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Daily Briefing – 282

Post: Apr. 12, 2021

Some in GOP Willing to Negotiate Smaller Infrastructure Bill

Despite many Republicans signaling they do not support President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said on ABC’s “This Week” that the GOP is willing to negotiate on a smaller package.

Wicker’s comments to Host George Stephanopoulos echo the sentiment of 10 moderate Senate GOP lawmakers who signed a joint statement on Thursday, accusing Biden of “roundly dismissing” bipartisan talks during his last bipartisan meeting on the COVID relief bill.

Read more at The Hill


NYS Vaccine Update – College Student Allocation Announced

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State will provide a new, separate allocation of 35,000 vaccines to address the college student population at SUNY schools and private colleges. The vaccines will be administered to residential and non-commuter students who are leaving for the summer. “We’re now focusing on students, and we want to get students vaccinated before the end of the school year. The 18 to 24 population is growing in positivity, and many of them are in colleges and universities. It makes all the sense in the world to use the schools as the base for the vaccine.” Governor Cuomo said.

As of 11 am Sunday 7,571,549 (plus 98,739 from a day earlier) New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose and 4,966,373 are fully vaccinated (Plus 95,255).  In the Hudson Valley 791,226  (plus 9,608) have at least one dose and 481,806 (plus 9,075) are fully vaccinated. 


COVID Update – Flat Data

Governor Cuomo issues a press release yesterday afternoon with data through Sunday April 11th.  There were 58 COVID related deaths for a total of 41,197.

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

Hospitalizations

  • Patients Currently in Hospital statewide: 4,118
  • Hospitalizations Mid-Hudson Region: 458

ICU Beds In Use (All Uses)

  • Occupied ICU Beds Statewide: 4,111
  • Occupied ICU Beds Mid-Hudson Region: 398

Other Data

  • Statewide Positivity Rate: 3.20%
  • Mid-Hudson Positivity Rate: 3.88%

Useful Websites:


US Vaccine Rollout – 50% of US Adults Expected to Have at Least One Dose By End of This Week

Over the past week, more than 3.1 million doses of vaccine have been administered each day on average, according to data reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those doses could be first doses, second doses or single doses.

The latest data from the CDC shows that nearly 46% of adults in the US have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and about 28% are fully vaccinated. But an average of more than 1.8 million people have been added to the total number of people with at least one dose of vaccine each day. That adds about 1% to the share of the US adult population with at least one shot each day, putting the US on track to reach 50% within days.

Read more at CNN


Rise in U.S. Covid-19 Cases Driven by Younger People

Epidemiologists and public-health authorities have pointed to school sports as a major source of Covid-19 transmission as younger people who haven’t been vaccinated are helping drive a rise in new Covid-19 cases.

For the third straight week, new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “Cases and emergency room visits are up,” Walensky said Friday. “We are seeing these increases in younger adults, most of whom have not yet been vaccinated.” 

Read more at CNN


Regeneron Drug Stops Symptomatic Covid-19 in Study

An antibody drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. REGN -0.25% reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 infection by 81% compared with a placebo in people living with someone infected by the new coronavirus, a study found.

The results point to potential new preventive applications for the drug, which is already in use to treat earlier Covid-19 cases.  Regeneron said Monday it would ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the drug’s authorization among people exposed to the virus who haven’t yet been vaccinated, which could provide temporary stopgap protection as people await vaccines.

Read more at the WSJ


U.K. Shoppers Show Pent-Up Demand on Release From Lockdown

Consumers flocked to shopping streets across England on Monday as non-essential retailers reopened after almost 100 days of lockdown, along with pubs and restaurants with outdoor space. Shoppers lined up outside retailers on London’s famous Oxford Street, including the luxury department store Selfridges and outlets of sneaker retailer JD Sports Fashion Plc. Businesses are hoping the pent-up demand following England’s third lockdown will translate into bumper sales.

Early data suggest Britons were eager to visit physical stores, even after growing used to the ease of e-commerce during the pandemic. The number of people at stores in England had more than tripled as of 10 a.m. Monday from the previous week, when only food and other essential businesses were open, according to Springboard.

Read more at Bloomberg


COVID-19 Travel Insurance Becoming a Staple

COVID-19 insurance policies are increasingly joining passports and sunscreen as vacation staples, creating opportunities for insurers as more countries require mandatory coverage in case visitors fall ill from the coronavirus. “Travel insurance and protection services are taking off at pace with travel as it resumes, said Dan Richards, chief executive for travel risk and crisis management firm Global Rescue.

COVID-19 insurance benefits typically cover treatment up to $100,000, and could include coronavirus testing costs and services like evacuation or local burial or cremation. These benefits, introduced by insurers in mid-2020, are sold either as add-ons or as separate policies with coverage for illness or quarantine.

Read more at Carrier Management .com


Mailboxes and Traffic Lights – Union to Challenge Amazon on Warehouse Worker Vote with NLRB

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is challenging Amazon Inc., alleging the corporation interfered in a highly-publicized vote by its warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, to form a union. 

There are three outcomes from the NLRB hearing the RWDSU is calling for. The first is that the NLRB finds some evidence of foul play, and orders a second election be held. Another, if the NLRB finds that Amazon egregiously violated labor practice laws, is that it could simply reverse the results of the election and force Amazon to allow a union to be formed. Or it could discard the RWDSU’s complaint and allow the results of the election to stand.

Read more at IndustryWeek


COVID-19 Timeline: Portrait of a Pandemic

It’s been nearly a year and a half since the world first learned of SARS-CoV-2, and our lives haven’t been the same since. Sometimes, the days, weeks and months feel like a blur. With that in mind EHS Today highlighted some notable findings, developments and milestones related to the Pandemic since December 2019.

We all hope this historical event is a once-in-a-century pandemic, but it’s safe to say there have been many lessons learned around creating a culture of safety, gathering employee feedback and ideas, establishing safe protocols and developing best practices in pursuit of a safer workplace for all.

View the gallery timeline