Latest news with #pandemic
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Health
- Forbes
Sweeping Problems Under The Rug By The Feds Doesn't Make Them Go Away
A man walks his dog past a homeless man sleeping under a message painted on a boarded up shop in San ... More Francisco, California on April, 1, 2020, during the novel coronavirus outbreak. - The US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 5,000 late on April 1, according to a running tally from Johns Hopkins University. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) For decades, every administration, every Congress, put many things off for someone else to deal with. No one can get everything done all the time, that's understandable. But many current economic and social programs aren't a result of juggling what might be possible. Instead, they have become the ultimate attempt to kick every can down the road. That doesn't solve problems. It only hides them and allows them to grow and fester. One of the current examples is homelessness. Here is a statement out of the presidential executive order, Ending Crime And Disorder On America's Streets: 'The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health condition, or both. Nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having regularly used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes. An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions.' Homelessness is a problem in many parts of the country. And, yes, people on the streets are often troubled in one way or another. However, the entire executive order is a rhetorical setup, claiming that 'nearly two-thirds' of the individuals reporting having used 'hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes.' No source for the statistic that is then delivered to deemphasize that any such use might have been long before. And then a statement that an 'equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions.' No source, again, and no explanation of what mental health conditions mean. Broadly defined enough, like any amount of depression, anxiety, discomfort, and so on, it could include everyone in the country. Next, a combination of claiming that spending by the federal government and states has run tens of billions on failed programs 'that address homelessness but not its root causes.' After claiming that homeless people leave 'other citizens vulnerable to public safety threats' comes the statement, 'Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order.' After stating that previous spending never looked at root causes, presuming that the administration knows the root causes, the proffered solution is to lock people away. The message is to ignore the problem and put it out of sight. The point isn't really for safety, because most dangerous behavior in the country doesn't come from homeless people. It's for comfort and to pretend everything is fine. This has economic and social implications. Institutionalize where? Privately owned prisons where someone makes a lot of money from incarcerations? Hospitals that have been financially struggling but will even more now that Medicaid has been so thoroughly cut? Similar issues come in arguments over diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. The administration wants it purged not only from websites and government discussions, but from corporations, universities, and anywhere else the term might appear. Again, the communication expressed by action is to strike any mention of the topic anywhere, to bury it from consciousness as though that makes issues go away. It never does. Other parts of life are no different. Corporations want to promote the use of the most recent forms of artificial intelligence. Traditionally, the argument executives would use is not that technology was about enabling job cuts, but to free people up to do more useful and interesting work. That mask has finally begun to slip as CEOs and their corporations boast of shrinking their workforces. Ultimately, this will lead to fewer people being employed, greater degrees of consumer financial struggle, and economic weakness. But, again, that all gets brushed under the carpet. No society can long stand with such undermining. So long as problems are ignored, they likely grow worse until there comes a point that they demand more resources than are available.
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
CMBS-Linked Loans Worth $23 Billion Are Gripped by Paralysis
More commercial real estate debt is entering a state of suspended animation as the ripple effects from the pandemic continue to reverberate through the industry. About $23 billion of delinquent commercial mortgage loans bundled into bonds have reached or are approaching their maturity dates, according to an analysis by data analytics firm Trepp, with borrowers increasingly unable or simply unwilling to repay the debt. That compares with virtually zero before Covid upended the market.
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Posh hotspots suffer Britain's biggest house price falls
House prices in the South West are falling at the fastest pace outside of London, wiping thousands off properties that exchanged hands during the pandemic, analysis has found. Truro, Torquay and Exeter saw a spike of interest in the pandemic as Londoners looked westwards during the race for space. But the market is 'unwinding' thanks to a cocktail of price growth correction, increased stamp duty rates, higher mortgage rates and the second homes premium. The average house prices in Truro, Torquay and Exeter have fallen by up to 1.3pc in the past six months – second only to postcodes in West and Central London, according to Zoopla. Torquay's price fall comes after it dropped 1.1pc in the second half of last year. Harry Goodliffe, of mortgage brokerage HTG Mortgages, said: 'House prices in parts of the South West rocketed during the pandemic as buyers scrambled for space and lifestyle, but that kind of demand was never going to be sustainable. 'Now, reality is kicking in and some of those inflated values are adjusting. As the market cools and people weigh up hybrid working more realistically, demand has softened. It's not a crash, it's more of a reset.' The downward pressure on house prices in the South West has been caused by the introduction of the doubled council tax premium for second home owners. A host of councils in the region brought in the penalty this April after being granted powers by the previous Conservative government. A Zoopla spokesman said: 'The South West has always been popular as a location for second homes and investing in holiday rentals, as well as a place to live. 