Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
WHO Says China’s Vaccine Prevents COVID But Questions Data on Side Effects: Reuters
May 6 2021 // WHO experts have voiced “very low confidence” in data provided by Chinese state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm on its COVID-19 vaccine regarding the risk of serious side-effects in some patients, but overall...
Biden Backs Patent Waiver for Covid-19 Vaccines
May 6 2021 // President Joe Biden on Wednesday threw his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, bowing to mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers and more than 100 other countries, but angering...
Employers Advised to Prepare for Pandemic’s Mental Health Fallout as Employees Return
May 6 2021 // From casual Fridays to after-work drinks, those weekly rituals once taken for granted are returning as Americans head back to the office. And while masks, plexiglass and empty conference rooms will alter the cubescape,...
Workers Refusing Covid Vaccine Could Lose Their Jobs
May 5 2021 // Texas nurse Jennifer Bridges plans to go to work on June 7, like it’s any other day. The only difference is, when she gets there she expects to be fired. That day is the deadline her employer, Houston Methodist...
Rare Covid-19 Vaccine and Treatment Injury Victims Look to U.S. Fund
May 4 2021 // High school senior Emma Burkey received her “one and done” Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on March 20, and within two weeks was in an induced coma following seizures and clotting in her...
Governor Lifts Most COVID Restrictions on Georgia Businesses
May 3 2021 // Georgia’s governor is removing many remaining requirements for social distancing and masked employees from businesses, saying that the state’s efforts to control COVID-19 have been successful even as its...
Missouri House Passes New Bill Limiting COVID-19 Lawsuits
May 3 2021 // The Missouri House on April 29 advanced a bill to limit pandemic-related lawsuits, a top priority for Republican Gov. Mike Parson. The GOP-led House gave the proposal initial approval in a voice vote. It’s unclear if...
Swiss Re Scores Profit Despite COVID Death Claims, Catastrophe Losses
May 3 2021 // Swiss Re reported consolidated net income of USD 333 million in the first quarter of 2021, despite heightened losses in its life and health reinsurance business related to COVID and property and casualty reinsurance losses...
Customers Ignored Brands in Shopping for Auto Insurance During Pandemic: J.D. Power
May 3 2021 // Many auto insurance customers have shopped around for new policies during the coronavirus pandemic, but few cared about specific brands, according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study. More than half (54%)...
Insurance Relief for COVID and More
May 3 2021 // Last month at a media event the insurance industry nonprofit Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) gave insurance industry leaders an opportunity to talk about their philanthropic initiatives. Leaders from AIG,...
No Delays Found in Medical Care for Workers’ Compensation Claimants During COVID
May 3 2021 // Despite potential obstacles posed by the coronavirus pandemic, injured workers experienced no meaningful delays in access to medical treatment under their employers’ workers’ compensation programs during the...
How COVID Impacts Insurance in Unforeseen Ways
May 3 2021 // Having recently marked the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like an opportune time to consider how the pandemic has impacted the insurance industry. While business interruption (BI) lawsuits...
Returning to Work After COVID Workers’ Comp in a Post-COVID World
May 3 2021 // As the U.S. economy tumbled in March 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic millions of people were forced to leave their jobs. A year later, U.S. unemployment is at 6% in March 2021, down from 6.2% in February....
Committee Votes Down Missouri Bill to Block COVID-19 Lawsuits
Apr 30 2021 // A Missouri bill to shield businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits has failed in committee, casting doubt on its chances of passing this year. A House committee voted the Senate bill down on April 26. The proposal was...
Pennsylvania Regulator Asks Insurers To Assess Pandemic’s Impact in Rate Filings
Apr 30 2021 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has issued guidance for property/casualty insurers in the state to continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in rate filings. “Much has changed since the start of...
Fairfax Commits $5 Million for COVID-19 Relief in India
Apr 28 2021 // Fairfax Financial Holdings announced that it has made a commitment of US$5 million (approximately INR 37 crore) to fund initiatives to assist India with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the country’s urgent...
Biden Administration Considering Intellectual Property Rights Waiver for COVID Vaccines
Apr 28 2021 // The White House is considering options for maximizing global production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines at the lowest cost, including backing a proposed waiver of intellectual property rights, but no decision has been...
N.D. Governor Signs COVID-19 Liability Protection Bill
Apr 27 2021 // North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on April 23 signed legislation that creates liability protections to shield health care providers, businesses and others from frivolous claims related to exposure to COVID-19. House Bill 1175...
Minnesota Nursing Home Fined $27K After Employee’s Coronavirus Death
Apr 27 2021 // A suburban Minneapolis nursing home has paid the state’s largest fine for a coronavirus-related safety violation after an employee contracted COVID-19 and died. State Labor Department inspection files show Sholom...
Are Brokers in for a Tsunami of Pandemic- Related E&O Claims in 2021?
Apr 27 2021 // This post is part of a series sponsored by Worldwide Facilities, an Amwins Company. In November 2020, attendees of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society’s first-ever virtual conference warned insurance...
