Daily Briefing – 361
Biden to Require Vaccines for Staff at Federally Funded Nursing Homes
President Biden on Wednesday announced a plan to require Covid-19 vaccinations for staff in federally funded nursing homes — and withhold money for facilities that don’t comply with the policy. The administration floated a vaccine order earlier this month, earning swift criticism industry groups.
It’s the first time the White House has used the threat of holding back federal funding to boost vaccination rates and will impact roughly 15,000 nursing homes employing 1.3 million people. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will issue an emergency regulation in September.
Powell: Delta’s Impact on Economy ‘Not Yet Clear’
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday he’s unsure if the delta variant of the coronavirus will take a serious toll on the broader U.S. economy, citing the resilience of consumers and businesses throughout the pandemic. “COVID is still with us … and that is likely to continue to be the case for a while,” the outbreak may not weigh heavily on the economy because “people and businesses have improvised and learned to adapt, to live their lives despite COVID.” He said.
Powell’s remarks come amid growing concern and uncertainty about the impact of surging COVID-19 cases on the country’s economic recovery. While states and cities have forgone lockdowns and business restrictions employed during the first wave of the pandemic, declining consumer confidence and school closures could weigh on further job gains and business activity.
As Virus Cases Surge States Encourage More Use of Antibody Treatments
Facing overcrowded hospitals and an unrelenting surge of Delta variant cases around the country, the Biden administration on Thursday renewed its call for health providers to use monoclonal antibody treatments, which can help Covid-19 patients who are at risk of getting very sick.
The treatments mimic antibodies that the immune system generates naturally to fight the coronavirus. They have been shown to sharply reduce hospitalizations and deaths when given to patients soon after symptoms appear, typically by intravenous infusion. There is also evidence that they may be able to prevent the disease entirely in certain people exposed to the virus. The antibody treatments can be given to patients who are already sick, with a more immediate effect.
Read more at the New York Times
TSA Extends Mask Mandate for Transportation Through Jan. 18
The Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday extended a federal requirement that travelers wear masks on commercial flights, buses and trains through Jan. 18. “The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation,” the agency said in a statement.
The measure is the latest sign of persistent concerns within the federal government about the spread of Covid-19. Airlines including Southwest and Spirit have warned about a drop in bookings and higher cancellations, trends they blamed on the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus.
US COVID Update – Cases May be Reaching an Inflection Point
The US CDC reported 36.7 million cumulative COVID-19 cases and 619,564 deaths. The daily average is up to 121,873 new cases per day, the highest since February 4. Daily incidence continues to increase rapidly, but it appears as though the US may be passing an inflection point, meaning cases may soon decline.
Daily mortality continues to increase as well, although it is difficult to determine whether the current trend is a linear or exponential increase. The current average of 548 deaths per day is the highest since May 13
Read more at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
NYS Vaccine and COVID Update
Vaccine Stats as of Wednesday August 18th:
One Vaccine Dose
- 65.5% of all New Yorkers – 12,609,588 (plus 32,651 from a day earlier)
- In the Hudson Valley 1,336,655 (plus 4,271)
Fully Vaccinated
- 58.5% of all New Yorkers – 11,398,549 are fully vaccinated (Plus 21,955)
- In the Hudson Valley – 1,194,636 (plus 2,805) are fully vaccinated.
The Governor updated COVID data through Tuesday August 17th. There were 20 COVID related deaths for a total of 43,299.
Hospitalizations:
- Patients Currently in Hospital statewide: 1,888
Seven Day Average Positivity Rate:
- Statewide 3.16%
- Mid-Hudson: 3.25%
Useful Websites:
- Read the press release
- Visit the vaccine tracker site
- See the School Districts Dashboard
- See the SUNY Dashboard
- State Vaccine Information Site
Breakthrough Cases Remain Uncommon – Vaccines Keep Serious Illness at Bay
U.S. states counted at least 193,204 so-called breakthrough cases among vaccinated people between Jan. 1 and early August. The figure represents 0.1% of the more than 136 million fully vaccinated people in those states and the capital. Health departments said that breakthrough cases represented a tiny fraction of Covid-19 infections and resulted in very few hospitalizations or deaths.
