COVID weighing less and less on the U.S. job market

 

The coronavirus pandemic's grip on the U.S. job market notably loosened in March, two years after a state of emergency was declared, as the number of people homebound by COVID-19 concerns hit a new low and fewer people reported having to work remotely.

In all, the government's benchmark monthly nonfarm payrolls report out Friday showed that by several metrics - including the total number of unemployed dropping below 6 million and a 3.6% unemployment rate - the U.S. job market had all but recovered from the devastating hit delivered in the first two months of the pandemic when 22 million people were thrown out of work.

The main report and a supplemental survey illustrated the pandemic's rapidly waning restraint and dovetailed with recent health data showing the fewest new infections since July and hospitalizations over the last week averaging the lowest since the initial surge in March and April 2020.

"There are still challenges," Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in an interview. But "you can almost feel the mood of the country changing."

Graphic: Prime-aged women in the workforce

A litany of data points painted an employment picture redolent of February 2020, then heralded as one of the strongest job markets of the post-World War Two era. Among them:

* The workforce participation rate of women aged 25-54, which has experienced an uneven recovery, jumped by the most since June 2020, seven-tenths of a percentage point. Now at 76.5%, it is just four-tenths of a point from where it was before the pandemic.

* The broadest measure of unemployment also capturing those marginally attached to the workforce or working part time for economic reasons fell to 6.9%, below February 2020's level and a fraction from a record low.

* Overall employment climbed to just 1% below its pre-pandemic level, but minority groups have more than fully recovered: Total employment among Blacks, Hispanics and Asians now surpasses February 2020 levels.

Graphic: Employment recovery by race

The report also showed the disease itself having its smallest impact on worker behavior since the pandemic began.

Just 874,000 people were reported to have not sought work in the previous four weeks because of COVID-19, down from 1.23 million in February and 1.81 million in January when the Omicron variant drove U.S. infections to a record.

In May 2020 - the first month the Bureau of Labor Statistics launched its supplemental survey on the pandemic's effects on the job market - some 9.7 million people had not looked for work because of the coronavirus outbreak.

"People feel more comfortable going back to work," Walsh said. "More people (are) shopping. Hospitality and leisure are really benefiting."

Graphic: COVID-19 kept fewer from seeking work

And just 10% of those people with a job said they either teleworked or worked from home because of COVID-19, a figure representing about 15.8 million workers. That is also a pandemic-era low and is roughly a third of the number reporting the need to work remotely in May 2020.

"I don't know what the new normal will be, but it is a good sign to get more people into the workforce," Walsh said. The challenge in coming months is that "we are going to start running out of people," a fact he said should make efforts to increase immigration a priority.

In conversations with employers "nobody has said to me that is a bad idea."

Graphic: Fewer were kept from the workplace by COVID-19

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/COVID-weighing-less-and-less-on-the-U-S-job-market--39942324/

Fauci Flashback: 'Most Potent Vaccination Is Getting Infected Yourself'

 Throughout the pandemic, a large contingency of doctors, researchers, and non-mainstream media outlets have been pounding the table over natural immunity as an alternative to vaccination to protect against Covid-19, with the obvious conclusion that vaccine passports are moot if a large percentage of the population has a higher degree of protection than even the vaccinated because they've already had the disease.

And as time has gone on, 'the science' has validated this theory - with even Bill Gates admitting recently that "the virus itself, particularly the variant called Omicron, is a type of vaccine."

• Natural Immunity Lasts For At Least 18 Months: Study

• Growing Number Of Experts Call On US Govt To Recognize Natural Immunity

• Pandemic Lessons Learned: CDC Versus Natural Immunity

• NCAA Recognizes Natural Immunity In Definition Of 'Fully Vaccinated'

• Another Study Finds That Natural Immunity Protects Better Against Infection Than Pfizer Vaccine

As the Epoch Times notes, On March 1, the scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases published a peer-reviewed article titled “Risk of reinfection after seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2: A population-based propensity-score matched cohort study.” This Swiss study “observed a 94% reduction in the hazard of being infected among SARS-CoV-2 seropositive participants, when compared to seronegative controls, >8 months after serology assessment.”

This level of protection (natural immunity) from SARS-CoV-2 infection (94 percent) is comparable to that of the Pfizer vaccine but lasts longer (eight months and counting).

Yet, the official US government response - led by Dr. Anthony Fauci and echoed worldwide - has excluded virtually all mention of natural immunity as a relevant mitigation against Covid-19, which would of course render vaccination, booster shots, and vaccine passports moot for tens of millions of Americans.

And so, with Fauci pretending like he's never heard of natural immunity for the past two years, here's a flashback to the 'good doctor' discussing explaining that "The most potent vaccination is getting infected yourself."

Fast forward years later, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) says that when he directly asked Fauci about natural immunity, the nation's top infectious diseases expert did not "have a real firm answer."

Almost 20 months into the pandemic, it is shocking that the chief medical advisor to the president does not have a firm grasp on the effectiveness of natural immunity, but still promotes freedom-robbing vaccine mandates.  This administration clearly does not want the public to question whether natural immunity is more effective than vaccines. As President Biden revealingly declared, the vaccine mandate ‘is not about freedom or personal choice.’ This administration’s decision to disregard the effectiveness of natural immunity and demand vaccination ignores current data and is an assault on all Americans’ civil liberties.” -Sen. Ron Johnson

Tell me you're a big phrama / WEF shill without telling me you're a big pharma / WEF shill...

https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/fauci-flashback-most-potent-vaccination-getting-infected-yourself

Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandate For Navy Members Seeking Religious Exemptions

 by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate has been blocked for all Navy members seeking religious exemptions.

