Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Florida, Texas Could Have Saved 4,700 Lives Through July
Aug 13 2021 // The success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in many states demonstrates the real-world feasibility, and impact, of achieving high vaccination coverage. By the end of July, the five highest-performing states — Vermont,...
McDonald’s Franchise Settles Workers’ COVID-19 Lawsuit
Aug 13 2021 // A McDonald’s Corp. franchise in Oakland, California, has agreed to take steps to protect workers from COVID-19 to settle a 2020 lawsuit claiming managers gave employees dog diapers and coffee filters to use as face...
Americans’ Mental Health Needs, Help Gap Worsen in COVID’s Second Summer
Aug 12 2021 // It’s been nearly a year since the U.S. Census Bureau started asking Americans about the mental-health effects of the pandemic — and the latest survey shows just how much worse things have gotten since...
Zurich Insurance Reports Strong Surge in Earnings as COVID-19 Impact Eases
Aug 12 2021 // Zurich Insurance Group’s on Thursday joined other big European insurers in reporting a strong rebound in earnings as the impact from COVID-19 on their businesses eased. Buoyant markets along with higher policy sales...
Mississippi Approaches Record COVID Hospitalizations
Aug 12 2021 // Mississippi is approaching its record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations as the virus continues spreading rapidly in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. The state Health Department reported...
Amazon Loses Bid to Halt New York Warehouse COVID Safety Probe
Aug 11 2021 // A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Amazon.com Inc’s lawsuit to block New York’s attorney general from investigating the online retailer’s ability to protect warehouse workers from COVID-19. U.S....
Deadly Rise in Speeding That Began During Pandemic Still Hasn’t Stopped
Aug 10 2021 // Motorists put the pedal to the metal during the pandemic and police are worried as roads get busy with the final stretch of summer travel. The latest data shows the number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more...
Munich Re’s Q2 Profit Rises 91%, While COVID-19 Losses Outpace Expectations
Aug 10 2021 // German reinsurance group Munich Re said on Tuesday it would meet its 2021 profit goal as it raised its forecast for gross premiums and predicted higher pandemic-related losses than previously anticipated. Munich Re made...
Minnesota Restaurant Workers Shortchanged During COVID Awarded $230K
Aug 9 2021 // Employees of a Minneapolis, Minnesota, restaurant group will receive money they were denied after the company laid off workers during the COVID-19 shutdowns without giving them their final paychecks. A settlement completed...
Federal Judge Grants Norwegian Cruise Line Preliminary Injunction to Require COVID Vaccine
Aug 8 2021 // A federal judge granted Norwegian Cruise Line a preliminary injunction blocking a Florida law that prevents businesses from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 60-page...
Washington Farm to Pay More $2M Following COVID Deaths
Aug 6 2021 // The state of Washington has reached a settlement with Gebbers Farms Operations, LP to spend more than $2 million improving housing, quality of life, safety and access to health care for farm employees and their...
Insurers Expect COVID-19 Liability Claims Against Employers as Employees Return
Aug 6 2021 // Liability insurers on both sides of the Atlantic are scaling back the cover they offer companies ahead of an expected wave of discrimination claims as employers call staff back to their desks after 18 months of...
Ruling Against Dentist’s COVID Business Interruption Could Be Key Win for Insurers
Aug 4 2021 // A federal appellate court ruling that dismissed a dental practice’s COVID-19 business interruption claim might be the beginning of the end for policyholder arguments that income lost because of government shutdowns...
Chronic Scarcity of UK Workers Blamed on COVID and, of Course, Brexit
Aug 3 2021 // On the outskirts of the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy is a crop of new houses on their way to completion. There are two large banners pinned to the perimeter fence with a mobile phone number: “Bricklayers...
Massachusetts Sues Grubhub Over Fees Charged During Pandemic
Aug 3 2021 // Online food delivery platform Grubhub charged some Massachusetts restaurants illegally high fees during the coronavirus pandemic, the state attorney general’s office alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday. The suit,...
Florida Sets Highest One-Day Record for New COVID Cases
Aug 2 2021 // Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday, as its theme park resorts again started asking...
Workers’ Compensation Research Study Shows No Treatment Delays Due to COVID
Aug 2 2021 // COVID-19 did not delay medical treatment for workers’ compensation claimants, but did decrease the amount of emergency care and other services provided to injured workers, a study released by the Workers’...
Overcoming the Challenges of COVID-19
Aug 2 2021 // COVID-19 has thrown the insurance industry a steady stream of curveballs. And while the pandemic’s effects on health insurance have been front and center, it’s worth mentioning that workers’ compensation...
Lessons from the Pandemic for Workers’ Compensation
Aug 2 2021 // The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us tough lessons. We have learned the strengths and limitations of globalization, our public health systems, and our ability to respond during a crisis. In the U.S. workers’...
Mississippi ICU Capacity ‘Extinguished’ by Latest COVID Spike
Jul 30 2021 // Mississippi’s top public health official said that intensive care units are filling up in some hospitals and COVID-19 outbreaks are expanding in nursing homes as the delta variant of the virus continues to spread...
