Category: Covid-19

Public Vaccination Locations

The City of Memphis is now operating public COVID-19 Vaccination Sites, Mondays Saturdays from 8 a.m. 6 p.m.

Only citizens who meet the eligibility criteria will be vaccinated, and appointments are required. Citizens should not arrive more than an hour before the scheduled appointment time. Citizens who do not have an appointment will be turned away.

Citizens without internet access can call 901-222-7468(SHOT) or 615-552-1998 between the hours of 9 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. Seven days a week.

If you are looking for second dose information keep scrolling down or click here.

Pfizer

940 Early Maxwell Blvd

Monday Saturday

9am 6pm

Pfizer

2355 Appling City Cove

Monday Saturday

11am-6pm

Pfizer

3824 Austin Peay Hwy

Monday Saturday

9am-6pm

Pfizer

1234 Finley

Tuesday Saturday

9am-6pm

Pfizer

9450 Poplar Ave

Monday Friday

9am-6pm

Now administering Pfizer first doses at the following community locations:

Pfizer

2870 Deadrick Ave

Saturday March 27

9am-6pm

Pfizer

480 South Parkway E

Saturday March 27

11am-5pm

Pfizer

3885 Tchulahoma Rd

Monday March 29

9am-6pm

Pfizer

3240 James Rd

Tuesday March 30

9am-6pm

Pfizer

2532 Warren St

Wednesday March 31

9am-6pm

Pfizer

2124 E Holmes Rd

Thursday April 1

9am-6pm

Pfizer

6120 Winchester Rd.

Tuesday April 6

9am-6pm

Moderna

3759 N Watkins

Friday April 9

9am-6pm

Pfizer

940 Early Maxwell Blvd

Saturday March 27

9am 6pm

Pfizer

2355 Appling City Cove

Monday Saturday

9am-6pm

Pfizer

3824 Austin Peay Hwy

Monday Saturday

9am-6pm

Pfizer

1234 Finley

Tuesday Saturday

9am-6pm

Pfizer

9450 Poplar Ave

Monday Friday

9am-6pm

Pfizer

480 South Parkway E

Saturday March 27

11am-5pm

Volunteers are needed for our vaccination sites. If you would like to volunteer, please answer the membership application questions to access volunteer opportunities.

The City of Memphis affiliated events are listed below:

Currently Vaccinating

The vaccines are currently only available to people who meet the age or group requirements.

We are in Phase 3, and this includes citizens 45 and older, those with comorbidities, those in critical infrastructure industries and other high-risk settings.

When a person experiences comorbid conditions, they may have a compromised immune system or need additional care that exposes them to others.Adding COVID-19 to an existing health condition increases the chance of hospitalization and risk of death.

Below is a list(but not limited to):

Vaccine is also offered at the private providers below. Click each one to learn more about the signup process.

1020 South Bellevue

Tuesday and Thursday

9:00am-3:00pm

Walk-Up, no appointment necessary

1087 Alice Ave

Tuesday- Thursday (March 16-18)

3:00pm-7:00pm

Veterans Administration Now vaccinating all eligible veterans at the VA Medical Center at 1030 Jefferson Avenue. Veterans must be enrolled with the VA at http://www.va.gov to receive vaccination.

Daily Doses Administered

Includes first and second doses.

See the original post:

Memphis COVID-19 Updates - Memphis COVID-19 Updates

WINK NEWS

Studies show the coronavirus is also causing tinnitus in some people, a ringing of the ears that can lead to dizziness. A man we spoke to has tinnitus but did not develop it due to COVID-19. Regardless of the cause, he said its horrible.

For Robert Cacus, it started with silence.

One day, I just stopped hearing everything, and that lasted for two days, Cacus said. I went to the hospital and the ER and they were like, We dont see anything wrong with you.'

When his hearing returned so did unpleasant symptoms.

