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Study: Excessive drinking causes 1 in 5 deaths among US adults ages 20-49

November 2, 2022

A new study published to the Journal of the American Medical Association this week revealed excessive drinking is a major cause of death among young adults. According to the study, which was based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and posted at JAMA Network Open, approximately 20% of deaths among 20 to 49-year-old Americans were directly attributable to alcohol abuse.

The study, which looked at deaths and drinking from 2015 to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, also found excessive drinking was responsible for one in eight (12.9%) deaths among people ages 20 to 64.

According to the CDC, excessive alcohol use is a leading preventable cause of death in the United States and shortens the lives of those who die because of it by an average of 26 years.

The agency says that about one in six U.S. adults binge drink, meaning for women consuming four or more drinks on a given occasion and for men, five or more drinks. Officials report that Americans have a problem with heavy drinking, which is eight or more drinks per week for a woman and 15 or more drinks per week for a man.

Today’s rate of consumption far outpaces the years around Prohibition but is well below the peak of American alcohol intake of the 1980s. Today’s average U.S. adult consumes about 2.3 gallons each year, compared to just under one gallon in 1934 and 2.76 gallons in 1981, the Associated Press noted.
Foxconn workers in China flee, Shanghai Disneyland closes

October 31, 2022

Over the weekend, thousands of Foxconn workers in central China fled the facility following a COVID-19 outbreak. The workers said they feared being trapped in close working conditions with sick people and little food or medical treatment.

Under China’s “Zero COVID” policy, entire cities could be locked down, and residents forced to stay in their homes. Fearing a similar response, thousands of people at the Foxconn factory decided it was time to go.

Videos posted to social media show thousands of people reportedly leaving by any means necessary from the factory in Zhengzhou. The factory makes the majority of iPhones for the global market. It is not possible to verify that everyone in the videos was a Foxconn employee.

Like other Chinese factories, the Foxconn facility was operating under what’s called “closed-loop” management, meaning workers were required to also live at the factory. Local media reports several people at the Zhengzhou site tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-October, but that the facility didn’t do enough to care for the sick employees.

China’s “Zero COVID” policy isn’t restricted to factories or workers, though. On Monday, Shanghai Disneyland abruptly shut its gates, locking park employees and patrons inside. The park said it was complying with local COVID-19 protocols, and that everyone inside would need to have a negative COVID-19 test before being released.

The theme park did continue to operate rides for people stuck in the park.

Reuters contributed to this report.
New York City employees fired over COVID-19 vaccines reinstated

October 26, 2022

The New York Supreme Court ruled this week thousands of people who lost their jobs because they didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine can now go back to work. Some will also receive back pay.

Around 1,700 New York City employees lost their jobs for not being vaccinated earlier this year. Most of them were firefighters and police officers.

New York’s Supreme Court said this week, though, that all of those workers fired by the city need to be reinstated with back pay. The court said being vaccinated does not prevent someone from contracting or transmitting COVID-19.

There were two vaccine mandates in New York City: One on private employers and one on city workers. The city issued exemptions for athletes and performers, under the private employer mandate, but no exemptions were given to municipal workers. The court found the city was acting arbitrarily when it made its ruling on Monday.

But as of Tuesday, the city still had not rescinded the vaccine mandate on municipal workers.

City leaders did, however, vote to rescind the vaccine mandate on private employers effective November 1, a mandate which was enacted by former Mayor Bill de Blasio (D).

Private employers will still be permitted to require their workers get vaccinated. Even with vaccine mandates being repealed, many private employers and government offices are having a hard time filling open positions.

Dozens of people were fired in Massachusetts when Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said all executive branch workers had to be vaccinated. Now, the state is trying to hire back many of those same people.
UN climate report; joint warning to North Korea; inhalable COVID vaccine

October 26, 2022

A new climate report from the United Nations found the world is “nowhere near” hitting greenhouse gas emissions targets; North Korea was the recipient of a joint warning over nuclear testing; and China launched an inhalable COVID-19 vaccine. The stories highlight the Daily Rundown for Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

U.N. climate report – According to a new report from UN Climate Change released Wednesday, current pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions put the planet on course to blow past the limit for global warming countries agreed to in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The latest estimate, based on 193 national emissions targets, would see temperatures rise to 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages by the end of the century. That’s a full degree higher than the ambitious goal set in the Paris pact to limit warming by 1.5 C (2.7 F).

