Latest COVID-19 Headlines

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

Insurers Tell UK Supreme Court They Cannot Provide Unlimited Cover During Pandemic

Nov 16 2020 // Major insurance companies told the UK Supreme Court on Monday that thousands of small companies battered by the coronavirus pandemic were not eligible for business interruption payouts and to suggest differently was...

Medical Costs of COVID Patients 50% Higher Than Before Hospitalization: German Study

Nov 16 2020 // Medical costs of German COVID-19 patients who have left hospitals are on average 50% higher than before they were admitted, data from a major insurer showed, a sign that even those who have recovered struggle to regain...

McDonald’s Plans Safety Checks of All Restaurants as COVID Cases Surge

Nov 16 2020 // McDonald’s Corp. will inspect all its U.S. restaurants to ensure compliance with safety standards as coronavirus cases surge again and “COVID fatigue” sets in, according to an internal note seen by...

COVID-19 and Workers’ Comp a Moving Target, But Some Certainties Exist for Employers

Nov 16 2020 // This year could be the most controversial rate recommendation in the 107-year history of the California workers’ compensation system. Why? Because we are dealing with a virus we’ve never experienced before. The...

Senior Living in a Post-Pandemic World

Nov 16 2020 // Property/casualty insurance for senior living facilities has taken a hit this year. The insurance market has been hardening for the last year or two, and the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a wave of new challenges that has...

Insurers Face Workforce, Risk, Policy Challenges as Pandemic Continues

Nov 16 2020 // Given that business-as-usual is unlikely to return soon due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. property/casualty insurers will continue to face challenges related to virus-related insurance losses and premium volume...

Crisis Within a Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Driving the Opioid Epidemic

Nov 16 2020 // While the current national health conversation has largely centered on the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths in the U.S. alone and more than a million worldwide according to recent World...

25K Virus-Linked Claims Filed with Texas Workers’ Comp Carriers Through June 30

Nov 13 2020 // As of Sept. 27, workers’ compensation insurance carriers in Texas had reported more than 25,000 COVID-19 claims and 103 fatalities to the state’s regulators. The numbers cover virus-related claims reported to...

28 Election Employees in 1 Missouri County Test Positive for Virus

Nov 13 2020 // Twenty-eight employees of the election board in one of Missouri’s largest counties have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, and a director believes they most likely got infected from voters, though...

Italy’s UnipolSai Stays on Profit Track Despite Coronavirus Resurgence

Nov 13 2020 // UnipolSai, Italy’s second-largest insurer, confirmed its full-year targets on Friday after a 37.7% rise in nine-month earnings, despite an uncertain economic outlook caused by the resurgence of the COVID-19...

Professional Liability Underwriters Feeling Pressure From COVID: AM Best

Nov 13 2020 // The COVID-19 pandemic is creating varying levels of disruption for writers in the U.S. professional liability insurance market, with many expecting a sizable increase in claims, according to a new AM Best report.With its...

Louisiana Court Schedules Trial on First Coronavirus Business Interruption Lawsuit

Nov 12 2020 // A trial will begin Monday in what is thought to be the first lawsuit to be filed against an insurer for denying coverage for business-interruption losses caused by COVID-19 shutdown orders.Judge Paulette R. Irons ruled...

Meat Company Suing New Mexico to Remain Open After Virus Cases

Nov 12 2020 // A U.S. meat company that supplies Walmart and Costco is suing New Mexico to fight a state order that seeks to close a production facility where more than 100 workers have tested positive for COVID-19.The lawsuit from...

Zurich Insurance Reports Sales Growth, Higher Rates, Modest COVID-19 Claims

Nov 12 2020 // Zurich Insurance Group saw increased commercial lines insurance sales and a modest impact from COVID-19 related claims for the first nine months of the year, according to its third quarter report.Growth was supported by...

Pandemic Risks to Last for Months, Warns Swiss Financial Market Supervisor

Nov 12 2020 // Financial risks related to the coronavirus pandemic will last for months if not years, Switzerland’s financial market supervisor FINMA said on Wednesday, pointing to particularly heightened risk of defaults on...

Employers Facing Wave of Lawsuits by Parents Fired During Pandemic

Nov 12 2020 // Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed.Since March, working parents...

CWCI: California Workers’ Comp Virus Claim Count Tops 50,000

Nov 10 2020 // There have been 50,592 COVID-19 claims reported to the state Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) so far this year – including 282 death claims, according to latest tally by the California Workers’...

Alaska Governor Makes New Emergency Virus Declaration

Nov 10 2020 // Alaska’s governor has announced a new COVID-19 disaster declaration for the state that will take effect Nov. 16 and last 30 days.Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the updated declaration on Friday, ahead of the...

COVID-19 Cases in Nursing Homes Rising in States Hit by Latest Virus Surge

Nov 10 2020 // Despite Trump administration efforts to erect a protective shield around nursing homes, coronavirus cases are surging within facilities in states hard hit by the latest onslaught of COVID-19.An analysis of federal data...

Philippine Insurers Under Pressure to Meet New Capital Requirement Amid Pandemic

Nov 10 2020 // AM Best believes local companies in the Philippine insurance industry will still face significant pressure on underwriting growth and profitability amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with the recent rejection of a proposal...