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P/C Insurers Returned $13B in Premiums Due to COVID-19 Reduced Exposures

U.S. property/casualty insurers returned nearly $13 billion in premiums to policyholders in 2020 to reflect reduced exposures from the COVID-19 pandemic. Auto insurers returned premium in the greatest numbers, though general liability, workers’ compensation, event cancellation and inland marine sectors …

Jabs on the Job: Companies, Unions Offering COVID-19 Vaccines

Marie Watson wanted to be among the first in line when she and other essential workers became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine — and with good reason. The maintenance parts buyer for a Mission Foods tortilla plant in Pueblo, Colorado, …

How Meatpacking Plants’ COVID-19 Cases Hurt Counties

An estimated 334,000 COVID-19 cases are attributable to meatpacking plants, resulting in $11.2 billion in economic damage, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of California, Davis. The study was published in the journal Food …

FDA Halts Vaccine Manufacturing at Plant Where Doses Were Wasted

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Emergent BioSolutions Inc. to halt producing new materials for COVID-19 vaccines until the regulator completes an inspection of its plant in Baltimore, which is under scrutiny after millions of doses were thrown …

White House Rushes to Strengthen Security of U.S. Power Grid as Hacking Threats Grow

A White House plan to rapidly shore up the security of the U.S. power grid will begin with a 100-day sprint, but take years more to transform utilities’ ability to fight off hackers, according to details of a draft version …

Chubb CEO Greenberg Reiterates Call for Litigation Reform

Chubb Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg is reiterating a call for litigation reform nationally and at the state level to address what he said is a “systemic” worsening of the legal environment and its harmful impact on the insurance industry. …

U.S. Recommends Pausing Use of J&J COVID Vaccine over Rare Blood Clots

U.S. federal health agencies on Tuesday recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot, dealing a fresh setback to …

OSHA Prepares to Issue Emergency Regulations to Protect Workers from COVID-19

Mask mandates are coming down across the country, even as COVID cases are rising in most states. But the Biden administration appears poised to reinstate masking and other social distancing rules for recalcitrant governors — at least in the workplace. …

1 in 3 COVID Survivors Suffers Neurological or Mental Disorders, Study Finds

One in three COVID-19 survivors in a study of more than 230,000 mostly American patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, suggesting the pandemic could lead to a wave of mental and neurological problems, scientists …

April Reinsurance Renewal Pricing ‘More of the Same,’ Reports Willis Re

International reinsurance renewals completed for April 1 followed trends set earlier in the season, as market pricing remained firm in virtually all classes and territories. Capacity was adequate across the board, and no substantive changes took place in negotiations over …