-tracing protocols. Authorities said the man is recovering in isolation and no close contacts had been identified so far.  
The CDC said in a written statement that the agency was aware of Colorado’s report of the first U.S. case associated with the U.K. variant. The agency said it expected there to be additional cases in the coming days.

Read more at the WSJ

NYS Updated Quarantine Guidance, What You Need to Know from Bond Schoeneck and King 

On December 26, 2020, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) updated its mandatory quarantine requirements (the Quarantine Advisory) for people who have been exposed to COVID-19 but do not develop symptoms. The Quarantine Advisory may be found here. Previously, asymptomatic individuals who had been exposed to COVID-19 had to quarantine for 14 days. Now, such individuals must quarantine for 10 days. Importantly, the Quarantine Advisory also applies to individuals who traveled to a non-border state or country. DOH also updated its protocols for healthcare personnel to return to work following a COVID-19 exposure, so long as they remain asymptomatic (the Healthcare Protocols). They, too, will be subject to the new shortened 10-day quarantine. 

Read the update from BSK

Senate Sets Defense Bill Veto Override in Motion for Weekend

The Senate moved Wednesday toward a vote to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a $740.5 billion defense policy bill, setting up a clash with the White House that may not culminate until the final hours before a new Congress begins on Sunday.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnnell was forced Wednesday to schedule a series of procedural votes because Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is delaying the process by demanding a separate vote on increasing pandemic stimulus payments to $2,000 from $600 for most Americans. That increase has been championed by Trump and Democrats, but many Republicans are opposed, and McConnell has refused to bring it up as a stand-alone bill. Under Senate procedures, the impasse could delay the vote on whether to override a Trump veto for the first time until Saturday, or even as late as Sunday before the current Congress ends at noon Washington time.

 Read more at Bloomberg

Extended Unemployment Benefits From the COVID Relief Act Will Kick In Next Week

Unemployed New Yorkers Will Receive an Additional $300 Weekly Supplement and Extended Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Starting the Week of January 3rd The federal government has extended federal unemployment benefits for an additional eleven weeks through March 14, 2021. New Yorkers currently receiving benefits do not need to call the Department of Labor to receive these extended benefits — they should continue to certify for unemployment benefits in their usual manner and will automatically receive extended benefits. Those whose unemployment benefit year has ended should reapply online.

Implement details are in the press release

The Economist Asks – How Quickly Will America’s labor Market Recover?

One of the biggest questions facing the world economy in 2021 is how fast America’s labor market will recover. Optimists point to the rapid decline in the unemployment rate after the first wave of the pandemic—from nearly 15% in April to 6.7% in November—as a reason for a speedy recovery. Pessimists’ go-to statistic is the high and rising rate of the long-term unemployed, those who have been out of work for more than six months. It has risen from 0.7% of the labor force in February to 2.5% today. 

On average, the longer someone is unemployed, the harder it is for them to find work. In part that may be because the least productive workers, for whom the labor market is always an unwelcoming place, are more likely to experience long spells of unemployment during downturns. But spending months on the sofa also causes people’s skills to atrophy. As a result, recessions inflict lasting scars on both workers and the economy.

Read more at the Economist

Back to the Future: 7 Developments Shaping Automotive in 2021 and Beyond

Companies have changed processes, worked differently, restarted after six weeks of wholesale plant shutdowns, manufactured personal protective equipment by the millions, and dealt with huge losses all in the midst of political unrest and a presidential election unlike any other in history.

What does that stew of ingenuity, challenge and change bode for the future—for automakers and their suppliers, large and small? As the curtain is drawn 2020, let’s shift gears, rest our literal and figurative Twitter feeds, and look at some seminal happenings that could affect automotive for the long haul.

View the slide show

Protocol Put in Place for Limited Number of Fans To Attend Bills Playoff Game

Governor  Cuomo announced the final pilot plan for allowing fans to attend the Buffalo Bills’ first home playoff game in more than two decades under strict COVID-19 protocols. Under the pilot, which was developed cooperatively between the Bills, New York State and Bio-Reference Laboratories, 6,700 fans will be allowed to attend the game only after first obtaining a negative COVID-19 test result. Contact tracing will also be conducted after the game. This is the first stadium re-opening pilot plan in the nation to require these measures and if successfully implemented, it could serve as a model for re-opening entertainment venues across New York.

Read the press release

Daily Briefing – 204

COVID and Cluster Update 

Governor Cuomo held a press briefing  yesterday afternoon providing an overview of New York’s COVID-19 tracking data from Tuesday, December 2nd. The Governor also discussed the logistics of vaccine delivery, and that he would extend rent relief into the new year.

Tracking data for the Clusters and the rest of the State are below. 

