Random and illustrative stories about the global pandemic and how businesses and various business sectors are trying to recover from it, with brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary…
• In the United States, there now have been 34,154,305 total cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, resulting in 611,020 deaths and 27,986,511 reported recoveries.
Globally, there have been 172,426,494 total coronavirus cases, with 3,706,563 resultant fatalities and 155,060,668 reported recoveries. (Source.)
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 62.9 percent of the US population 18 and older has received at least one dose of vaccine, with 51.9 percent being fully vaccinated.
• The Associated Press reports that the White House, looking to achieve its updated goal of having 70 percent of adults in the US receiving at least one dose of vaccine by July 4, has launched what it is calling a "month of action" to get shots into arms, largely through public-private partnerships.
According to the story, " the White House is partnering with early childhood centers such as KinderCare, Learning Care Group, Bright Horizons and more than 500 YMCAs to provide free childcare coverage for Americans looking for shots or needing assistance while recovering from side effects.
"The administration is also launching a new partnership to bring vaccine education and even doses to more than a thousand Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons, building on a successful pilot program in Maryland.
"They’re the latest vaccine sweeteners, building on other incentives like cash giveaways, sports tickets and paid leave, to keep up the pace of vaccinations … new incentives include a $2 million commitment from DoorDash to provide gift cards to community health centers to be used to drive people to get vaccinated. CVS launched a sweepstakes with prizes including free cruises and Super Bowl tickets. Major League Baseball will host on-site vaccine clinics and ticket giveaways at games. And Kroger will give $1 million to a vaccinated person each week this month and dozens of people free groceries for the year."
Another offer: "a promotional giveaway announced Wednesday by Anheuser-Busch, saying it will 'buy Americans 21+ a round of beer'" once the 70 percent goal is reached.
It also was announced that "many pharmacies are extending their hours this month — and thousands will remain open overnight on Fridays. The White House is also stepping up its efforts to help employers run on-site vaccination clinics."
