Indiana reports 2,890 new COVID-19 cases, uptick in hospitalizations
The state has reported 288 new deaths over the past seven days, an average of 41.1 per day. That’s down from 389, or 55.6 per day, the previous week.
Health Care & Insurance
Articles
U.S. unemployment claims drop to still-high 847,000
Overall, nearly 4.8 million Americans received traditional state unemployment benefits the week of Jan. 16. That is down from nearly 5 million the week before.
U.S. economy shrank 3.5% in 2020 after growing 4% in final quarter
Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product—its total output of goods and services—slowed sharply in the October-December quarter after a record 33.4% surge in the July-September quarter.
Indiana parent sues education board over virtual funding in the pandemic
The mother, who has two children who attend virtual schools in Indiana, argued that a rule to fully fund students who attend remotely because of the pandemic violates several laws and is unfair to children who were already enrolled in virtual schools.
Stocks have their worst day since October as Big Tech sinks
The sharp selling is a shift from the market’s recent record-setting run and comes as investors focus on the outlook for the economy and corporate profits amid a still-raging coronavirus pandemic.
Meijer, Walmart, Kroger begin offering COVID-19 vaccines by appointment
Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday that the federal government, which controls the vaccine supply, is expected to increase Indiana’s weekly allotment by 16%, or about 13,000 extra doses, within three weeks, allowing the state to expand the program to big pharmacies.
U.S. air travel hits lowest daily number in six months
New air travel restrictions enacted by the Biden administration and other nations to prevent the spread of new, more-contagious variants of the coronavirus might be affecting hopes for a speedy return to travel.
National Guard winding down work in Indiana nursing homes
The guardsmen were deployed to more than 500 nursing homes and long-term residential care facilities to help the nursing staff with routine health screenings, data entry and paperwork during a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Anthem underwhelms Wall Street with 2021 forecast, stock tumbles
Anthem said its forecast for this year includes a hit of between 50 cents and 70 cents per share due partly to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which passed late last year and includes a one-year hike in Medicare doctor rates.
Indiana reports 40 more deaths from COVID-19
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 dropped from 1,976 on Monday to 1,902 on Tuesday. The high mark was 3,460, set on Nov. 30.
Eli Lilly, Glaxo join forces to test COVID-19 antibody cocktail
GlaxoSmithKline and partner Vir Biotechnology Inc. have teamed up with Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. to test a combination of their COVID-19 antibody treatments to see whether they can better combat the virus and its variants together.
Third round of PPP lending tops $35 billion as SBA irons out glitches
The government’s new phased approach to distributing the $284 billion in recently allocated Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, funds means it’s unlikely that the money will run out, which it did in April.
Vaccine appointments canceled amid confusion over supply
States waited to find out their latest weekly allocation of vaccine from the federal government on Tuesday amid complaints from governors and top health officials about inadequate supplies and the need for earlier and more reliable estimates of how much is on the way.
Indiana reports decline in COVID-19 cases, 80 more deaths
Indiana said 5,646 new individuals were tested for COVID-19 on Monday, the lowest number since Dec. 28.
First U.S. case of highly transmissible Brazil coronavirus variant identified in Minnesota
This is the first report in the United States of the P.1 variant, which has been of particular concern to scientists as they have observed the disastrous surge in infections in the Brazilian city of Manaus.
U.S. virus numbers drop, but race against new strains heats up
To guard against the new variants, President Joe Biden on Monday added South Africa to the list of more than two dozen countries whose residents are subject to coronavirus-related limits on entering the U.S.
Democrats moving quickly on $1.9T economic relief bill
Democrats are making plans to use a budgetary tool known as reconciliation, which would allow the package to pass with a simple majority vote in the Senate, instead of the 60 votes normally required for major legislation.
Budweiser joins Coke, Pepsi brands in sitting out Super Bowl
The pandemic has cut sharply into sales for many Super Bowl advertisers. With pricey ads costing an estimated $5.5 million for 30 seconds during the Feb. 7 broadcast on CBS, some may have decided it’s not worth it this year.
Merck ends development of two potential COVID-19 vaccines
The drugmaker said Monday that it will focus instead on studying two possible treatments for the virus that also have yet to be approved by regulators.
Insurers add food to coverage menu as way to improve health
Food has become a bigger focus for health insurers as they look to expand their coverage beyond just the care that happens in a doctor’s office. More plans are paying for temporary meal deliveries and some are teaching people how to cook and eat healthier foods.