I started having ringing in my ears, and Ive had that ringing in my ears now for like 20 years, Cacus said. Its constant, and its just a sound thats in your head, and you just cant do anything about it.

Cacus says, sometimes the ringing is so loud, he cant concentrate.

I just dont know what it feels like to just hear quiet, Cacus said. I just dont know.

New research shows Cacus tinnitus could get worse. Several studies are exploring the link between COVID-19 and new tinnitus cases, hearing loss and auditory vertigo.

During Johnson and Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine trial, six volunteers developed tinnitus.

But the report also says there wasnt enough evidence to confirm a causal relationship between the vaccine and tinnitus.

When a condition is common, and COVID is so common, its very hard to sincerely draw a one-to-one, said Dr. Michael Hoffer, a professor otolaryngology & and neurological surgery at UM Health. So people should be reserved in saying that COVID causes certain things. Certain things weve proven, and certain things are just speculation.

Hoffer says its also possible new cases of tinnitus are related to the stress of the pandemic instead of the virus.

Ringing in the ear and dizziness, in particular, gets worse with stress, Hoffer explained.

While there is uncertainty surrounding COVID-19s link to tinnitus, there is one thing Cacus knows for sure.

I havent had COVID yet. I dont plan on getting it. But if I do have to get it, I hope I dont have to suffer any worse than I am now, Cacus said.

While hes at it, Cacus hopes for a cure too. Depending on the type of tinnitus someone has, it might go away on its own, or it might become permanent.

MORE:

Read the rest here:

Researchers study relationship between COVID-19, development of tinnitus - Wink News

The statewide mask mandate comes to an end in just two weeks on April 6, the day after theNCAA Tournament ends.

GovernorEric HolcombannouncedTuesdayduring his statewide addressthatthe mandate turns into an advisory and it will be up to local leaders and business owners to decide whether or not to require masks.Venue capacity, restaurant seating, and social gathering restrictions will also be in their hands.

Customers in restaurants, bars and nightclubs will no longer be required by the state to be seated.Those locations will also have the power to set their own rules.Six feet of spacing between tables and other seating is still recommended.

They retain the authority to make decisions about COVID restrictions for their operations and should be afforded their respect, said Governor Holcomb during his address Tuesday.

When I visit my favorite restaurants or conduct a public event, I will continue to appropriately wear a mask, its the right thing to do.

BIG NEWS: Starting April 6 the statewide mask mandate here in Indiana will become a mask advisory. The governor says he did it after the #NCAATournament because of the out-of-state guests, and to give those w/ medical conditions more time to get vaccinated

Businesses will have guidance in making these decisions.The governor says the state health department will still give county metrics each week, saying those are key to knowing whether virus levels are increasing or decreasing locally.

The metrics will be guidelines for local consideration regarding size limits for each social gathering, said Holcomb.

The governor says he decided to extend the mandate until the end of the tournament because of all the out-of-state visitors we have right now.It also gives Hoosiers with pre-existing health conditions more time to get vaccinated.

Recognize this spot?! Im live on Mass Ave this morning because the Governor is easing restrictions and turning the mask mandate into an advisory, leaving it up to business owners and local officials. Venue capacity, seating and size restrictions will also be in their hands. pic.twitter.com/KomazSVlKz

While the governor says the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, not everyone agrees with these changes.

This is very serious, and Im afraid everybodys going to get a little too relaxed. I think people are starting to get a little too relaxed, said Indiana residentMarc Gunyon.

I think its too soon. I think were starting to see signs of progress and Im actually becomingoptimisticthat sometime this year we can get to a point where masks arent necessary, but I dont think right now is the time. I think the governor is acting prematurely, Gunyon continued.

Face coverings will remain mandatory in all state buildings and facilitiesand in all vaccination andCOVID testing sites until further notice.

When it comes to K-12 schools, they will still need to wear masks for the rest of the school year.And the governor says they will return to full in-person this fall.