A preliminary injunction that previously covered 35 Navy SEALs now covers some 4,000 others.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, a George W. Bush appointee who entered the original ruling in January, agreed to expand it in part because all members who have applied for religious exemptions “have all been harmed in essentially the same way.”

“Each is subject to the Navy’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Each has submitted her religious accommodation request, and none has received accommodation. Without relief, each servicemember faces the threat of discharge and the consequences that accompany it. Even though their personal circumstances may factually differ in small ways, the threat is the same—get the jab or lose your job,” he said in a 27-page order.

The Supreme Court recently sided with the Pentagon in the case, ruling that Navy commanders can consider a members’ vaccination status when deciding on deployment.

The new ruling means “anyone in the U.S. Navy whose religious accommodation from the vaccine mandate was denied is now protected from any sort of punishment or involuntary separation, things like that,” said Mike Berry, a lawyer with First Liberty Institute, which represents the plaintiffs in the case.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in August 2021 ordered all U.S. troops to get a COVID-19 vaccine, asserting vaccination would help the force stay ready and prevent contraction of the virus that causes COVID-19 vaccine.

The mandate has remained in place even as the three vaccines available in the United States have proven increasingly ineffective against infection from the virus, SARS-CoV-2, and have also waned against severe disease.

As of March 23, 3,320 active-duty Navy members have requested a religious exemption from the mandate, along with 864 reserve members.

Zero religious accommodation requests have been approved.

The Navy has declined to comment on court orders, referring comment to the Department of Justice. A government lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

Berry told The Epoch Times his organization wanted to expand the case to cover all service members seeking religious accommodation but under federal rules, they were not able.

The case is currently proceeding on multiple fronts. While O’Connor ruled on the motions for an expanded injunction and to certify a class, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is considering an appeal from the Navy from the original injunction.

The Navy has kicked out 630 members so far for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/judge-blocks-vaccine-mandate-navy-members-seeking-religious-exemptions

Pulse Biosciences Target Cut to $12.00 by Stephens

 Pulse Biosciences (NASDAQ:PLSE - Get Rating) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Stephens from $14.00 to $12.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Stephens' target price suggests a potential upside of 146.91% from the stock's previous close.

https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/nasdaq-plse-a-buy-or-sell-right-now-2022-04/

4 events that could disrupt US supply chains

 A combination of international and domestic events in recent weeks have the potential to disupt the U.S. supply chain. 

Here are four Becker's has reported on since March 9: 

1. China's lockdown of Shanghai to curb a COVID-19 outbreak has exporters bracing for delays from the supply chain disruptions, The Wall Street Journal reported March 28.

2. The potential strike of 22,000 dockworkers along the nation's West Coast could aggravate current supply shortages and lead to higher prices for consumer goods, The New York Times reported March 28. 

3. Patient advocacy groups are voicing concerns that a federal policy blocking Mexican nationals from entering the U.S. to donate plasma could lead to shortages of critical drugs used to treat neurological and autoimmune diseases, The Wall Street Journal reported March 9.

4. U.S. healthcare organizations could see a rise in prices for some medical supplies as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as some common raw materials come from the region.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/supply-chain/4-events-that-could-disrupt-u-s-supply-chains.html

Pharmacists' scope of practice grows despite physicians' objections

 A growing number of states have moved to expand what pharmacists can do to include treating a range of conditions, such as strep and flu, for which there are rapid point-of-care tests, Kaiser Health News reported March 31. 

More than a dozen states have OK'd pharmacists to test and treat people for things like urinary tract infections, strep and flu, according to the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations. Pharmacists typically have this ability through annual collaborative practice agreements with local physicians that are subject to state approval. A smaller number of states have looked to further expand pharmacists' roles, allowing them to prescribe medications for a range of conditions outside of these agreements. 

"We're seeing more states looking at direct prescribing authority now as opposed to collaborative practice agreements," Allie Jo Shipman, PharmD, director of state policy at the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, told KHN. 

Medical groups have long been opposed to nonphysician scope of practice expansions, citing risks to patient safety. The American Medical Association in November said it had successfully opposed more than 100 legislative actions that would have expanded nonphysicians' scope of practice. 

In a position statement last year, the American College of Physicians said it "opposes independent pharmacist prescriptive privileges and initiation of drug therapy outside of a collective practice agreement, physician standing order or supervision, or similar agreement." 

Advocates for expanding pharmacists' abilities say it improves access to care. 

"We want to come alongside physicians," Dr. Shipman said. "We want to be another healthcare provider. In the middle of the pandemic, we need help. The burden is too great to be carried by any one provider." 

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/pharmacists-scope-of-practice-grows-despite-physicians-objections.html

Older diabetes patients at higher risk for severe flu outcomes

 Older diabetes patients had a higher risk for severe influenza outcomes, including hospitalizations, a study recently published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found. 

Researchers in study, which was published March 16, analyzed the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network for hospitalization data on adults 65 and older from 2012 to 2017. 

Of 31,934 adults hospitalized with influenza, 34 percent had diabetes. Adults with diabetes had higher rates of influenza-associated hospitalization, ICU admission, pneumonia, mechanical ventilation and in-hospital death. 

"These findings reinforce the importance of preventing influenza virus infections through annual vaccination, and early treatment of influenza illness with antivirals in older adults with DM [diabetes mellitus]," researchers wrote.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cardiology/older-diabetes-patients-at-higher-risk-for-severe-flu-outcomes.html