CNBC reports that an independent panel of vaccine experts assembled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...
... is unsure that another COVID-19 shot is
the best way forward for the broader population of the United States.
The panel reportedly gathered for five
hours on April 20, mostly agreeing that repeated booster doses of coronavirus vaccines are unrealistic.
Experts contend public health agencies should
alter their messaging to inform the public that vaccines do not prevent infections.
Instead, the goal of vaccines is to
prevent severe illness and death.
With the vaccines currently
available, we should not chase
the rainbows of hoping that
those vaccines could prevent
infection, transmission and
even mild disease.., Dr. Sarah Long, member of CDC Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices, via CNBC.
... because
we’ve learned that is
just not possible.
, Dr. Sarah Long, member of CDC Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices, via CNBC.
We just need to give that up with these vaccines and focus on preventing severe disease
and preventing death.
, Dr. Sarah Long, member of CDC Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices, via CNBC.
Experts were critical of the CDC's
move to authorize another booster
shot for older adults without
consulting committee members.
They say moving forward, the agency
must avoid unnecessary confusion and promote public discussion in order to
restore trust in vaccines.
They say moving forward, the agency
must avoid unnecessary confusion and promote public discussion in order to
restore trust in vaccines
Trader Joe’s Recalls Basil , After Reports of Salmonella Infections.
On April 17, the grocery chain
recalled Infinite Herbs organic basil.
The basil has been "linked to a dozen Salmonella infections in seven states," CNN reports. .
One person has been hospitalized.
The 2.5-ounce packages were sold in 29 states and Washington, D.C., from Feb. 1 through April 6. .
The CDC is advising consumers to dispose of any Infinite Herbs organic basil that was bought from Trader Joe's.
The agency also says to clean anything that the contaminated basil may have come in contact with. .
Investigators are trying to determine if any other products have been contaminated, CNN reports. .
Symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, the CDC says. .
Symptoms can develop anywhere between
6 hours and 6 days after consuming the bacteria.
Most people don't need treatment
and recover within 4 to 7 days. .
If your symptoms are severe, or if you experience diarrhea and dehydration for more than three days, the CDC recommends contacting your health care provider
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Today Is , World Autism
Awareness Day.
April 2, World Autism Awareness Day,
kicks off World Autism Month.
The special day and month,
marked by the color blue,
is meant to increase the
understanding of autism.
In 2023, the CDC reported that 1 in 36 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder.
A lot of research is being
conducted on the disorder.
and several groups have been formed
to raise more money for research.
Signs of autism can present
themselves in children as
young as 6 months old.
The symptoms become
more prevalent around
2 and 3 years old.
According to Autism Speaks,
symptoms include sensory sensitivities,
gastrointestinal disorders.
seizures and sleep issues, anxiety,
depression and attention issues
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:05Published
US Life Expectancy on the Rise , Following Pandemic Decline, CDC Report Says.
According to the latest federal
mortality data, life expectancy in
the United States increased in 2022. .
The report published by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS) raised life expectancy to 77.5 years.
The report published by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS) raised life expectancy to 77.5 years.
The positive change comes after two
years of decline following the pandemic.
The positive change comes after two
years of decline following the pandemic.
While life expectancy has yet to reach
pre-pandemic levels, 2022 showed
an increase of 1.1 years compared to 2021.
2022 ended up recording 3.27 million
deaths in the U.S., which was
184,374 fewer deaths than the year before.
According to the report, heart disease
and cancer remained the two most
prevalent causes of death in the U.S. .
According to the report, heart disease
and cancer remained the two most
prevalent causes of death in the U.S. .
COVID-19 dropped to fourth on
the list, and unintentional injuries
took over the number three spot.
COVID-19 dropped to fourth on
the list, and unintentional injuries
took over the number three spot.
ABC reports that both males and
females saw approximately the same
increase in life expectancy from 2021 to 2022.
Over the same period of time,
the death rate decreased
for nearly every age group. .
Another NCHS report found that rates of
drug overdose deaths from synthetic opioids
increased by 4.1% between 2021 and 2022.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Key Federal Reserve Inflation Gauge , Rose 2.8% in March.
According to Commerce Department
data released on April 26.
the personal consumption expenditures
(PCE) price index, not including food or energy, rose 2.8% year-over-year in March. .
That exceeded Dow Jones
estimates of 2.7%, CNBC reports. .
When also accounting for food and energy, the all-items PCE measure rose 2.7%,
which was above the 2.6% estimate.
Inflation reports released this morning
were not as a hot as feared, , George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Wealth, via CNBC.
... but investors should not get
overly anchored to the idea that
inflation has been completely
cured and the Fed will be cutting
interest rates in the near-term, George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Wealth, via CNBC.
The prospects of rate cuts remain,
but they are not assured, and the
Fed will likely need weakness in
the labor market before they
have the confidence to cut, George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Wealth, via CNBC.
Consumers continue to spend despite
higher prices, CNBC reports.
Personal spending increased 0.8% in March, while personal income rose 0.5%.
The personal saving rate dropped to 3.2% as more people are having to dip into their savings to cover the cost of living.
The Fed continues to target 2% inflation, which the core PCE has exceeded for
the last three years, CNBC reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Netflix Exceeds Earnings Estimates , As Subscribers Increase.