See more here:

Looking ahead to Indianas eased COVID-19 restrictions: Whats changing and what isnt - Fox 59

Cara Lestenkof-Mandregan, John Melovidov and their twin daughters, Anna and Mila, go for a walk on St. Paul Island, Alaska. Cara Lestenkof-Mandregan hide caption

Cara Lestenkof-Mandregan, John Melovidov and their twin daughters, Anna and Mila, go for a walk on St. Paul Island, Alaska.

The nearest hospital to St. Paul Island, Alaska, in the middle of the Bering Sea, is 800 miles away.

There is a clinic on the island, so most prenatal appointments happen there. Pregnant women usually visit Anchorage only a few times before they move to the city about a month before their due date.

But that's not how it worked for Cara Lestenkof-Mandregan.

She is part of the Indigenous Unangan community that lives on the island. Remote towns and Native villages in Alaska do not have maternity wards. That makes pregnancy difficult in a normal year, and the coronavirus pandemic has only intensified the strain.

Early in her pregnancy, Lestenkof-Mandregan and her boyfriend, John Melovidov, found out they were going to have twins.

"And I had the doctor come in and tell me all these things that could potentially go wrong," she says.

Pregnant people are already at higher risk for serious illness due to COVID-19. And the doctor told her that twins are also considered to make a pregnancy high risk.

"After 16 weeks, I would need to travel out to Anchorage every two weeks for appointments. My jaw dropped," says Lestenkof-Mandregan.

Her island stayed free from COVID-19 while case counts began to rise in Anchorage, where she was traveling for checkups. But that travel started to feel like a gamble. She didn't want to get sick or be the one who brought the coronavirus back from the city.

"I was going to have to go to COVID-ville and possibly contract the infection," she said.

Eventually doctors at Alaska Native Medical Center advised that she go to Anchorage and stay there to prevent multiple trips back and forth.

As a health aide, she had seen colds and flus spread across her small island like wildfire and didn't want to see that happen in her village with COVID-19 because of her pregnancy.

"So, we decided that we were going to leave and just stay out in Anchorage until it was time to deliver."

Separation and isolation

The pandemic has put a spotlight on the hardships of separation and isolation during pregnancy.

"We really need to start working on how do we support these moms as best we can, because they're not delivering near their families," says Dr. Matt Hirschfeld, a pediatrician.

He leads maternal child health services at Alaska Native Medical Center.

"They're not delivering with their aunties and grandmas and, you know, everybody around them," he says.

That separation from home and family is hard, but Hirschfeld says it's done for a good reason.

"Back in the '80s and before, Alaska had one of the highest neonatal mortality rates which is defined as kids who die before the first 30 days in the country," he says.

Hirschfeld says transition to hospital births has correlated to a 75% drop in infant mortality deaths before age 1 over the last few decades.

Expectant mothers, like Lestenkof-Mandregan was, stay in hospital housing, which has communal kitchens and play areas for families to gather in when they're away from home. But COVID-19 shut down the community rooms. Residents now stay in their individual rooms most of the time.

"It was kind of a blur," Lestenkof-Mandregan says. "We were there for a long time."

For four months, she and her boyfriend left their small room only for medical appointments. She says she was grateful her partner was there. Many women make the trip alone.

"We spent our days, you know, keeping to ourselves in our room. [We] watched a lot of Netflix and enjoyed the fast Internet," she says.

When Lestenkof-Mandregan, her partner and twins, Anna and Mila, got home after so long away from St. Paul Island, it was time for celebration with family.

She says it's a story her girls will hear for the rest of their lives.

