Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Pennsylvania Judge Allows COVID Business Loss Suit Against Lloyd’s to Advance
Oct 30 2020 // Lloyd’s of London lost its initial bid to squelch a coronavirus business interruption lawsuit brought by a Philadelphia bar and restaurant. Judge Gary S. Glazer of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia turned...
It Would Take P/C Insurers 150 Years to Pay COVID-19 Business Interruption Losses
Oct 30 2020 // The world’s property/casualty insurers would have to collect business interruption insurance premiums for 150 years in order to absorb the estimated US$4.5 trillion global output loss inflicted by COVID-19 and its...
Reinsurers’ Investment Strategies Offer Buffer for Low Interest Rates, Pandemic: S&P
Oct 30 2020 // A decade of low interest rates and tough underwriting conditions has led reinsurers to cautiously invest in riskier and more illiquid assets to generate additional return. The good news is that this strategy also has...
The Coronavirus Pandemic and The Great Workplace Debate: Viewpoint
Oct 30 2020 // Decisions on where and how to work are embodied in trillions of dollars of investment worldwide, including the siting of commercial and residential real estate as well as transportation systems and other...
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...
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...
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...