“We are still nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reductions required to put us on track toward a 1.5 degrees Celsius world,” UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said in a statement. “To keep this goal alive, national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them in the next eight years.”

Joint warning to North Korea – Following a Wednesday meeting, the United States, Japan and South Korea warned that an “unparalleled” scale of response would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test. If that happens, it would be the first such test from North Korea since 2017.

“North Korea’s strengthening of its nuclear missile activities, including the recent extremely high frequency of ballistic missile launches, poses a clear and serious challenge to the international community,” Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori said Wednesday. “On that basis, we agreed to further strengthen the deterrence and coping capabilities of the Japan-U.S. and U.S.-South Korea alliances, and to further promote trilateral security cooperation.”

Inhalable COVID-19 vaccine – In what appears to be a world first, the Chinese city of Shanghai started administering an inhalable COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. It’s being offered for free as a booster dose for previously vaccinated individuals, according to an announcement posted on an official city social media account.

“It was like drinking a cup of milk tea,” a Shanghai resident identifying himself as “Mr. Chen” said. “When I breathed it in, it tasted a bit sweet.”

China doesn’t have vaccine mandates. However, the country wants more people to get booster shots before it relaxes its controversial “zero-COVID” policy.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Sunak takes over as PM; Griner sentence appeal; Biden to get booster

October 25, 2022

Rishi Sunak was officially installed as the next British prime minister; a Russian court heard Brittney Griner’s appeal to her nine-year prison sentence; and President Joe Biden was set to receive an updated COVID-19 shot. These stories highlight the Daily Rundown for Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022.

Sunak takes over as British prime minister – King Charles III accepted now-former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ resignation Tuesday morning and asked new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to form a new government. Sunak now must turn his attention to taming an economic crisis that has left the country’s finances in a precarious state and millions of Britons struggling to afford food and energy bills.

“Some mistakes were made. Not borne of ill will or bad intentions. Quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes nonetheless,” Sunak said in a speech outside Downing Street. “I have been elected as leader of my party, and your Prime Minister, in part, to fix them. And that work begins immediately. I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda.”

Russian court hearing Griner appeal – A Russian court began hearing American basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal of her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession. Griner was convicted back in August after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

The sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.

Biden to get latest COVID-19 shot – President Biden was set to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine dose Tuesday. The updated shot, which was rolled out last month, is part of a wider push from the Biden administration to get more Americans vaccinated before the holiday season begins.

“Today, President Biden will announce additional efforts to get Americans their updated COVID-19 vaccine, so that they have the protection they need heading into Thanksgiving and can have a safe and healthy holiday season,” the White House said in a Tuesday fact sheet. “The president will get his updated COVID-19 vaccine, and call on everyone — including state, local, education, and business leaders — to do their part to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Report card: US students’ reading, math scores dropped due to pandemic

October 24, 2022

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as the “nation’s report card” — the COVID-19 pandemic led to a major drop in American students’ reading and math test scores. NAEP released its 2022 data Monday, which looked at proficiency in the two subject among U.S. fourth and eighth graders.

“In 2022, the average reading score at both fourth and eighth grade decreased by 3 points compared to 2019,” NAEP reported. “The average fourth-grade mathematics score decreased by 5 points … the average eighth-grade mathematics score decreased by 8 points.” According to NAEP, these are historic lows.

“At fourth grade, the average reading score was lower than all previous assessment years going back to 2005 and was not significantly different in comparison to 1992. At eighth grade, the average reading score was lower compared to all previous assessment years going back to 1998 and was not significantly different compared to 1992,” NAEP said. “The average fourth-grade mathematics score… was lower than all previous assessment years going back to 2005; the average score was one point higher compared to 2003. The average eighth-grade mathematics score… was lower than all previous assessment years going back to 2003.”