Link:

Alaskan Woman Spends Last Months Of Pregnancy In Isolation To Prevent COVID-19 Spread - NPR

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of March 23, 2021, there have been 2,373,790 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 138,429 total cases and 2,613 total deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the death of an 83-year old male from Wood County. We are deeply saddened by this news, a loss to both the family and our state, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. We extend our deepest sympathies and urge residents to continue efforts to stop the spread.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,310), Berkeley (10,291), Boone (1,706), Braxton (818), Brooke (2,049), Cabell (8,228), Calhoun (238), Clay (386), Doddridge (507), Fayette (2,893), Gilmer (728), Grant (1,155), Greenbrier (2,464), Hampshire (1,586), Hancock (2,610), Hardy (1,352), Harrison (5,065), Jackson (1,742), Jefferson (3,864), Kanawha (12,675), Lewis (1,074), Lincoln (1,333), Logan (2,906), Marion (3,854), Marshall (3,147), Mason (1,839), McDowell (1,401), Mercer (4,334), Mineral (2,619), Mingo (2,246), Monongalia (8,467), Monroe (1,003), Morgan (968), Nicholas (1,341), Ohio (3,767), Pendleton (641), Pleasants (817), Pocahontas (607), Preston (2,672), Putnam (4,432), Raleigh (5,205), Randolph (2,440), Ritchie (636), Roane (509), Summers (715), Taylor (1,127), Tucker (513), Tyler (651), Upshur (1,749), Wayne (2,688), Webster (422), Wetzel (1,136), Wirt (365), Wood (7,343), Wyoming (1,795).

Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested.

Free COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Hardy, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Mason, Mineral, Mingo, Nicholas, Putnam, Raleigh and Wyoming counties.

March 23

Barbour County

9:00 AM 11:00 AM, Barbour County Health Department, 109 Wabash Avenue, Philippi, WV

3:00 PM 7:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV

Berkeley County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Ambrose Park, 25404 Mall Drive, Martinsburg, WV

1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shenandoah Community Health, 99 Tavern Road, Martinsburg, WV

4:30 PM 8:00 PM, Dorothy McCormack Building, 2000 Foundation Way, Martinsburg, WV

Boone County

10:00 AM 3:00 PM, Boone County Health Department 213 Kenmore Drive, Danville, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Calhoun County

9:00 AM 12:00 PM, Minnie Hamilton Health Systems, 186 Hospital Drive, Grantsville, WV

Clay County

1:00 PM 3:00 PM, Clay County Health Department, 452 Main Street, Clay, WV

Doddridge County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Doddridge County Park, The Barn, 1252 Snowbird Road S., West Union, WV

Fayette County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Ruby Welcome Center, 55 Hazel Lane, Mount Hope, WV

Gilmer County

9:00 AM 12:00 PM, Minnie Hamilton Health Systems, 921 Mineral Road, Glenville, WV

Grant County

11:00 AM 5:00 PM, 157-209 Rig Street (parking lot), Petersburg, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Hardy County

4:00 PM 7:00 PM, Moorefield High School, 401 N. Main Street, Moorefield, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Jefferson County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Shepherd University Wellness, Center Parking Lot, 164 University Drive, Shepherdstown, WV

Lincoln County

9:00 AM 3:00 PM, 8008 Court Avenue, Hamlin, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Logan County

1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Old 84 Lumber Building, 100 Recovery Road, Peach Creek, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Marshall County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Marshall County Health Department, 513 6th Street, Moundsville, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Mason County

10:00 AM 4:00 PM, Old Goodwill Store (beside Piggly Wiggly), 303 3rd Street, Point Pleasant, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Mineral County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Mineral County Health Department, 541 Harley O. Staggers Drive, Keyser, WV

Mingo County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Kermit Fire Department, 49 Main Street, Kermit, WV

Nicholas County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, St. Lukes United Methodist Church, 18001 W. Webster Road, Craigsville, (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Putnam County

9:00 AM 1:00 PM, Liberty Square, 613 Putnam Village, Hurricane, WV (pre-registration: bit.ly/pchd-covid)

Raleigh County

10:00 AM 1:00 PM, Raleigh County Commission on Aging, 1614 S. Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV

Webster County

1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Camp Caesar, 1 Camp Caesar Lane, Cowen, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Wyoming County

11:00 AM 3:00 PM, Wyoming County Fire Department, 12 Park Street, Pineville, WV

Go here to read the rest:

COVID-19 Daily Update 3-23-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Groton Town Councilor Aundr Bumgardner, who recently won the Democratic mayoral primary in the City of Groton, has announced that he tested positive for COVID-19.

