Tag: outbreaks

Francis Collins Has Regrets, but Too Few
Health

Francis Collins Has Regrets, but Too Few

Hard to believe it’s been four years since the first reports of a mysterious virus spreading in Wuhan, China. Now comes a Covid lockdown mea culpa—if you can call it that—from former National Institutes of Health chief Francis Collins.“If you’re a public-health person and you’re trying to make a decision, you have this very narrow view of what the right decision is, and that is something that will save a life,” Dr. Collins explained in a Covid discussion this summer for Braver Angels, an outfit that aims to bridge political divides. A video of the discussion surfaced this week on X.com.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The Employee Retention Tax Credit Is the Biggest Covid Scam
Business

The Employee Retention Tax Credit Is the Biggest Covid Scam

It’s hard to feel sorry for the Internal Revenue Service, but cleaning up for Congress is never fun. The Covid employee retention tax credit is turning into a classic case of government waste and fraud. Congress created the mess, leaving it to the IRS to mop up. Pandemic transfer payments and student-loan forbearance ended this year, but the employee retention tax credit (ERC) is a Covid giveaway that keeps on giving. The government has paid $230 billion in claims, including about $120 billion this year. The taxpayer bill will keep growing since employers have until April 2025 to claim the credit on wages paid through 2021.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Investigators Probe Whether U.S. Was Billed Twice for Coronavirus Research in China
World

Investigators Probe Whether U.S. Was Billed Twice for Coronavirus Research in China

Dec. 23, 2023 10:00 am ETWASHINGTON—Two federal inspectors general are investigating whether a nonprofit group involved in high-risk coronavirus research in China double-billed U.S. taxpayers for hundreds of thousands of dollars for that work, according to people familiar with the matter.The probe of New York-based EcoHealth Alliance’s practices, some details of which haven’t been reported, is at an advanced stage and has included subpoenas of the organization’s records, the people said.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Why You Are More Likely to Get Sick This Winter, in Charts
World

Why You Are More Likely to Get Sick This Winter, in Charts

Get ready for more sickness.Covid-19 is settling in as a wintertime fixture, and infections are expected to rise again as the weather cools and holiday gatherings pile up. The virus is on a collision course with the seasonal scourges of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which are circulating again after the pandemic disrupted their spread. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
WHO Presses China for Data on Wave of Undiagnosed Pneumonia Cases
World

WHO Presses China for Data on Wave of Undiagnosed Pneumonia Cases

Updated Nov. 23, 2023 8:19 pm ETThe World Health Organization said it has asked China to provide more information on an outbreak of pneumonia among children in northern parts of the country, an unusual public disclosure that revives questions about Beijing’s transparency on the spread of infectious diseases.In a statement issued Wednesday, the WHO cited reports about “clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China,” which prompted the United Nations agency to ask Beijing for “additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results” related to the infections. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The Covid Vaccine Windfall Turns for Pfizer and Moderna
World

The Covid Vaccine Windfall Turns for Pfizer and Moderna

Updated Nov. 19, 2023 3:03 pm ETThe U.S. was in a fit of Covid panic during Thanksgiving week two years ago. The Omicron variant had emerged like a creature from the Black Lagoon. Public-health officials indicated we’d need another updated booster. Share prices in Pfizer and Moderna surged. By month’s end, Pfizer’s stock-market value had surpassed $300 billion, up 50% from the start of the pandemic. Moderna’s shares had soared by more than 1,000% over the same period. In 2022 Pfizer became the first pharmaceutical company to book more than $100 billion in annual sales owing to government purchases of its vaccines and antiviral pill.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The NYC Marathon Is Harder to Get Into Than Ivy League Schools
World

The NYC Marathon Is Harder to Get Into Than Ivy League Schools

From dawn to dusk one day last winter, Liliana Pech-Adrian kept checking her bank account hoping that a $295 charge would appear. That’s the registration fee for the New York City Marathon, which would show up if the longtime recreational runner was selected through the race’s entry lottery.Pech-Adrian, a 39-year-old mother of four who lives outside Austin, Texas, yearned to run New York’s most famous race after watching the city from afar during the Covid-19 pandemic. “If I get to run on those streets that were so sad and shut down and empty, it’s like a victory,” she said.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
When to Get Your Covid Booster, Flu Vaccine or RSV Shot This Fall
World

When to Get Your Covid Booster, Flu Vaccine or RSV Shot This Fall

Updated Nov. 1, 2023 12:57 pm ETAmericans have started rolling up their sleeves for an array of shots to help stem the anticipated tide of respiratory infections this season. So far, it’s been a bumpy ride.Most people should be able to get updated Covid-19 shots free, but the process is more convoluted now that the public health emergency has ended. Still, now is the time to take advantage of the Covid-19 vaccine and all other available shots, doctors and officials said.  Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8