Here's a selection of COVID-19 news from today, April 6.
Shanghai Officials Say COVID-19 Child-Separation Policy Eased After Outcry
The future of COVID boosters
While many Americans are trying to move on with their lives after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. health officials are debating the best way to use vaccines to stay ahead of the coronavirus.
A panel of U.S. vaccine experts was meeting Wednesday to discuss key questions for future COVID-19 booster campaigns. The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers won’t make any binding decisions, but they could help shape the government’s approach for years to come. Read more here:
Shanghai to allow parents to stay with COVID-infected kids
Following a public uproar, Shanghai is allowing at least some parents to stay with children infected with COVID-19, making an exception to a policy of isolating anyone who tests positive.
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The announcement came as China’s largest city remained in lockdown and conducted more mass testing Wednesday following another jump in new cases.
A top city health official said at a news conference that parents can apply to stay with children with “special needs” and accompany them if they fully comprehend the health risks and sign an agreement. Read more here:
Fourth Covid-19 vaccine protection dose may fade quickly
A fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine seems to offer short-lived protection against infection overall, but protection against severe illness did not wane for at least several weeks, according to a new study.
The study, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at the health records of more than 1.25 million vaccinated people in Israel who were 60 or older from January through March 2022, a time when the Omicron coronavirus variant was the dominant strain. Read more here:
COVID cases and deaths continue to fall
The number of coronavirus cases reported globally has dropped for a second consecutive week and confirmed COVID-19 deaths also fell last week, according to a World Health Organization report issued Wednesday.
In its latest pandemic report, WHO said 9 million cases were reported, a 16% weekly decline, and more than 26,000 new deaths from COVID-19. The U.N. health agency said confirmed coronavirus infections were down in all regions of the world. Read more here:
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Check out more of today's COVID news here:
States with the biggest drop in travel spending during COVID
States With the Biggest Drop in Travel Spending During COVID
Photo Credit: noina / Shutterstock
For the first two years of the pandemic, the shifting landscape around COVID-19 affected travel more than almost any sector of the economy. Concerns about the spread of the virus and changes in travel restrictions and public health guidance led many would-be travelers to hold off on trips. As a result, industries like air travel and lodging saw much lower than usual demand throughout 2020 and 2021, and closely related businesses like restaurants and arts, entertainment, and recreation facilities also suffered. But according to recent data from the U.S. Travel Association, many indicators like hotel room demand and overall travel spending are at or near pre-pandemic levels.
A recovery in travel spending would be welcome news given the dramatic drop brought on by COVID-19. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 sharply reversed an upward trend in travel spending over more than two decades. From 1997 to 2019, annual per capita travel spending—defined as the summation of air transportation and accommodations spending—increased from $504 to $856 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Over that span, spending only declined in the two years following the September 11 attacks, which produced a decline in air travel, and from 2008 to 2009 with the onset of the Great Recession. But from 2019 to 2020, the pandemic set off a historic drop of almost 55% in travel spending, to just $388 per capita.
Per capita travel spending plummeted in 2020 after 2019 peak
But the rapid drop in travel spending played out differently across the country based on varying geographic trends in spending on air travel and accommodations. For example, residents of the Midwest and parts of the South tended to be the lowest spenders on travel in both 2019 and 2020, which may be a product of lower incomes in these regions. Other states like Alaska and Hawaii—which are more costly to travel to and from due to geography—were among top spenders in both years but saw significant declines in dollars spent.
The Midwest generally spends the least on air travel and accommodations each year
By percentages, however, the greatest drops in travel spending were in the Mideast (-61.4%) and New England (-59.8%) regions. Some of these locations were hard-hit early in the pandemic, with severe early outbreaks in locations like the New York and Boston metros that may have discouraged travel. Many Northeastern states were also among the most stringent in terms of public health restrictions like testing or quarantine requirements for travelers entering or returning to the state. All of these factors reduced interest (and spending) on travel from states in these regions. In contrast, states in the interior of the U.S., including the Plains (-51.7%), Far West (-49.5%), and Rocky Mountain (-48.5%) regions saw lower declines in travel spending from 2019 to 2020.
The Eastern US experienced the largest drop in travel spending during COVID
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Consumption Expenditures. To determine the states with the biggest drop in travel spending during COVID, researchers at Filterbuy calculated the percentage change in air transportation and accommodations spending from 2019 to 2020. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total change in air transportation and accommodations spending from 2019 to 2020 was ranked higher.
Here are the states with the biggest drop in travel spending during COVID.
15. Michigan
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -56.1%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$3,083,300,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $242
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $550
14. Oregon
Photo Credit: Bob Pool / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -56.3%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$2,019,100,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $369
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $850
13. Alaska
Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -56.5%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$572,500,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $603
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $1,385
12. Maryland
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -56.8%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$2,876,200,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $361
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $838
11. Georgia
Photo Credit: ESB Professional / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -56.8%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$5,658,600,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $402
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $939
10. Minnesota
Photo Credit: Checubus / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -57.3%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$1,751,400,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $230
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $542
9. Washington
Photo Credit: Jeremy Janus / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -57.4%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$5,375,100,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $519
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $1,230
8. Virginia
Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -58.4%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$3,757,900,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $311
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $754
7. Rhode Island
Photo Credit: Mihai_Andritoiu / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -58.9%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$555,300,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $366
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $890
6. New Jersey
Photo Credit: Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -58.9%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$4,263,100,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $334
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $814
5. Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: Gang Liu / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -59.2%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$4,770,200,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $258
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $630
4. Illinois
Photo Credit: Oleg Podzorov / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -60.0%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$7,281,100,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $385
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $957
3. Connecticut
Photo Credit: Wendell Guy / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -60.5%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$2,426,500,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $446
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $1,125
2. Massachusetts
Photo Credit: eskystudio / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -61.8%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$5,216,300,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $467
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $1,224
1. New York
Photo Credit: Victor Moussa / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -64.2%
- Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$14,195,700,000
- Per capita travel spending (2020): $409
- Per capita travel spending (2019): $1,136
Second wall planned across Arizona as Trump administration doubles down on border
