Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma House Passes Bill Shielding Healthcare Workers from COVID-19 Liability
May 5 2020 // The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed legislation aimed at protecting healthcare providers from liability during the COVID-19 pandemic. The House Senate Bill 300, creating the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency...
Midwest Meatpackers Cautiously Reopen Plants After Coronavirus Shutdown
May 5 2020 // A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening on May 4 after being shuttered for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 800 employees. As two departments...
Many Japan Firms Resist Telecommuting, Raising COVID-19 Risk for Call Center Staff
May 5 2020 // Almost a month after Tokyo declared a state of emergency, dozens of call center employees for telecom KDDI Corp still commute into their crowded office, where the fear of coronavirus infection has taken a back seat to data...
CNA Records Q1 Loss Tied to Market Volatility from Coronavirus
May 5 2020 // CNA Financial Corp. recorded a first quarter 2020 net loss of $61 million, and core income of $108 million. The insurer said results for the quarter reflected financial market volatility amid the events of COVID-19. The...
Drugmaker Questioned for Nearly Tripling Price of Potential COVID-19 Drug
May 5 2020 // The chair of a House of Representatives committee and a fellow Democratic committee member on Monday urged Jaguar Health Inc. to reverse recent price hikes of a drug that could be used to treat side effects in COVID-19...
AIG Takes Hit from Coronavirus in Q1; Sees Industry’s ‘Biggest CAT Loss Ever’ Ahead
May 5 2020 // Insurer American International Group Inc. on Monday posted a 93% drop in quarterly adjusted profit, as it set aside money to cover claims related to the COVID-19 outbreak, which it called the single largest catastrophe...
Insurers’ Loss Estimates Linked to Coronavirus Range Widely: Analysis
May 5 2020 // Insurers are normally great with numbers. But the coronavirus pandemic has them struggling to estimate how many billions of dollars in losses they face, and what the fallout will be for their massive investment...
EEOC Complaint: Florida ICU Nurse Denied Rental Because of Virus Concerns
May 5 2020 // A Florida nurse filed an equal opportunity complaint alleging her condo rental application was denied because her ICU job brings her in contact with novel coronavirus patients. Jennifer Piraino said she submitted an...
AM Best Places Watford Re’s Ratings Under Review on COVID-19-Related Investment Hit
May 4 2020 // AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of “A-” (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” of Bermuda-based Watford...
Berkshire Discloses Q1 Insurance Results; Buffett Talks Coronavirus Impact
May 4 2020 // Berkshire Hathaway’s property/casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses reported a first quarter underwriting profit of $747 million before taxes, nearly double the pretax underwriting profit of $377 million...
Delaware Auto Insurers Issue Rebates, Reduce Rates During Coronavirus Pandemic
May 4 2020 // The Delaware Department of Insurance has announced that many consumer-friendly automobile insurer actions are being implemented due to reduced vehicle use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As filed with the department,...
Maryland Insurance Administration Warns Against COVID-19 Insurance Scams
May 4 2020 // Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer Jr. has warned consumers to watch for insurance scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports of pandemic-related fraud are increasing around the country, according to a press...
Senators Seek to Address Privacy Concerns Over Tech Firms’ Covid-19 Contact Tracing
May 4 2020 // A group of Republican U.S. senators said Thursday they would introduce legislation to address consumer privacy concerns surrounding technology companies’ efforts to help build contact tracing apps to fight the new...
Gallagher Releases Pandemic Group Insurance Product for India’s Front-Line Workforce
May 4 2020 // International insurance broker Gallagher announced the release of a Pandemic Group Insurance product, providing a comprehensive COVID-19 indemnity cover solution to the India market. For essential workers and front-line...
MedRisk Adds COVID-19 Screening Component to PTConsult
May 4 2020 // King of Prussia, PA, April 28, 2020 – Although physical therapy clinics are considered essential businesses, some workers’ compensation patients hesitate to start or continue physical therapy during the COVID-19...
Midwest Insurers AmeriTrust, Grange Unveil COVID-19 Relief for Businesses
May 4 2020 // Grange Insurance Co., based in Columbus, Ohio, and AmeriTrust Group Inc. in Southfield, Michigan, are offering relief plans to business insurance customers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grange Insurance has...
The Hartford Reports Q1 Net Income Drop; Minor Coronavirus Impact Thus Far
May 4 2020 // The Hartford’s 2020 first-quarter numbers are yet another example of the coronavirus pandemic not yet affecting underwriting results in a major way. But net income took a big hit. First-quarter net income came in at...
S&P Expects States to Lose Bids to Mandate Coronavirus Business Interruption Coverage
May 4 2020 // Standard & Poor’s said it does not expect state legislators to succeed in their efforts to retroactively expand business interruption insurance coverage for COVID-19-related losses. The reason: An expectations of...
Texas Insurance Commissioner: Modernization Efforts Paying Off During Pandemic
May 4 2020 // The employees of the state agency in charge of regulating the insurance industry in Texas might not put it this way, but in a sense, operationally at least, they have been preparing for the current health crisis brought on...
Florida Directs Workers’ Comp Insurers to Comply with COVID-19 Treatment Order
May 4 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued an informational memorandum to all insurers and entities authorized to write workers’ compensation insurance providing guidance on the treatment of policyholders...