Bumgardner said he took a PCR test on Sunday after experiencing the onset of symptoms on Saturday evening and learned the results on Monday evening.

"I have contacted all those who I had contact with since March 18th (for more than 15 minutes, closer than 6 feet, or over a 24 hour period), as well as the Ledge Light Health District, which has advised me to isolate for the next 10 days," he wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. "I write this in the interest of full transparency, and while thinking about the millions of people impacted by COVID-19. Unfortunately, many aren't as lucky as I am to have a home, a supportive family, and friends checking in on me."

"I will remain active during isolation via phone and texts and my social media pages, even when I may not feel my best," added Bumgardner, who also serves on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.

Bumgardner said by phone Tuesday that he does not have a fever, but has post-nasal drip and a sore throat, and he feels very fatigued and needs to take a pause to gather his breath after he finishes talking.

Bumgardner said it has been more than two weeks since the Democratic primary so he developed symptoms well after his primary campaign. He said while knocking on doors, he took "every precaution possible," including wearing gloves and a mask and only talking with people outside, not indoors.

While he is not sure exactly how he contracted the virus, he suspects it was by going out to eat. He said he rarely goes out to eat but he has eaten in restaurants a few times over the last few weeks. With the primary over, he said many people have been reaching out to discuss the city's future and offering a helping hand during the transition, so he is now in a position to meet one-on-one with people. He saidhe willforforeseeable future request remote meetings or phone conversations until the vast majority of people are vaccinated.

Bumgardner, 26, added thathe has not yet been vaccinated, but plans to do so when the vaccine is available to him.

As restaurants re-open and people frequent local eateries, he added thathis experiencegoes to show how critical it is to be respectful of surrounding patrons and maintain six feet of social distance and wash one's hands before and after eating.

In the interest of full transparency, he said he issuedthe public statement and notified everyone he was in contact withfor less than six feet andfor more than 15 minutes. He said most of the individuals have already taken a rapid test and are awaiting the results of a PCR test. He said no one has tested positive so far.

Bumgardner said he reached out to inform Ledge Light Health District of his positive result and participated in Ledge Light Heath District's contact tracing even before the district received the positive result from the state Department of Public Health.

Bumgardner said theTown Councilhad an outdoor meetingon Saturday morning in Mystic a coastal access tour with everyone maintaining social distancing and he had no symptomswhatsoever. He thenwent Saturday afternoon on a door-to door listening tourin Groton Cityin advance of the Maygeneralelection, but after the fifth door, he felt very fatigued and decided to go home.

Bumgardner won the March 8 Democratic primary and the City of GrotonDemocratic Committee has endorsed candidates for City Council and City Clerk for the May 3 general election. The City of Groton Republican Committee did not put forward a slate of candidates.

Henoted thatthe Town of Groton is beginning its budget season this week and he plans to continue to participate in meetings remotely and be available by phone, email and social media while isolating. He said he looks forward tohitting the campaign trailagain once he has recuperated.

He said he is grateful for the outpouring of support he has received.

"This virus has impacted millions of individuals, and I'm very lucky that I have a supportive family and supportive friends and certainly resources to fully recuperate," he said.

"It has been a year since this virus caused havoc to our community and it just goes to show that despite the fact that a lot of folks are now vaccinated and we're restoring to some semblance of everyday life, it is critical that we don't let our guards down," he added. "We are so close to getting out of the woods with this virus."

k.drelich@theday.com

Link:

Bumgardner announces he tested positive for COVID-19 - News from southeastern Connecticut - theday.com

Its been a year since the stock market took its Covid-19 tumble. From Feb. 19 to March 20, 2020a span of 22 trading daysthe S&P 500 fell 30%, the fastest decline ever.