• Clusters: 5.91%
• Statewide: 4.63%
• Mid-Hudson Region: 5.17%
• Statewide excluding clusters: 4.49%
• Rockland yellow zone: 5.05%
• Westchester yellow-zones (Peekskill  10.10, Ossining 9.77, Tarrytown 4.56, Yonkers 4.69 New Rochelle 5.77, Port Chester 8.58)
• Orange Yellow Zones – (Newburgh 7.33, Middletown 6.30)
• Statewide hospitalizations: 4,063 (783 in ICU) 
• Transmission Rate (R0): 1.11

Here are some useful websites:

• Read the press release
• See the cluster maps
• Check your site address (State will ask to track your location)
• See the school districts dashboard 
• See the SUNY Dashboard
• State transmission rates (R0)

Cuomo Executive Order Modifies to Allow In-Person Learning for Schools in Red and Orange Zones

“The directive contained in Order 202.68 that required the Department of Health to determine areas in the State that require enhanced public health restrictions based on cluster-based cases of COVID is hereby modified to provide that schools located within geographic areas designated by the Department of Health as “red zones” and “orange zones” may conduct in-person instruction during the period of time that the zone is designated “red” or “orange,” subject to compliance with guidance and directives of the Department of Health.”

Read the order

CDC Shortens Its COVID-19 Quarantine Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidelines for people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Now, instead of the standard 14-day quarantine it has been recommending, the CDC says that potential exposure warrants a quarantine of 10 or seven days, depending on one’s test results and symptoms.

If individuals do not develop symptoms, they need only quarantine for 10 days; if they test negative, that period can be reduced to just one week.  The revision marks a significant change from the CDC’s recommendations since the start of the pandemic earlier this year. While the agency says a 14-day quarantine remains the safest option, it acknowledged this length placed difficult demands on people.

Read more at NPR

Coronavirus Stimulus Talks Moving in Right Direction, Party Leaders Say

One day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) signaled they would accept a smaller relief package than they had previously targeted, both sides indicated that shift could help move them closer to reaching an agreement on aid for businesses and families before the year’s end.

“That is at least movement in the right direction,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Thursday on the Senate floor. “Compromise is within reach. We know where we agree. We can do this.” Mr. McConnell also noted that Democrats’ shifting stance hadn’t eliminated many of the policy divisions that have stymied negotiations for months. Some of the most stubborn sticking points include funding for state and local governments prioritized by Democrats, but derided by President Trump as a bailout for Democratic-run states, as well as legal protections Republicans are seeking for businesses and other entities operating during the pandemic.

Read more at the WSJ

Jobless Claims Hit Pandemic-era Low as Hiring Continues

New jobless-claim filings last week reached their lowest level of the pandemic crisis, providing a sign that hiring is continuing if at a slower pace.

First-time claims for unemployment benefits totaled 712,000 last week, compared with 787,000 a week earlier and the Dow Jones estimate of 780,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.  Continuing claims also fell sharply, dropping 569,000 to 5.52 million.

Read more at CNBC

NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray Breaks Down the Changing Economy

 “The manufacturing sector has experienced solid growth in recent months, but lingering uncertainties about COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions continue to challenge businesses. Despite progress, there are roughly 600,000 fewer manufacturing workers today than before the pandemic, with production still down 4.8%. Activity has slowed of late, largely because of renewed virus outbreaks; although, the new restrictions have hit the service sector harder than manufacturing.”

Manufacturing Economic Outlook From Chad Moutray

Boeing 737 MAX Takes Flight Again

An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX airliner took to the skies for a short flight from Dallas, Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 2, as part of a Boeing publicity event hailing the return of the jet to service.

The plane carried about 90 people, including journalists, flight attendants, and American Airlines employees, making the 45-minute jaunt the first time the 737 has flown since the first half of 2019 with members of the public on board. According to the AP, American Airlines plans on returning the 737 to normal service December 29 with round trips from New York to Miami.

Read more at IndustryWeek

OPEC Plus Agree to Increase Output by 500,000 Barrels a Day in January

Oil prices rose after The Wall Street Journal first reported the that OPEC and a group of Russia-led oil producers agreed to increase their collective output by 500,000 barrels a day next month ending a standoff over oil policy among the two sides and promising a modest boost to global supplies as oil markets tighten.

The agreement marks a compromise among some of the world’s biggest producers after disagreement this week over whether or not to start raising output again. Members of the Organization of the Exporting Countries and a group of other big oil producers led by Russia agreed to the small increase, amounting to about a half percent of pre-pandemic global demand, during an online meeting Thursday, these people said.

Read more at the WSJ

Pandemic Spurs drug, Alcohol Use at Work

The pandemic is accelerating alcohol and drug addiction with one-third of employees since March admitting to using drugs or alcohol while working, according to alcohol.org, and over 40 states report increased death rates because of opioid abuse. American Addiction Centers says addiction costs employers $740 billion each year in health care expenses and lost productivity, and Standard Insurance Company’s Dan Jolivet offers advice on how employers can spot and help workers who might be struggling.

Read the full story at Employee Benefit News

Children’s Museum Partners with NASA To Develop “Pop-up” Museum 

The Mid Hudson Children’s Museum recently purchased a van and is partnering with NASA to create a new mobile “pop up” museum to bring STEM and space science programming into communities throughout the Hudson Valley.  This new “Space Science at Your Doorstep” initiative is made possible with the support of local businesses. 

Learn more about MHCM’s Corporate Sponsorship opportunities.