On Twitter, NAEP noted “the declining 8th-grade math results are particularly worrisome.” Daniel McGrath, the acting associate commissioner for assessment at the National Center for Education Statistics, said this is because “grade is a pivotal moment in students’ mathematics education.”

“Eighth grade is when students is when students develop key mathematics skills for further learning and potential careers in mathematics and science,” McGrath was quoted as saying. “If left unaddressed, declining mathematics achievement could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people.”

While concerning, the drop in reading and math scores compared to before the pandemic are hardly surprising. The pandemic upended every facet of life and left millions learning from home for months or more. The results released Monday reveal the depth of those setbacks, and the size of the challenge facing schools as they help students catch up.

“The results show the profound toll on student learning during the pandemic. … They underscore the importance of instruction and the role of schools in both students’ academic growth and their overall wellbeing,” NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr was quoted as saying. “We all need to come together — policymakers and community leaders at every level — as partners in helping our educators, children and families succeed.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
COVID-19 vaccine added to recommended list, Pfizer plans price hike

October 21, 2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the routinely recommended vaccine list. The committee’s unanimous decision Thursday has no immediate effect, since COVID-19 shots already are recommended for virtually all Americans. However, it’s one more step towards the CDC putting the shots on the annually updated, formal lists of what vaccinations doctors should be routinely offering to their patients.

“It’s important to note that there are no changes in COVID-19 vaccine policy, and today’s action simply helps streamline clinical guidance for healthcare providers by including all currently licensed, authorized and routinely recommended vaccines in one document,” the CDC said in a statement Thursday.

Decisions made by the committee are almost always adopted by the CDC director and then sent to doctors as part of the government’s advice on how to prevent disease. However, state and local officials don’t always adopt every recommendation. Flu and HPV shots, for example, are not required by many schools. The decision comes as the White House continues to push Americans to get the COVID-19 and flu vaccines before Halloween.

“If Americans did that, we could save hundreds of lives each day this winter,” White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Ja said last week. “As the Commonwealth Fund just put out a new report, a new analysis. They estimate that we can save as many as 90,000 lives and nearly a million hospitalizations if most eligible Americans got their updated vaccines.”

The decision to add to the CDC’s recommended list comes as Pfizer indicated it was planning a major price hike to its COVID-19 vaccine. On Thursday, Angela Lukin, a Pfizer executive, said the company expects to roughly quadruple the price of the vaccine to about $110 to $130 per dose after the U.S. government’s current purchase program expires.

According to analysts, the hike could spur revenues for years. Wells Fargo Analyst Mohit Bansal said it could create around $2.5 billion to $3 billion in annual revenue for the shots.

“This is much higher than our assumption of $50 per shot and even assuming $80 per shot net price in high-income countries, we see $2 per share upside to our estimates” from the new prices, Bansal wrote in a research note.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Effects of shift to remote work: more sleep, leisure time, small baby boom

October 20, 2022

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the National Bureau of Economic Research released research on the effects of the shift to remote work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These effects include “a substantial fall in time spend working,” “notable increases in leisure time and sleeping,” and “a small ‘baby bump’ among U.S.-born mothers.”

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York analysis took a look at what Americans are doing with the 60 million fewer hours they spend traveling to work each day. The answer was not just at-home work. The the analysis found “the decrease in hours worked away from home is only partially offset by an increase in working at home.” It appears some of that extra time was redirected to sleep and leisure time.

“The rise in leisure was particularly pronounced among younger Americans, who reported spending more time at social events, eating at restaurants or bars, and exercising,” the authors of the analysis wrote. “Older age groups, on the other hand, tended to allocate more time to nonmarket work, such as activities related to childcare, the maintenance of the household, repairs, and meal preparation.”

Meanwhile, a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research took a look at the effects of remote work and the COVID-19 pandemic on childbearing. Authors found that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a net increase of 46,000 children born to U.S. mothers, which was the result of both a small increase in births among U.S.-born mothers in 2020 and a “baby bump” in 2021.