'Market conditions changed, largely on the back of tax changes for investors and double council tax for second home owners which has grown the number of homes for sale boosting buyer choice with prices posting modest price falls.' Telegraph analysis shows the average second home council tax bill has risen to £4,297 since April. Those in Torquay now face an average charge of £4,530, while a typical second home owner in Truro is paying a heftier £4,749. Pete Mugleston, of OnlineMortgageAdvisor, said: 'The South West housing market is now unwinding some of the extreme price growth driven by pandemic-era incentives. 'Low interest rates and the stamp duty holiday made second homes, Airbnb investing and upsizing incredibly attractive during 2020 to 2021. 'But today, mortgage costs are much higher and stamp duty rates have increased, particularly for additional properties. We're seeing a correction in places like Truro and Torquay, where the pandemic boom was sharpest, likely due to dampened second home and investor-driven demand.' Separate findings from Zoopla show that buyer demand is up 11pc, and agreed sales up 8pc year-on-year. The marketplace said the data shows the market is 'defying the typical summer slowdown'. The average UK house price now stands at £268,400, a modest £3,350 increase from this time last year. Richard Donnell, executive director of Zoopla, said: 'The housing market is broadly in balance. We're seeing healthy levels of demand and sales. 'More homes for sale, particularly across southern England, is reinforcing a buyer's market, keeping price rises in check.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors brace for potential measles surge in Calgary as Alberta's outbreaks drag on
Health experts are keeping a close eye on the measles situation in Calgary as case counts tick up and they're warning that vigilance is key. With a new case reported in the Calgary health zone on Friday, the number of confirmed cases has nearly doubled in about a month after remaining relatively low and stable for several months. As of midday Friday, the zone accounted for 44 of the province's 1,538 confirmed cases this year. "We have more to come and I think that this is the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Tania Principi, a pediatric emergency physician and associate clinical professor at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. She's seeing an increase in Calgary children with measles. And they can be very sick, she warned. "A lot of these kids get quite significant pneumonias, trouble breathing. They've needed to go to the ICU," she said. "Measles is dangerous. People can die from it.... You can have brain damage from it. So it's not just like a cold." Measles is highly contagious and can hang in the air for several hours after a person leaves a location. The virus can lead to serious complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation, premature delivery and even death. And there is no treatment for measles, according to Principi. "I'm worried, to be honest.... People start spreading measles even before they know they have it," she said. She expects to see a bigger surge in the coming weeks. "With festivals,... people travelling and vacation, I anticipate that we're going to see a lot more measles especially in Calgary, but throughout the province, [through] the summer and as kids go back to school in the fall," said Principi. "The only way we can stop the spread is ensuring that people are vaccinated and if people do have symptoms that they stay home. But otherwise unfortunately this is going to continue to spread and our numbers are going to continue to increase." Vaccination rates "My level of concern is very high. And Calgary, and the north, are at the top of that concern," said Dr. James Talbot, a former chief medical officer of health for Alberta. He made the comments in response to a question from CBC News at a recent expert panel hosted by the Alberta Medical Association. While the north and south health zones continue to be the hardest hit parts of the province, Talbot sees worrying signs in Calgary. Some of the locations identified in the most recent Alberta Health Services measles exposure advisories include the emergency department at Alberta Children's Hospital, the ER at South Health Campus and the Glenmore Landing location of Alberta Precision Laboratories. "Calgary has amongst the better immunization rates in this age group, but it's well below the 95 per cent that's required for protection." According to provincial data, 74 per cent of children in the Calgary zone who turned two years old in 2024 were up-to-date with two doses of the measles vaccine. The provincial average was 68 per cent. That vaccination rate has, so far, prevented community-level transmission, according to the University of Calgary's Craig Jenne. "Because we're not truly at herd immunity, there is a risk that the virus can find an under-vaccinated population in the city and maintain some spread," said Jenne, a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases. "We have to be quite aware of that and hopefully we can stay on top of contact tracing, exposure alerts and anybody that may be at risk of contracting measles, and has been exposed, can self-isolate and get help as needed to really reduce the risk of this getting a foothold in the city." Jenne said a lot of the cases in Calgary appear to be travel-related because locations such as hotels and the airport have been included in AHS exposure alerts. The more cases that are brought into the city, the more likely the virus will find under-vaccinated groups and spark more widespread transmission in Calgary, he warned. "Unfortunately the more times it's challenged, the more cases that appear, the more likely it is the virus will find a little daylight and be able to spread," said Jenne, who's also the deputy director of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. Visitor restrictions Meanwhile, visitor restrictions are in place at some Alberta hospitals now, as health officials work to reduce the risk of measles spreading to vulnerable patients. Alberta Health Services (AHS) said temporary limits can be put in place in locations including pediatric hospitals, cancer treatment sites, labour and delivery units, as well as neonatal intensive care units and pediatric intensive care units AHS says it's up to zone leadership to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to implement these restrictions and compassionate exemptions will be considered. "As the measles situation continues to be dynamic, this approach allows zone leadership to determine whether restrictions are needed to support the well-being of patients," spokesperson Kristi Bland said in a statement emailed on Friday. "In areas such as Edmonton and Calgary, where measles cases currently remain low, these precautions may be implemented due to the potential risk posed by visitors from regions with substantial measles circulation. They are not a response to increased risk or transmission within Calgary or Edmonton." AHS has so far not specified to CBC News which hospitals have actually put these measures in place.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Global hunger declines for first time since the pandemic, data shows