The total number of breakthrough cases is likely higher, public-health experts said, because fully vaccinated people with asymptomatic infections likely aren’t getting tested for Covid-19. Additionally, several states said the data were unavailable, while others track only breakthrough cases that result in hospitalizations or death.
WHO Announces Next Phase in COVID-19 Origin Investigation
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the next steps in its investigation into the origins of the coronavirus last week, telling countries they should cooperate and depoliticize the situation.
The origins of COVID-19 have become a hot topic after many dismissed a theory last year that the virus could have been made in a laboratory in China, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Attitudes changed after WHO found there was “insufficient scientific evidence to rule any of the hypotheses out,” including the suggestion the virus could have been made in a lab.
Budget Bill Standoff – Pelosi Presses Moderates
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday pressed members of her party to move forward on a $3.5 trillion budget bill. Nine moderate Democrats have banded together to go against Democratic leadership, threatening to block the budget resolution if the bipartisan infrastructure deal is not passed first.
Pelosi wrote in her letter on Tuesday that “any delay in passing the budget resolution could threaten our ability to pass this essential legislation through reconciliation.” The Democrats need to move forward “united” to pass a motion to move the budget resolution forward on Aug. 23 so they can “deliver historic progress.”
Fed: Auto Production Jumped 11.2% in July
U.S. industrial production improved on its growth in June, and manufacturing output leapt 1.4 percentage points thanks to a notable increase in motor vehicles and parts production. Motor vehicle and parts production rose by 11.2 percentage points as automakers canceled their usual July factory shutdown, despite an ongoing semiconductor shortage.
U.S. motor vehicle assemblers put together 9.70 million vehicles and 7.79 million trucks last month compared to 8.83 million vehicles and 7.38 million trucks in June. The improvement in auto output helped drive increases in consumer durable goods, business equipment, and durable materials, the Federal Reserve said, and durable goods production increased by 2.4 points in July.
Stanley Black & Decker to Purchase Cub Cadet Maker for $1.6 Billion
Stanley Black & Decker announced that it has agreed to acquire the remaining 80 percent ownership stake in MTD Holdings Inc., a privately held global manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, including Cub Cadet® and Troy-Bilt®, for $1.6 billion in cash. Stanley Black & Decker acquired a 20 percent stake in MTD in 2019.
With over $2.5 billion of revenue in the last twelve months, MTD designs, manufactures and distributes lawn tractors, zero turn mowers, walk behind mowers, snow blowers, residential robotic mowers, handheld outdoor power equipment and garden tools for both residential and professional consumers under well-known brands like Cub Cadet® and Troy-Bilt®. MTD has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, and a global distribution network.
Scabby Returns… And More from the Biden NLRB
The new Biden-era National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is already showing signs of the sea change in labor relations law that will be taking place over the next few years as it serves as another cog in the administration’s pro-union machine.
Jennifer Abruzzo was nominated by Biden, confirmed by the Senate and sworn in to serve as the board’s new general counsel in July. But even before Abruzzo was sworn in, change was already evident, at least when it comes to rodential displays. The giant inflatable rat named Scabby, was granted a reprieve. You can expect to see Scabby joining picket lines and union demonstrations in the future throughout the country because there is actually a full mischief of these inflatable rats (which is what a group of these rodents are termed) that are rented out by a supplier in the Midwest.
Read more at Material Handling and Logistics
Poll: Hochul Leading Democrats in primary for New York Governor
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is slated to become the state’s chief executive next week after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation goes into effect, is leading among potential 2022 Democratic gubernatorial candidates in a new poll. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they would support Hochul, followed by 24 percent who said they would vote for James and 5 percent who threw their support behind de Blasio.
The survey, conducted by co/efficient, asked likely Democratic primary voters whether they would support in the gubernatorial primary if it were held today.
US Port Congestion Worsens on Both Coasts
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Southern California are approaching or surpassing first-quarter records for congestion as large numbers of ships wait in San Pedro Bay for dock space, and shipping consultant Jon Monroe warns the problem may worsen thanks to new liner services and other types of ships. Congestion is also building on the East Coast at terminals in Savannah, Ga.; Newark, N.J.; and New York.