Its hard to overstate how dramatic this market moment was, or how much panic was in the air. The horror of more than 700 people dying every day in New York City alone was still in the future, with nurses and doctors wearing trash bags instead of medical personal protective equipment (PPE).

For markets, March 20 was the decisive turning point: The S&P 500 hit an intra-day low of 2,191 the following trading day, and since then its barely looked back. It took five months to retrace the early Covid-19 losses and start hitting new all-time highs. By mid-March 2021, the S&P 500 was getting very close to 4,000, not very far from a 100% gain off the Covid-19 lows.

The year 2020 was the ultimate playbook of investment lessons, says financial planner Desmond Henry of Topeka, Kan. You could write a whole book about it.

Theres a lot to learn from the events of the past 12 months. Here are seven investing lessons you can learn from the pandemic.

The Covid-19 crisis was the ultimate affirmation of what Henry calls the golden rule of investing, buy and hold. Your aim as an investor should be to find high-quality companies and hold onto them for as long as possible.

If you arent willing to own a stock for 10 years, dont even think about owning it for 10 minutes, wrote legendary investor Warren Buffett in his famous 1996 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. This entails seeing a company through rough times in the short term with your eye on the long term.

Buy and hold couldnt have been more true than this past year, Henry says. Sometimes the best strategy is to do nothing.

If you had sold at the bottom of the recent bear market, youd have been cashing out at 2016 S&P 500 levels and then have been faced with the difficult task of determining when to reenter the market. Youd probably have missed out on at least some of the recovery gains in the process. If youd stayed steady, though, youd have effortlessly benefited from all of the return.

If you sold in March you would have gotten hammered. Doing nothing really does work, Henry says.

When it comes to stock market analysis, it can seem like talking heads are always expecting this time to be different.

People think, This is the next thing thats going to be the end of the world. Every four years you hear that during elections, If my candidate doesnt win the presidency, the world will endYou could have easily said that back in March. This is the big one; were never going to come out of that, Henry says.

This fear manifested in a really interesting way during the early days of the pandemic, Paul Miller, a New York City-based certified public accountant (CPA), notes. The initial result is that most were paralyzed and sold investments incorrectly, and then went into cash and stayed paralyzed, he says. Those who did that, of course, ended up locking in losses and missed out on a lot of that nearly 100% gain since last March. Overall, the thing I would take away is that if you do everything steadily, incrementally, every time you will prevail. But a lot of people panicked. You can even say Warren Buffet panicked. He sold all his airline stocks. He regrets that move now.

With all the noise of market volatility, It can be tempting to try to wait out for a best time when the market has steadied and is on a consistent upward trajectory. Though it might not seem like it, that inertia can be a mistake in and of itself.

Dont wait, Henry says. The best time to start investing is always now.

People are often waiting on somethingIll invest when the dust settlesIll invest when the vaccine gets here. Well, for people waiting, that boat has already sailed, he says.

While the big example of that is obviously the almost doubling of an investment that took place from March 2020 to March 2021, almost each month you delayed starting investing would have cost you in the past 12 months. In the past year, you would have seen gains being invested from just one month to the next 66% of the time, and outside of March 2020, the largest month-over-month decrease was just 4%.

During normal years, those percentages are even more compelling: Between 1928 and 2021, the S&P 500 saw month-over-month gains 75% of the time on average, and its average decrease was no more than 1%, according to data compiled by Yardeni research.

In short, stop playing that game, being so pessimistic, Henry says. Or, in other words, the stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient, as Warren Buffett says. Just getting your money into the market can be most of the battle to seeing positive returns.

There was a very short window, maybe 60 days, when people were stressed out of their minds, Miller says. The markets first Covid-19-related dips date back only to about Feb. 1, 2020. So the financial pain, while acute, was short-lived.

