Latest COVID-19 Headlines

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

How Government Plans to Make COVID-19 Vaccine Free for Every American

Oct 30 2020 // Federal health officials Wednesday issued insurance coverage rules designed to deliver on the promise that every American will have access to free COVID-19 vaccines when they are approved.The regulations from the Centers...

Illinois Governor Bans Indoor Dining in Chicago as Virus Cases Surge

Oct 29 2020 // Surging COVID-19 cases in Chicago has prompted Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to ban indoor dining and bar services and limit the number of people gathering in one place.However, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she...

WHO to Form COVID Insurance Scheme for Vaccine Side-Effects in Poor Nations

Oct 29 2020 // BRUSSELS – A vaccine scheme co-led by the World Health Organization is setting up a compensation fund for people in poor nations who might suffer any side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines, aiming to allay fears that could...

Chubb Weathers $1 Billion in Catastrophes, Gains New Business in COVID Economy in 3Q

Oct 29 2020 // Chubb’s net income grew by 9 percent in the 2020 third quarter, which CEO Evan Greenberg credited to rate hikes and improving underwriting conditions despite a tough environment shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.The...

AI-Based Risk Score Predicts Prognosis of Outpatients with COVID-19

Oct 28 2020 // A new artificial intelligence-based score considers multiple factors to predict the prognosis of individual patients with COVID-19 seen at urgent care clinics or emergency departments.The tool, nicknamed CoVA, was created...

El Paso Judge Imposes Curfew as Virus Cases Overwhelm Hospitals

Oct 27 2020 // Residents in the Texas border city of El Paso have been urged to stay home for two weeks as a spike in coronavirus cases overwhelms hospitals, prompting the state to dedicate part of the city’s civic center as a...

Pandemic Having LittIe Effect on Insurance Agency M&A Activity: OPTIS Partners

Oct 27 2020 // There were 170 announced insurance agency mergers and acquisitions during the third quarter of 2020 compared to 173 for the same period in 2019, according to a report from consulting firm OPTIS Partners.The Chicago-based...

COVID-19 Aid Deadline Extended for Louisiana Fisheries Following Storms

Oct 27 2020 // Damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta has prompted Louisiana to extend the deadline for fisheries’ workers and businesses to apply for help under a coronavirus pandemic program.Instead of ending on Oct. 26, the...

Lawsuit Filed Against Montana Nursing Home for Negligence in Virus Deaths

Oct 27 2020 // A long-term care facility in Montana has been sued after health officials said its staff was negligent and allowed the coronavirus to spread through the facility in Whitefish earlier this year.The lawsuit has been filed by...

Texas’ Fairly Group Offering COVID-19 Insurance for College Sports Programs

Oct 26 2020 // Amarillo, Texas-based Fairly Group and its sister-company OccuNet have unveiled an insurance product that covers medical expenses for collegiate student athletes who contract COVID-19.Inspired by the viral #wewanttoplay...

Rhode Island Fines, Closes Four Bars Over Alleged COVID Violations

Oct 26 2020 // Rhode Island has fined and temporarily shut down four more bars over alleged violations of state rules meant to control the spread of the coronavirus, state health officials said Friday.State inspectors found various...

Insureds After COVID Premium Cuts Must Ask State Regulator First, Judge Rules

Oct 26 2020 // A federal judge has ruled that State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. does not have to return premiums to a small business customer because of the insured’s reduced business during the pandemic.The judge in Missouri found...

Report: Few Virus Cases in Working Age Californians Result in Comp Claims

Oct 23 2020 // Only one-in-14 COVID-19 cases involving working-age Californians from May through September of 2020 has been claimed as a job injury, while only 1-in-25 COVID-19 deaths among working age individuals has been claimed to be...

North Carolina Continues on Reopening Path Despite Rising Virus Numbers

Oct 23 2020 // North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that the state will keep its reopening guidelines in place for three more weeks, at a time when key coronavirus metrics worsen.Since Cooper increased mass indoor and...

North Dakota Seeks to Use Coronavirus Aid for Fracking

Oct 23 2020 // North Dakota officials say they want to repurpose $16 million in federal coronavirus aid and spend it on grants to encourage fracking instead of using it to clean up abandoned oil well sites.Regulators have presented the...

Company Cites Pandemic in Delay of $9B Louisiana Construction Project

Oct 23 2020 // A company is citing the coronavirus pandemic for its decision to delay some work on a more than $9 billion construction project in Louisiana.Formosa Plastics affiliate FG LA LLC said it is deferring major construction on a...

Insurer to Appeal Restaurants’ Win in North Carolina COVID Business Interruption Case

Oct 23 2020 // A judge in Durham County, North Carolina has handed down what may be the nation’s first dispositive ruling in favor of policyholders in a COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuit.Superior Court Judge Orlando F. Hudson...

Judge in North Carolina Favors Policyholders in COVID-19 Closure Lawsuit

Oct 23 2020 // A judge in Durham County, North Carolina has handed down what may be the nation’s first dispositive ruling in favor of policyholders in a COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuit.Superior Court Judge Orlando F. Hudson...

Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Continued to Rise During Pandemic

Oct 22 2020 // Having fewer auto insurance claims during the coronavirus pandemic appears to have given insurers time to refine their customer experience and deliver higher higher quality claims service.According to the J.D. Power 2020...

Argo Group Estimates $71M in Catastrophe, COVID Losses During Third Quarter

Oct 22 2020 // Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. announced that its results for the third quarter of 2020 will be adversely affected by estimated losses of $71 million related to various natural catastrophe events and the continued...