Latest COVID-19 Headlines

All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.

California Preparing for Possible Winter Pandemic Surge

Nov 12 2021 // California has begun positioning equipment and locking in contracts with temporary health care workers in preparation for another possible winter surge of coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.The most populous state...

Allianz Posts Better-Than-Expected Q3 Net Profit as It Emerges From COVID Pressures

Nov 10 2021 // Allianz nudged its forecast for record profit in 2021 even higher on Wednesday after a bumper third quarter while it tries to work out how much money it may need to set aside for a U.S. investigation into its fund...

Judge Upholds United Airlines’ COVID Vaccine Mandate for Employees

Nov 9 2021 // A U.S. federal judge on Monday ruled United Airlines Holdings Inc. can impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on its employees that only provides unpaid leave for workers who are exempted for medical or religious reasons.U.S....

Telehealth Firms See Post-COVID Mental Health Crisis as Priority

Nov 9 2021 // LISBON — Demand for online mental health care will be a priority in the post-COVID world, bosses of telehealth apps say, after lockdowns took a toll on people’s wellbeing and requests for virtual appointments...

Federal Court in Tenn. Dismisses Another COVID Coverage Suit

Nov 9 2021 // Another federal court has dismissed a COVID-19 virus-coverage lawsuit brought by a company that had its business-interruption claim denied by its insurance carrier.In Agilitas USA vs. Hartford Fire Insurance Co., the U.S....

6th Circuit Rejects COVID-19 Business-Interruption Claim by Ohio Private Pre-Schools

Nov 9 2021 // The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 5 affirmed the dismissal of another lawsuit seeking coverage for COVID-19 business-interruption losses, this one filed jointly by 16 private pre-schools in Ohio.It was the third...

Report Says Long-Haul COVID Cases Could Affect Workers For Months

Nov 9 2021 // Just as COVID-19 infections nationwide appear to be on the decline, employers and workers’ compensation insurers need to be prepared for a sobering reality: Studies suggest that 10% to 30% of those who had only mild...

Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Losses Continued in Q3 on Catastrophes, Pandemic

Nov 8 2021 // Overall net income fell at giant Berkshire Hathaway in the third quarter from $30.1 billion a year ago to $10.3 billion this third quarter, reflecting losses on insurance underwriting as well as the continuing effects of...

Court Stays OSHA’s COVID Vaccine Mandate on Business With 100+ Employees

Nov 7 2021 // NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency...

Why Millions Have Left Workforce During Pandemic

Nov 5 2021 // Approximately five million people in the U.S. are unemployed or have left the workforce since the pandemic began, and it is difficult to predict whether their decision was short term or permanent.According to S&P...

Canada Insurers, Banks Can Resume Dividend Hikes as Regulator Lifts COVID-Era Curbs

Nov 5 2021 // TORONTO – Canadian banks and insurers can resume dividend increases and share buybacks and raise executive compensation, the country’s financial regulator said on Thursday, lifting a moratorium it imposed in March...

Biden COVID-19 Vaccine Rules for Businesses Prompt Republican Backlash

Nov 5 2021 // President Joe Biden will enforce a mandate that workers at U.S. companies with at least 100 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly starting Jan. 4, spurring legal challenges from Republican governors...

Missouri Judge Rules in Favor of Insurer in COVID-19 Business-Interruption Claim

Nov 3 2021 // A Kansas City jury decided in favor of the insurer in the nation’s first jury trail of a lawsuit that sought coverage for business-interruption losses caused by the coronavirus.The jury for the U.S. District Court...

States Sue to End Biden COVID Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors

Nov 1 2021 // Eighteen states filed three separate lawsuits Friday to stop President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing that the requirement violates federal law.Attorneys general from Alaska,...

UK Baker Greggs Files $137M Claim Against Zurich Over COVID-19 Payout

Nov 1 2021 // UK baker Greggs Plc filed a $137 million (£100 million) legal claim against Switzerland’s Zurich Insurance Group in a disagreement over a pandemic-related insurance payout, according to a report in the Sunday...

Iowa Governor Signs Law Allowing Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Nov 1 2021 // Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Oct. 29 signed into law a bill that allows Iowa workers to seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and guarantees that those who are fired for refusing a vaccine will...

Report Sounds Alarm Over Workers With Long-Term COVID-19 Symptoms

Nov 1 2021 // About 10% of people who contracted COVID-19 continue to suffer persistent symptoms months later, creating the potential for millions of people to suffer functional impairment for extended lengths of time, according to a...

Texas Workers’ Comp Telemedicine Utilization Soared During Pandemic

Nov 1 2021 // Utilization of telemedicine services in the Texas workers’ compensation rose dramatically during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recently published report from the Texas Department of Insurance...

Uncovering Opportunities in the Shifting Landscape Emerging from COVID-19

Nov 1 2021 // As I write this, in the fall of 2021, it’s now clear that we are going to be living and working with COVID-19 for the indeterminant future – perhaps forever. Regardless of one’s opinions about vaccines,...

California Workers’ Comp Hospital Stays Decline as COVID Affects Quantity and Types of Admissions

Oct 29 2021 // The latest update to California Workers’ Compensation Institute research on California workers’ compensation inpatient hospital stays shows the number of injured worker hospitalizations fell 17.2% in 2020,...