That might have helped prevent people from overreacting, Henry says. There wasnt really time.

The fact that the sell off happened so quickly was actually a positive, he says. He was steeled for some tough, talk-them-back-from-the-cliff conversations, but instead, most of his clients were well-behaved.

His theory: By the time clients saw the impact in their March monthly statements, the market had already started to rebound. When people see that slow bleeding for a longer period, that mentally messes with (investors) more than getting hammered quickly, he says.

This well-behaved phenomenon wasnt limited to Henrys clients. Vanguard released a study last year showing its investors largely rode out the Covid-19 bear market.

Less than 1% of households abandoned equities completely during the downturn in the first half of 2020, the report found. The net result of the portfolio and market changes was a modest reduction in the average household equity allocation, from 63% to 62%.

The falling-elevator quality to the Covid bear market stands in contrast to the recessions that hit after the dot-com and housing bubbles burst. After those two events, the markets languished for years. It can be harder to keep hope that the market will recover when its gradually slipping for a longer amount of time and struggling to recover.

Are there sector-specific lessons to be learned from Covid-19? Heres one: Technology really is driving the future, and most investors would be wise to bet on it. In 2020, the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 outpaced the S&P 500 by about 30 percentage points (+48.9%, vs +18.4%).

And even when you might think its too late to invest in a tech darling, it might not be. Consider this: If you were lucky or smart and bought $1,000 worth of Zoom stock on January 31, 2020, at about $76 per share, youd have about $4,200 today (it sits at around $330 per share). Thats a great return.

But say you waited until the end March, at which time it seemed everyone you know was suddenly using Zoom for several hours per day. Too late? Hardly. Zoom had only risen to about $150 per share by then, so youd have about $2,150 by now. Not too shabby.

Im not much into sector rotation. Its another form of timing the market, Henry says. But I am still bullish on tech stocks.And if you want to position yourself to benefit from any broad economic recovery without picking individual stocks, look to an index or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the performance of the whole economy or a particular sector, like tech.

If nothing else, Covid-19 proved the importance of having an emergency fund.

Studies show roughly half of Americans dont have enough savings to pay for a surprise $1,000 expense without borrowing money. People in that half had a much rougher time during the pandemics early days. The savers? Many of them took their government stimulus checks and invested them.

Across all income levels, Envestnet Yodlee, a financial data analysis and aggregation company, noted that stock purchasing increased by anywhere from 50% to 90%, with lower incomes showing greater increases. Even as trading volume grew, many Americans still doubled down on their emergency savings, with 14% squirreling money safely away, according to a Forbes Advisor survey in May 2020.

This dual-pronged approach to saving is in line with a favorite piece of advice of Henrys.

I cant take credit for this; I heard someone else say it once: You have to save like a pessimist and invest like an optimist! he says. This way, youre prepared if rough times come in the short term and when you need money later in life.To get started building your own emergency fund or investing, check out Forbes Advisors guides.

Here is the original post:

Covid-19 Crisis: Investing Lessons From The Pandemic - Forbes

First two cases of South African COVID-19 variant detected in Thurston County  KOMO News

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First two cases of South African COVID-19 variant detected in Thurston County - KOMO News

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 123.7 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 2.72 million. More than 458.13 million vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday praised the great spirit shown by Britain in tackling COVID-19, marking a year since the first lockdown by saying everyones efforts had allowed the country to start on the cautious road to easing restrictions.

It comes as Johnson warned that the third wave of COVID-19 infections sweeping across Europe could be heading towards Britain.

Germany and Finland are extending their lockdowns until April 18 to combat the recent increase of COVID-19 cases. Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, urged citizens to stay at home for five days over the Easter holidays to try to break a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frances COVID-19 figures are going up at a vertiginous rate and if the situation does not improve, further lockdown measures may be needed, Frederic Valletoux, president of the French hospital federation, said on Tuesday. On Monday, France reported 15,792 new coronavirus cases, more than double the 6,471 reported last Monday and the highest number on a Monday since the peak of the second wave in early November.