The number of people facing hunger around the world is trending down again for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, new data shows. The sharp spike in inflation and hit on supply chains caused by the pandemic is starting to fade, putting the number of people facing hunger back on its long term positive trend, according to the UN's annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report. The authors warn, however, that hunger is still climbing in much of Africa and that the overall improvement is not enough for the UN to meet its target of 'Zero Hunger' for 2030 – one of its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). The report, published on Monday, was co-produced by five UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, and reveals that as many as 720 million people – equivalent to 8 per cent of the global population – faced hunger in 2024, with 307 million of affected people in Africa, more than 20 per cent of the continent. 'While some countries are making progress, others are sinking deeper into hunger,' said Kate Munro, director of advocacy at Action Against Hunger UK. Maximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said a 'perfect storm' of global disruptions between 2020 and 2024 'illustrate how fragile global agrifood systems remain.' The report found that global food inflation, fuelled by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and climate shocks – soared from around 2 per cent in December 2020 to nearly 17 per cent in early 2023. The impacts were uneven, the report found, mostly affecting low-income and African countries. Notable improvements were seen in Latin America and the Caribbean, which saw undernourishment fall to around five per cent in 2024, affecting around 34 million people, down from a peak of roughly 6 per cent in 2020. Mr Torero Cullen highlighted the success of robust social protection programs across South America – such as cash transfers and employment schemes – in reducing hunger and food insecurity, particularly during the food price spikes. He pointed to school meal programs in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile and now Paraguay, which used targeted food aid to fight undernutrition. 'I think it's crucial for the African continent to focus on learning from what has happened in South America,' he told The Telegraph. 'Latin America and the Caribbean still have a possibility [to eliminate hunger by 2030], but there needs to be significant effort in Central America and especially in Haiti and the Caribbean islands,' he added. The report says that by 2030, 512 million people in the world may still be chronically undernourished, with nearly 60 per cent concentrated in Africa, more than double the global average. In Asia, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean, the prevalence of undernourishment will drop below five per cent by 2030, according to current projections. Prioritising nutrition During the peak of the food inflation crisis in January 2023, some low-income countries experienced food price inflation of up to 30 per cent compared to around 14 per cent globally. Soaring food costs also shrunk access to healthy nutritious diets, as families responded by buying cheaper and less nutritious food and reducing meal frequency. The report says that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are 'increasingly displacing more nutritious alternatives despite growing evidence of their adverse health impacts', adding that by 2021, UPFs were around 47 per cent less cheaper than minimally processed foods. 'Transforming food systems without addressing healthy diets and nutrition is like air without oxygen,' said Afshan Khan, an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. 'The global community must invest in a food system transformation that supports healthy people, grows economies and is environmentally sustainable,' she told The Telegraph. A deepening gender gap The report revealed persistent inequalities between genders, with food insecurity more prevalent among adult women than men in every region of the world. In Africa, only 48 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children achieve minimum dietary diversity. Women are the backbone of many farming communities across Africa, they make up two thirds of the continent's small-scale agricultural workforce, yet they face many discriminatory barriers – both in terms of access to land, tools and fertilisers, but also in terms of power and decision making in the community. Supporting women, by addressing their specific needs in agricultural productivity and wages, could add $1 trillion dollars to the global economy and reduce food insecurity by 45 million people, according to the FAO. 'Even though there was a slight improvement in terms of reducing global hunger, we are still not on track to meet Zero Hunger,' Ana Maria Loboguerrero, director of adaptive and equitable food systems at the Gates Foundation. 'But without really putting women's needs in the center of the conversation, we will never be able to properly address the issue of hunger and nutrition around the world,' she told The Telegraph. Looking ahead Ms Munro highlighted the looming fallout from the deep aid cuts announced in early 2025, which threaten to undo decades of progress to tackle global health. Global aid for nutrition, which treats severe wasting, the most lethal form of undernutrition, will fall by 44 per cent in 2025 compared to 2022, according to research. Wasting causes up to 20 per cent of deaths of children under the age of five years, and affects 13.7 million children a year globally. Left untreated, up to 60 per cent of affected children might die 'These figures [in the SOFI report] are alarming enough, but the worst may be yet to come. Cuts in international aid will hit the most vulnerable populations hardest,' said Ms Munro.