The 2021 baby bump is the first major reversal in declining U.S. fertility rates since 2007 and was most pronounced for first births and women under age 25, which suggests the pandemic led some women to start their families earlier,” the authors of the paper wrote. “Above age 25, the baby bump was also pronounced for women ages 30-34 and women with a college education, who were more likely to benefit from working from home.”

The Hill contributed to this report.
Trump/Eastman emails; new Omicron subvariants; loan forgiveness appeal

October 20, 2022

A judge ordered the release of emails between former President Donald Trump and attorney John Eastman; health officials are warning of two new subvariants of COVID-19; and a taxpayers group has asked the Supreme Court to block the student loan forgiveness program. These stories highlight the Daily Rundown for Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.

Judge orders release of Trump/Eastman emails – In an 18-page opinion issued Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge David Carter said emails between former President Trump and Eastman must be handed over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Carter ruled the emails cannot be withheld because they include evidence of potential crimes. This includes allegations that Trump signed legal documents challenging the results of the 2020 election that included voter fraud claims he knew to be false.

“The emails show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public,” Carter wrote. He added the emails are “sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

New Omicron subvariants – Health officials, including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, are warning of a pair of “pretty troublesome” COVID-19 subvariants. BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, which both come from the Omicron variant of COVID-19, are responsible for more than 10% of all current U.S. cases, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released last week. A week prior, the subvariants weren’t even significant enough to list.

According to Fauci, both subvariants have dangerous “qualities or characteristics that could evade some of the interventions we have.”

Supreme Court appeal over student loan forgiveness – A Wisconsin taxpayers group has asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program from taking effect. The Brown County Taxpayers Association filed the request to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has jurisdiction over the lower court that ruled on the case. She is likely to refer the matter to the full court.

The lower court threw out a lawsuit from the group, ruling that it didn’t have standing to bring the suit. According to the filing with Barrett, student loan cancellation could begin as soon as Sunday if the court does not intervene.

The Associated Press, CNBC and CNN contributed to this report.
WHO warns of COVID-19 wave in Europe as Japan, Taiwan open back up

October 13, 2022

Just as health experts were warning of a new wave of COVID-19 infections in Europe, officials in Japan and Taiwan lifted restrictions on foreign travelers. The developments show how the pandemic has changed in severity across different places and times over the past 2 1/2 years.

The warning of a European COVID-19 wave came from the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Wednesday. WHO’s region-wise data showed that only Europe recorded a rise in COVID-19 cases in the week ending on Oct. 2, clocking an increase of 8% from the prior week.

“Although we are not where we were one year ago, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over,” WHO’s Europe director, Hans Kluge, and ECDC’s director, Andrea Ammon, said in a joint statement. “We are unfortunately seeing indicators rising again in Europe, suggesting that another wave of infections has begun.”

The COVID-19 issues in Europe came as tourists flocked to Japan and Taiwan following the lifting of pandemic-era border restrictions. In Japan, that meant removing the country’s daily limit of 50,000 arrivals. Visa-free travel is also allowed once again for short-term business visits and tourism from more than 60 countries.

“It was three years ago that we could travel here,” German tourist Nadine Lackmann said Tuesday. “We had everything booked and wanted to fly, then we couldn’t and had to sit down and stay at home. Now it’s the first day that we can come here and we are so so happy.”

Airlines have added flights in response to the full re-opening of borders. Travelers are expected to deliver a sorely needed $35 billion boost to the world’s third-largest economy.

Taiwan, meanwhile, lifted all its COVID-19 entry restrictions on Thursday. Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon entry, or take any PCR tests. Instead, they will need to monitor their health for a week after arriving, and obtain a negative result on a rapid antigen test the day they arrive.

“It’s very convenient. We don’t have to do the test before coming here and also after arriving,” Valaisurang Bhaedhayajibh, a design firm business director said. “But we are still required to do the self-test every few days. And everything has been provided [including] all the test kits.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.