US plans to shift to annual COVID-19 boosters - September 7, 2022

U.S. health officials plan to recommend that people get COVID-19 boosters once a year in a cadence similar to annual flu shots. The announcement marks a shift from their current practice of issuing new advice every several months. The Department of Health and Human Services hosted a stakeholder meeting last week on the commercialization process for vaccines as the U.S. government transitions away from the current federally-managed COVID-19 system. Coronavirus scenarios from multiple research teams foresee stable or declining hospitalizations in early fall with the possibility of a late-fall surge. Russia said it would halt all natural gas flows to Europe in a move that bodes poorly for economic growth as a range of European industries are being forced to slash production. The euro plunged to a 20-year low against the dollar and the British pound dropped to its lowest against the greenback since 1985. The European Union’s next steps for addressing the crisis are expected to be unveiled next week. European governments are calling for major energy-saving efforts – France will turn off street lamps and Normandy will heat some schools by wood stove in the winter. Google is expanding its Maps’ eco-friendly routing mode in dozens of European countries. Germany, employing various measures to combat the energy crisis, drew the line at limiting speeds on its fabled autobahns. Target’s CEO Brian Cornell agreed to remain in his role for three more years after the board eliminated the company’s retirement age of 65. Target has grappled with huge shifts in shopping habits, cutting its forecast twice and seeing a large drop in quarterly profit. The average reported retirement age has increased from age 57 – where it was in 1991 – to age 61 in 2022. Later retirement ages come at a time when U.S. workers are not eligible for full Social Security retirement benefits until past age 65. The average age of CEOs is nearly 60 years old in the S&P 500. New research found at least half of Americans now say they’re “quiet quittin