Cases are rising in mainland Europe and a number of regions in India.

Image: Our World in Data

2. WHO Director-General urges vaccine developers to license technology to overcome 'grotesque' inequity

The gap between number of vaccines administered in rich countries and the number administered through COVAX is growing and becoming more grotesque every day, Tedros told the news conference.

The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage. Its also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating.

He emphasized the need for every country to be vaccinated in order to reduce transmission and therefore, the discovery of new variants that could evade vaccines.

"Some countries are racing to vaccinate their entire populations while other countries have nothing. This may buy short-term security, but its a false sense of security," he said, urging richer countries if they won't share vaccines for the right reasons, they should do it out of self-interest.

He went on to highlight AstraZeneca as the vaccine developer who has committed to not profiting from the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic and licensing its technology to several other companies, which are producing 90% of the vaccines that have been distributed through COVAX.

"We need more vaccine producers to follow this example and license their technology to other companies."

3. Men outnumber women three to one on COVID-19 task forces

In a study by the UN and the University of Pittsburghs Gender Inequality Research Lab, women made up just 24% of representatives on task forces set up to manage the recovery in 137 countries examined. Of the 225 task forces, 26 had no women at all.

Multiple studies have found that the pandemic disproportionately affects women, who have taken on a larger burden of childcare with schools closed and been more likely to suffer job losses, while domestic violence has also risen.

A lack of women in decision-making positions will only exacerbate that inequality, said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

It is inconceivable that we can address the most discriminatory crisis we have ever experienced without full engagement of women, she said in a statement.

At the moment, men have given themselves the impossible task of making the right decisions about women without the benefit of womens insights.

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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 23 March - World Economic Forum

Canaccord Genuity's Tony Dwyer is temporarily dialing back his appetite for stocks.

On the one-year anniversary of the Covid-19 bottom, he's telling investors the market is in "no man's land."

"We're in this period where the Russell 1000 growth mega cap stocks aren't oversold anymore and the cyclical or economic recovery theme isn't extreme overbought anymore," the firm's chief market strategist told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Tuesday."So, I don't really see a near-term tactical edge until we see some sign of an extreme that just doesn't exist right now."

Dwyer, who's bullish for the year, has been partial to S&P 500 groups tied to a strong economic rebound. But he notes those areas don't provide a good entry point right now for new money.

"The other part of no man's land is that economic recovery theme got so extreme that we actually even downgraded the financials [to neutral] last Friday," he added.

The KBW Bank Index, which tracks the performance of the group, is up 107% in the past year. So far this year, it has soared almost 19%.

Dwyer believes the gains face near-term trouble due to risks associated with economic growth.

"It's what made us downgrade the financials. You actually have long-term interest rates come down because the markets start thinking the global recovery may not be as rapid," said Dwyer. "The risk is not in our view right now higher interest rates and economic acceleration. That's what we want."

Dwyer may be on pause right now. But a day after the 2020 market low, he predicted a significant relief rally on expectations of massive fiscal and monetary support. The market was back at all-time highs before year's end.

"The SPX [S&P 500] has already dropped nearly 34% in under a month suggesting the panic phase should be nearly done based on the 14-week RSI [Relative Strength Index]," Dwyer wrote to clients on March 24, 2020. "Such extreme oversold readings have suggested the 'panic phase' of a crash was largely in the rear-view mirror."

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 closed at 3,910.52 a 79% gain from the March 2020 bottom. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq is up 93% in the same period and closed at 13,227.70.

"We still love the economic recovery theme. We have excess liquidity that is historic. You go into recessions and sustained bear markets when you have a need for money with limited access to it. The opposite is true today," Dwyer said. "We've never seen this level of global liquidity in the marketplace."

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One year after Covid-19 market bottom, Canaccord Genuity's Tony Dwyer says stocks are in 'no man's land' - CNBC