CNN | Latin America’s grueling battle with Covid-19 isn’t letting up

A woman attends the burial of her mother, who passed away due to COVID-19, in Manaus, Brazil.

Bogota, Colombia (CNN) – More than 100 days since the first Covid-19 vaccinations in Latin America, the pandemic is still dangerously resurging in some areas. The region’s recent battle with the coronavirus remains marked by disparities, with some countries boasting of positive vaccination trends while hospitals in neighboring nations collapse under waves of new cases.

Particularly worrying are high Covid-1 mortality rates in Brazil, Peru, Chile and Paraguay — a likely sign that local health systems are being stretched beyond their capacity.

“Mortality increases when this happens because patients have difficulty finding the care they need, and health workers are overburdened by tending to too many people at once,” said Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, last week.  –read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Cleveland Clinic and IBM hope their tech partnership could help prevent the next pandemic

Cleveland Clinic will become the first private-sector institution to have one of IBM’s quantum computers on-site.

New York (CNN Business) – After a year in which scientists raced to understand Covid-19 and to develop treatments and vaccines to stop its spread, Cleveland Clinic is partnering with IBM to use next-generation technologies to advance healthcare research — and potentially prevent the next public health crisis.

The two organizations on Tuesday announced the creation of the “Discovery Accelerator,” which will apply technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence to pressing life sciences research questions. As part of the partnership, Cleveland Clinic will become the first private-sector institution to buy and operate an on-site IBM quantum computer, called the Q System One. Currently, such machines only exist in IBM (IBM) labs and data centers.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | $300 a day for a Kia Rio. Why rental cars prices have gone insane

New York (CNN Business) – Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning on a spring break trip to Orlando next week: Renting a car — if you can find one — could cost you at least $300 a day. That’s possibly more than you’ll spend for air fare, hotel rooms or tickets to theme parks.

A year ago, air travel came to a near halt, leading to a glut of rental cars. Rental companies parked their cars in unused lots at ballparks around the nation, and cars were rented for a fraction of their normal price — or sold as used cars. The industry sold off more than a half a million cars, about a third of their combined fleets, just to generate cash they needed to survive the crisis.

Following a year of deep losses, rental car companies have been unable to rebuild their fleets, especially with auto plants shut by a shortage of computer chips needed to build cars.  —read more—

CNN politics | Congress passes Biden’s Covid-19 stimulus bill.

The $1.9 trillion stimulus package will deliver aid to most American households after Biden signs it.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Clorox prepares for a return to normal by selling wipes to businesses

New York (CNN Business) – Clorox got a huge boost from worried consumers continually wiping down surfaces at home during the height of the pandemic. But now that more people are venturing out of their houses thanks to Covid-19 vaccines, Clorox (CLX) is evolving its marketing strategy to focus more on businesses.

The household products company announced a new initiative Wednesday, called the Safer Today Alliance, geared toward boosting standards for infection control and disinfectant protocol in public spaces.

Clorox is partnering with both the Cleveland Clinic and CDC Foundation in an effort to get the message across that it’s just as important for businesses to stress cleanliness and safety in a world now obsessed with keeping safe from contagious diseases.  —read more—

CNN | End-of-life doulas help people die comfortably. In a pandemic, they’re more important than ever

Doulas Alua Arthur and Virginia Chang.

(CNN) – Alua Arthur wasn’t looking for death.

At 34, she was trying hard to stay alive. Clinical depression had forced a leave of absence from her job as a lawyer, and she was traveling on a bus in Cuba when it met her: A woman, only two years older than her, dying of uterine cancer.

The two sat and talked for the seven hours to the woman’s destination, and then for seven more when she decided to skip her stop.

Their conversation was about the end of life. It was the first time, the woman told Arthur, that someone had spoken with her about her disease and the possibility of dying.  —read more—

CNN the Good stuff | A Pennsylvania town surprised its UPS driver with a $1,000 gift thanking him for his hard work during the pandemic

UPS driver Chad Turns was surprised by the residents of Dauphin, Pennsylvania, with a $1,000 gift thanking him for all his work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

(CNN) – A UPS driver was moved to tears after his customers in Pennsylvania showed their appreciation in a big way.

Chad Turns delivers for UPS in the small town of Dauphin, Pennsylvania, and is beloved by his customers, said resident Jenny Shickley. As seen in a video posted to Facebook by Adam Shickley, Jenny Shickley’s husband, when Turns drove into a parking lot for what he thought was a pick up on Tuesday, he was greeted instead by a dozen residents clapping and yelling, “Thank you, Chad!”

Turns was so overcome with emotion that he pulled out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes.  –read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Covid gutted many people financially, but others are doing better than ever

The pandemic, now in the beginning of its second year, has had a notable and unequal effect on Americans’ financial well-being.

While some people have lost jobs and income, others seem to be thriving. And the chances of falling into either camp vary by income, age, race or ethnicity and gender, according to findings from a new nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center.

For instance, 44% of those Pew surveyed said they or someone in their household experienced either a job loss or pay cut since February 2020. Among those who were most likely to have experienced one or both of those earnings hits were lower-income adults (49%), young adults (61%), Hispanics (58%) and Asian Americans (54%).  –read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Stores are closing. This discount chain plans to move in

Burlington plans to open 100 new stores this year as it aims for 2,000 stores.

New York (CNN Business) – A record number of stores are closing across America. One discount clothing chain thinks it can step in to fill some of those vacancies.

Burlington Stores plans to open 100 new stores this year and sees an opportunity to reach 2,000 US stores in the future, the company said Thursday. Previously, Burlington (formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory) expected to build 1,000 stores. It currently has more than 750 outlets.

Burlington said in a news release that it was increasing its total store target because of the “opportunity presented by accelerating retail disruption and industry wide store closures.”  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Disney is closing 60 stores in the US and Canada

New York (CNN Business) – The Disney Store, once a mall mainstay, is drastically reducing the number of locations it has in the United States and Canada.

Disney said it’s closing at least 60 stores in North America, amounting to about 35% of its locations in the region. Moving forward, Disney is placing a larger emphasis on its e-commerce business rather than its brick-and-mortar footprint.

“While consumer behavior has shifted toward online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer,” said Stephanie Young, president of Disney’s consumer products, games and publishing unit, in a press release.  –read more—