Latest COVID-19 Headlines

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

Healthcare Costs, Premiums Likely to Rise for Years Due to COVID-19

Aug 16 2021 // Health implications related to COVID-19 will continue to drive elevated health system utilization long after the acute phase of the pandemic has concluded, likely leading to increasing costs and higher insurance premiums...

Washington Farm to Pay More Than $2M Following COVID Deaths

Aug 16 2021 // The state of Washington reached a settlement with Gebbers Farms Operations LP to spend more than $2 million improving housing, quality of life, safety and access to health care for farm employees and their families.The...

Ruling Against Dentist’s COVID Business Interruption Could Be Key Win for Insurers

Aug 16 2021 // A federal appellate court ruling that dismissed a dental practice’s COVID-19 business interruption claim might be the beginning of the end for policyholder arguments that income lost because of government shutdowns...

Insurers Expect COVID-19 Liability Claims Against Employers as Employees Return

Aug 16 2021 // Liability insurers on both sides of the Atlantic are scaling back the cover they offer companies ahead of an expected wave of discrimination claims as employers call staff back to their desks after 18 months of...

California Justices Won’t Limit Governor’s Pandemic Powers

Aug 13 2021 // The California Supreme Court declined to consider reining in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving in place a lower court’s ruling that the governor acted within his...

Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Florida, Texas Could Have Saved 4,700 Lives Through July

Aug 13 2021 // The success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in many states demonstrates the real-world feasibility, and impact, of achieving high vaccination coverage. By the end of July, the five highest-performing states — Vermont,...

McDonald’s Franchise Settles Workers’ COVID-19 Lawsuit

Aug 13 2021 // A McDonald’s Corp. franchise in Oakland, California, has agreed to take steps to protect workers from COVID-19 to settle a 2020 lawsuit claiming managers gave employees dog diapers and coffee filters to use as face...

Americans’ Mental Health Needs, Help Gap Worsen in COVID’s Second Summer

Aug 12 2021 // It’s been nearly a year since the U.S. Census Bureau started asking Americans about the mental-health effects of the pandemic — and the latest survey shows just how much worse things have gotten since then.Some...

Zurich Insurance Reports Strong Surge in Earnings as COVID-19 Impact Eases

Aug 12 2021 // Zurich Insurance Group’s on Thursday joined other big European insurers in reporting a strong rebound in earnings as the impact from COVID-19 on their businesses eased.Buoyant markets along with higher policy sales...

Mississippi Approaches Record COVID Hospitalizations

Aug 12 2021 // Mississippi is approaching its record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations as the virus continues spreading rapidly in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S.The state Health Department reported Tuesday...

Amazon Loses Bid to Halt New York Warehouse COVID Safety Probe

Aug 11 2021 // A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Amazon.com Inc’s lawsuit to block New York’s attorney general from investigating the online retailer’s ability to protect warehouse workers from COVID-19.U.S. District...

Deadly Rise in Speeding That Began During Pandemic Still Hasn’t Stopped

Aug 10 2021 // Motorists put the pedal to the metal during the pandemic and police are worried as roads get busy with the final stretch of summer travel.The latest data shows the number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more...

Munich Re’s Q2 Profit Rises 91%, While COVID-19 Losses Outpace Expectations

Aug 10 2021 // German reinsurance group Munich Re said on Tuesday it would meet its 2021 profit goal as it raised its forecast for gross premiums and predicted higher pandemic-related losses than previously anticipated.Munich Re made the...

Minnesota Restaurant Workers Shortchanged During COVID Awarded $230K

Aug 9 2021 // Employees of a Minneapolis, Minnesota, restaurant group will receive money they were denied after the company laid off workers during the COVID-19 shutdowns without giving them their final paychecks.A settlement completed...

Federal Judge Grants Norwegian Cruise Line Preliminary Injunction to Require COVID Vaccine

Aug 8 2021 // A federal judge granted Norwegian Cruise Line a preliminary injunction blocking a Florida law that prevents businesses from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination.U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 60-page...

Washington Farm to Pay More $2M Following COVID Deaths

Aug 6 2021 // The state of Washington has reached a settlement with Gebbers Farms Operations, LP to spend more than $2 million improving housing, quality of life, safety and access to health care for farm employees and their...

Insurers Expect COVID-19 Liability Claims Against Employers as Employees Return

Aug 6 2021 // Liability insurers on both sides of the Atlantic are scaling back the cover they offer companies ahead of an expected wave of discrimination claims as employers call staff back to their desks after 18 months of...

Ruling Against Dentist’s COVID Business Interruption Could Be Key Win for Insurers

Aug 4 2021 // A federal appellate court ruling that dismissed a dental practice’s COVID-19 business interruption claim might be the beginning of the end for policyholder arguments that income lost because of government shutdowns...

Chronic Scarcity of UK Workers Blamed on COVID and, of Course, Brexit

Aug 3 2021 // On the outskirts of the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy is a crop of new houses on their way to completion. There are two large banners pinned to the perimeter fence with a mobile phone number: “Bricklayers...

Massachusetts Sues Grubhub Over Fees Charged During Pandemic

Aug 3 2021 // Online food delivery platform Grubhub charged some Massachusetts restaurants illegally high fees during the coronavirus pandemic, the state attorney general’s office alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday.The suit,...