COVID-19 News from Around the Web

A new study has confirmed a trend that many have already suspected: The coronavirus pandemic has led Americans to drink more alcohol. The study, published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, concluded that adults reported drinking 14 percent more during the pandemic than they did the year before. The increase was more pronounced among women (with 17 percent saying they drank more) and those in the 30 to 59 age group (with 19 percent reporting an increase in drinking).

After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears fueled by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities. Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up from 2% in April, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday. And the CDC said Monday that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began rising in early September as many youngsters returned to their classrooms.

Walt Disney Co. said on Tuesday it will lay off roughly 28,000 employees, mostly at its U.S. theme parks, where attendance has been crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, especially in California where Disneyland remains closed. About two-thirds of the laid-off employees will be part-time workers, the company said in a statement. Disney shut its theme parks around the world when the novel coronavirus began spreading this year.

The Tennessee Titans suspended in-person activities on Tuesday after three players and five personnel members tested positive for coronavirus, marking the NFL's first outbreak of the season, the league said in a statement Tuesday. Both the Titans and the Minnesota Vikings, who played the team on Sunday, have closed their facilities for the week while more testing is done.

Tampa International Airport will be the first airport in the nation to offer voluntary Covid-19 testing for all incoming and outgoing flyers. The airport has set up testing sites within its main terminal and while the sites officially open on Thursday, some passengers have already begun taking the two tests available for purchase as part of a soft opening. Before boarding or after landing, travelers can get a $57 antigen test with an 88 percent accuracy that gives results within 15 minutes, or a $125 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test that has 95 percent accuracy but takes 48 hours to deliver results.

As of Sept. 16, NNU found an estimated 213 registered nurses have died from COVID-19 and related complications and more than 58% were nurses of color, which tracks with overall numbers linking the disproportionate impact the virus has had on communities of color. A total of 67 nurses, or 31.5%, are Filipino, even though the demographic makes up just 4% of registered nurses in the US, the report found. Thirty-eight, or 17.8%, were black when black RNs account for a total of just 12.4% of nurses nationwide, the report found.

About 2.5 million more working-age Americans were uninsured last year, even before the coronavirus pandemic struck, according to a government report issued Wednesday. The study from the CDC found that 14.5% of adults ages 18 to 64 were uninsured in 2019, a statistically significant increase from 2018, when 13.3% lacked coverage.

Results from an early safety study of Moderna Inc's coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults showed that it produced virus-neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, researchers said on Tuesday. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a more complete picture of the vaccine’s safety in older adults, a group at increased risk of severe complications from COVID-19.

When news leaked this month that AstraZeneca was halting its coronavirus vaccine trial, the company explained that it was “a routine action.” The goal, to determine whether one participant’s illness was linked to the vaccine, was heralded by scientists as exactly how trials are supposed to work: putting safety first. But Children’s Health Defense, a group that has peddled misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines for years, reacted with alarm. It quickly posted about the news on its website and social media accounts, and its founder, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., declared without basis that pharmaceutical companies “have always been able to dismiss these sort of tragic outcomes as sad ‘coincidence.’” “Vaccines are not accustomed to this level of scrutiny,” the organization tweeted.

The poll asked 2,000 Americans about how they’re keeping their moods up in light of social-distancing measures. 58% of respondents shared they didn’t appreciate nature as much as they should have before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and their Get on Board campaign, the survey showed three-quarters of respondents are starting to feel a boost in their moods thanks to spending more time outdoors—with 66% sharing they’re doing more outdoor activities close to home.