Stocks close at new highs after signing of COVID-19 rescue package
U.S. investors cheered the U.S. aid package, restoring some of the optimism that drove global stocks to a record this month even as the pandemic escalated.
Public Health
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COVID-19 surge sidelines health workers when they’re needed most
More than 118,000 people—roughly equivalent to the population of Lansing, Michigan—have been in hospitals with COVID on average over the past seven days. That’s a record, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.
Southwest pulls threat of furloughs after relief bill signed
American and United Airlines, which together furloughed 32,000 employees in October, said Monday they will bring those workers back temporarily.
House set to vote on Trump’s $2,000 checks as GOP balks
Democrats who control the House favor the larger stipends, beyond the $600 payments included in the massive COVID bill. But the president’s push for more spending is forcing his Republicans allies who oppose the higher payments into a tough spot.
TSA sees highest number of airport passengers screened since pandemic started
The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1.28 million people Sunday at airport security checkpoints across the country.
Indiana reports 2,494 new COVID-19 cases, 43 more deaths
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 increased for the second straight day, from 2,811 on Saturday to 2,866 on Sunday.
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine to be studied in United States
The candidate made by Novavax Inc. is the fifth to reach final-stage testing in the U.S. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if the vaccine–a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors–really works and is safe.
Here’s what’s in $900B pandemic relief bill signed by Trump
The massive, year-end catchall bill that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday combines $900 billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and reams of other unfinished legislation on taxes, energy, education and health care.
Some employees itching to work somewhere other than home; others love it
Employees now working remotely find themselves imagining the new shape of their work lives in a post-pandemic America. Some glimpse a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel; others see an oncoming train.
Holiday sales tick up as shoppers invest in their homes
The increase fell short of predictions from the National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, which had expected sales to rise between 3.6% and 5.2% this year compared with 2019.
AstraZeneca says its vaccine should be effective against COVID-19 variant
British authorities have blamed the new virus variant for soaring infection rates across the country. They said the variant is much more transmittable, but stress there is no evidence it makes people more ill.
COVID-19 cases in Indiana fall to lowest mark since late October
The Indiana State Department of Health on Sunday said 4,792 new individuals had been tested, ending a streak of 61 straight days in which testing in that category had exceeded 10,000.
Indiana reports 3,806 new COVID-19 cases, 30 more deaths
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 dropped to 2,808 on Christmas Day, down from 2,918 on Christmas Eve.
Black doctor dies of COVID-19 after racist treatment complaints
Indiana University Health promised a “full external review” into the treatment of Dr. Susan Moore, 52, who tested positive for COVID-19 late last month and died Dec. 20.
New COVID-19 cases again top 5,000; 40 more deaths reported
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 dropped to 2,918 on Thursday, the lowest number since Nov. 15.
Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to inch back up, hitting 3,123
After descending from a record-high mark of 3,460 set on Nov. 30, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has been rising since Saturday. State health officials also reported 62 more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 7,306.
Can employers make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory?
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed companies to mandate the flu and other vaccines, and has also indicated they can require COVID-19 vaccines.
U.S. close on deal with Pfizer for millions more vaccine doses
Pfizer’s vaccine was the first to gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration and initial shipments went to states last week.
Vaccines will be ‘scarce resource for a really long time,’ Indiana health officials say
Indiana received 55,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Friday, and another 39,000 doses on Monday, which is a fraction of the state’s needs, officials say.
State reports 143 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing total to 7,244
Meanwhile, statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 inched up to 3,064 on Monday from 2,967 on Sunday. The high mark was 3,460 set on Nov. 30.