Large U.S. employers saw their smallest health care cost increase in more than two decades due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and workers might benefit from that next year, according to the consulting firm Mercer.
Lawmakers are struggling to figure out how to deliver long-delayed pandemic relief, including additional help for hard-hit businesses, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rose from 3,214 on Sunday to 3,250 on Monday, the second straight day of increases after five days of declines.
Economists cautioned that the swings in productivity this year have been unusually large and are distorting the underlying trend in productivity.
New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55.
The positive review from the Food and Drug Administration sets the stage for a decision allowing the vaccine’s initial use in the United States within days.
Trump administration officials denied that there would be availability issues in the second quarter, citing other vaccines in the pipeline, but others said problems are possible.
Disagreements flared Monday over one key provision of a federal pandemic relief package—a proposed liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits for businesses, schools and organizations that reopen.
In-person instruction at high schools and colleges, dine-in eating at restaurants and organized sports will continue to be prohibited, including the completion of fall high school sports tournaments. Entertainment venues such as movie theaters and bowling alleys will remain closed.
The state has reported 531 new COVID-19 deaths over the past seven days, an average of nearly 79 per day. That’s up from 354 the previous week, an average of almost 51 per day.
For some, however, the ability to keep buying things with plastic and then pay the bill likely depends on whether current negotiations in Washington, D.C., produce another round of economic aid.
Michigan hospital officials said Monday the state’s partial shutdown of businesses and schools to curb the coronavirus is working and should be extended through the holiday season to alleviate stress on the health care system.
School districts from coast to coast have reported the number of students failing classes has risen by as many as two or three times—with English language learners and disabled and disadvantaged students suffering the most.
The $908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend.
Testing of new individuals rose by 18,864, the 40th straight day that testing in that category has exceeded 10,000.
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 fell slightly for the fourth straight day, from an all-time high Monday of 3,460 to 3,255 on Friday.
All major indexes for U.S. equities—the S&P 500, the Dow Jones industrial average, the Russell 2000 and the Nasdaq composite—closed at records. Such synchronized highs were last seen in January 2018.
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 fell slightly for the third straight day, from an all-time high Monday of 3,460 to 3,289 on Thursday.
America’s employers added 245,000 jobs in November, the fewest since April and the fifth straight monthly slowdown, the Labor Department said Friday.
It is impossible to know when life will get back to normal, or something that feels close to it. The vaccine rollout will take many months under even the most optimistic scenarios.