Netflix Exceeds Earnings Estimates , As Subscribers Increase.
Netflix released a Q1 earnings report on April 18, indicating that its number of subscribers jumped 16% year-over-year to reach 269.6 million.
Analysts only expected the streamer to have about 264.2 million subscribers, CNBC reports. .
The company also brought in $9.37 billion in revenue versus analysts' expectations of $9.28 billion. .
However, Netflix said that its membership numbers are no longer the main factor contributing to the company's growth.
As a result, the company will stop providing "quarterly membership numbers or average revenue per user" beginning in 2025, CNBC reports. .
Instead, it will divulge "major subscriber milestones as we cross them.".
Price hikes, terminating password sharing
and offering an ad-supported tier are all tactics that have boosted revenue.
Netflix is also seeking to gain traction within the video game space and recently partnered with TKO Group Holdings to offer WWE on the platform.
We’re in the very early days of
developing our live programming and
I would look at this as an expansion of
the types of content we offer, the way
we expanded to film and unscripted and
animation and most recently games, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, via earnings call.
We believe that these kind of event cultural
moments like the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson
fight are just that kind of television, and we
want to be part of winning over those
moments with our members as well, so that
for me is the excitement part of this, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, via earnings call.
As of the morning of April 18,
Netflix's stock was up 27%
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Google Fires Employees , for Protesting Israel Contract.
28 Google workers have been fired for protesting
a $1.2 billion contract that the company has with
the Israeli government and military to provide
cloud and AI services, NBC News reports. .
The firings follow an April 16 sit-in at
Google's offices in California, New York and Seattle in which nine workers were arrested.
The group that coordinated the demonstration
is known as No Tech for Apartheid. .
Google issued a statement about the recent firings.
A small number of employee
protesters entered and disrupted
a few of our locations. , Google spokesperson, via statement.
Physically impeding other employees’
work and preventing them from
accessing our facilities is a clear
violation of our policies, and
completely unacceptable behavior. , Google spokesperson, via statement.
We have so far concluded
individual investigations that
resulted in the termination of
employment for 28 employees,
and will continue to investigate
and take action as needed, Google spokesperson, via statement.
No Tech for Apartheid claims that the
workers were fired "indiscriminately.".
This excuse to avoid confronting
us and our concerns directly,
and attempt to justify its illegal,
retaliatory firings, is a lie, No Tech for Apartheid, via statement.
Meanwhile, many of Google's workers have
reportedly quit after experiencing "mental health consequences of working at a company that is using their labor to enable a genocide," No Tech for Apartheid said.
On a personal level, I am opposed
to Google taking any military
contracts — no matter which
government they’re with or what
exactly the contract is about. , Cheyne Anderson, a Google Cloud software engineer based
in Washington who was arrested during a sit-in, to CNBC
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Amazon Cuts Hundreds , of Cloud Computing Jobs.
An Amazon Web Services (AWS)
spokesperson issued a statement about
the job cuts on April 3, CNBC reports. .
We’ve identified a few targeted areas of
the organization we need to streamline
in order to continue focusing our efforts
on the key strategic areas that we
believe will deliver maximum impact, AWS spokesperson, via statement.
We didn’t make these decisions
lightly, and we’re committed
to supporting the employees
throughout their transition to new
roles in and outside of Amazon, AWS spokesperson, via statement.
Cuts are being made to the store technology division “as a result of a broader strategic shift in the use of some applications in Amazon’s owned as well as in third-party stores,” the spokesperson said.
The layoffs come after Amazon announced that it was ending its Just Walk Out technology in Fresh stores.
The cashierless technology is overseen
by teams within the AWS unit. .
Beginning in 2022, Amazon started
its largest layoffs in history by letting
go of 27,000 roles company-wide. .
So far in 2024, the retail behemoth has cut jobs at Audible, Buy with Prime, Prime Video, MGM Studios and Twitch, CNBC reports. .
This latest round of cuts will
allow U.S. employees to collect pay
and benefits for a minimum of 60 days.
They will also be offered a severance package.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
UPS to Become US Postal Service’s , Main Air Cargo Provider.
On April 1, United Parcel Service announced
that it will replace FedEx as the primary air
cargo provider for the USPS, CNBC reports. .
On April 1, United Parcel Service announced
that it will replace FedEx as the primary air
cargo provider for the USPS, CNBC reports. .
FedEx is walking away from a
22-year partnership after failing to
secure a better contract with the agency. .
FedEx is walking away from a
22-year partnership after failing to
secure a better contract with the agency. .
In fiscal year 2023, USPS paid FedEx $1.73 billion
for its services, down from the $2.4 billion
FedEx received in fiscal year 2020.
The decrease in payments was partially due
to the postal service using more economical
trucks in place of planes, CNBC reports. .
The parties were unable to reach
agreement on mutually beneficial
terms to extend the contract, FedEx, via securities filing.
Since FedEx will lose nearly $2 billion in annual
business from letting go of the contract, .
hundreds of pilots will likely
lose their jobs, CNBC reports .
Following the announcement, UPS shares
increased 1.4% while FedEx stock dropped 1.6%.
FedEx's current contract is
set to expire on Sept. 29
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Booster Shots in Children Ages 5–11 , Increase Omicron Antibodies, Pfizer Says.
NBC News reports a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine increases antibody protection in children..
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
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