Latest COVID-19 Headlines

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

Arkansas Sues Medical Supplier for $11M for Failed COVID Supplies Delivery

Oct 29 2021 // The state of Arkansas filed a consumer protection lawsuit Wednesday against a Virginia-based medical supplier for nearly $11 million for failing to deliver supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, Attorney General Leslie...

Judge Rejects Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Bid to Block COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Oct 28 2021 // A federal judge has rejected a bid by pilots to block Southwest Airlines from imposing a vaccine mandate, saying the Dallas-based airline is within its power to require vaccination as a safety measure.U.S. District Judge...

Report Finds Meat Plant Workers’ COVID Cases Much Higher Than Previous Estimates

Oct 28 2021 // Workers at the leading U.S. meatpacking plants experienced cases and death from COVID-19 that were up to three times previous estimates, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis seen...

For Home Insurers, Weather Proves More Costly While COVID Measures Lower Claims

Oct 28 2021 // Catastrophic weather events such as wildfires, hurricanes and floods caused 39% of home insurance claims in 2020 – the highest percentage in the last six years.According to the 2021 LexisNexis Home Trends Report, the...

California Labor Commissioner Cites Grocer $1.1M for COVID Sick Leave Practices

Oct 26 2021 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Bodega Latina (dba El Super grocery stores) in Southern California $1,164,500 for failing to provide or delaying supplemental paid sick leave or other benefits to 240...

Texas Workers’ Compensation Saw Telemedicine Services Skyrocket During Pandemic

Oct 22 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...

U.S. Urges Global Intellectual Property Waiver for COVID-19 Vaccines

Oct 22 2021 // The White House on Thursday called on all World Trade Organization members to support an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines.“We … need every WTO member to step up as well and support an...

3 States Could Lose Their Workplace Safety Authority for Refusing COVID Rules

Oct 21 2021 // The Biden administration threatened Tuesday to revoke the authority for three Republican-controlled states to handle their own workplace safety enforcement because they have refused to adopt rules to protect health care...

Missouri County Approves $146.7K Settlement to Church’s COVID Lawsuit

Oct 20 2021 // Officials in Missouri’s Jackson County approved a settlement with a church that had sued over COVID-19 restrictions that it claimed discriminated against religion.The Jackson County Legislature voted to approve a...

Business Groups Rally Against, Block Texas Bill to Ban COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Oct 19 2021 // Bills intended to block any Texas entity, including hospitals and private businesses, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees failed to pass the Texas Legislature before lawmakers adjourned the third special...

Pandemic Underscores Need to Diversify Tahoe’s Tourist Economy

Oct 19 2021 // The COVID-19 pandemic helped expose the growing vulnerability of Lake Tahoe’s increasingly tourism-dependent economy as housing costs balloon, year-round residency declines and more workers commute from afar or seek...

Amazon Sued by Colorado Warehouse Workers Over COVID-19 Screening Pay

Oct 18 2021 // Amazon.com Inc. has been accused of violating Colorado state law by failing to pay warehouse workers for time spent undergoing COVID-19 screenings before clocking in at work.Jennifer Vincenzetti, who worked at two Amazon...

Agencies Made Progress With Technology During Pandemic but Data Issues Remain Obstacle to Digital Future

Oct 18 2021 // It’s difficult enough keeping up with the latest trends in agency technology let alone trying to do it during a global pandemic. But industry technology experts say independent agencies made progress, with many...

Texas Bill Would Make Firms Requiring COVID Vaccine Vulnerable to Lawsuits

Oct 15 2021 // As Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican Texas leaders wage a war against vaccination mandates meant to curb COVID-19, a state Senate committee on Oct. 14 advanced legislation that would make any entity, including...

Illinois Healthcare Center Fined $83.6K for Lack of Coronavirus Protections

Oct 14 2021 // Federal workplace safety officials say a Bloomingdale, Illinois, nursing facility failed to protect employees and temporary staff from possible coronavirus hazards a year after an employee died of the disease.OSHA...

Another Wisconsin Parent Sues Over School’s Lack of COVID Protocols

Oct 13 2021 // Another Wisconsin mother has filed a federal lawsuit over the lack of COVID-19 protocols at her son’s school.WEAU-TV reported that Gina Kildahl filed the suit on Oct. 11 in Madison. She’s seeking an injunction...

Federal Judges Uphold Status Quo in Rulings on 3 New York COVID Vaccine Mandates

Oct 13 2021 // Federal judges issued three different decisions on New York state and city requirements for Covid-19 vaccinations, upholding the status quo as the contentious issue winds it way through the court system.New York...

Johnson & Wales University Sues Insurer Over Pandemic Losses

Oct 13 2021 // Johnson & Wales University is suing its insurer over financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, alleging the company breached its contract because it did not allow the university to claim pandemic-related...

Wisconsin School District Sued by Parent Whose Child Contracted COVID-19

Oct 12 2021 // A parent has sued a southeastern Wisconsin school district after her son contracted COVID-19 from a classmate.The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Shannon Jensen filed the lawsuit in federal court against the...

Gov. Abbott Bars All COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Texas, Rips Biden for ‘Bullying’

Oct 12 2021 // Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, responding to what he called “bullying” by the Biden Administration, on Oct. 11 barred all COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the state by any entity, including private...