-
Tech NewsNewsYou’ll Soon Be Able to Check the Status of Your $600 Stimulus Check
The second round of stimulus checks began rolling out through direct deposit this week, and the Internal Revenue Service says its Get My Payment tool for checking the status of your payment should become available “in a few days.” The agency said in a release on Tuesday that the $600 stimulus checks for qualifying U.S. … Continued
By Catie Keck -
ScienceHealthNew Research Shows How Covid-19 Can Trigger Brain Damage
New research out today looks to bring us closer to understanding how covid-19 can cause brain damage. The study suggests that while the viral infection may not directly reach the brain in most cases, it can spark the sort of destructive inflammation that’s seen with other neurological conditions, like stroke. The research was conducted by … Continued
By Ed Cara -
EartherWhat’s Truly Terrifying About the Stumbling Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout
A cursory glance at country-by-country covid-19 vaccinations shows the U.S. well ahead of other countries. But dive a little below the surface and the data tell a different story. While more than 2.1 million people have received their first covid-19 vaccine shot, more than 9.3 million doses lay waiting to be shot into American’s arms, … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
ScienceHealthThe New Coronavirus Variant Is in the U.S.—Now What?
Over the past 24 hours, health officials in Colorado have reported finding two suspected cases of covid-19 caused by a worrying new variant of the coronavirus. The variant, first detected in the UK, is strongly believed to be more transmissible than previous strains, though recent data has also suggested that it’s not more likely to … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsAppleApple Pulls Secret Partying App Because Apparently There’s a Pandemic Going On
There are bad ideas, and then there’s building an app to promote secret parties during the worst global pandemic in 100 years. In a move surprising absolutely no one with common sense, Apple has pulled the Vybe Together app from its iOS store, according to the Verge. Vybe Together advertised itself on its now-defunct website … Continued
-
Tech NewsPoliticsMcConnell Doesn’t Care About Section 230 or the Election—Just Keeping Your Relief Check Small
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moved to block consideration of a House-approved stimulus package on Tuesday that includes $2,000 checks for many Americans—an amount sought after by a rising chorus of Republicans and an outgoing President Trump. McConnell moved to mask his desire to limit the relief payments to no more than $600, the figure … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityTreasury Department Warns of Increase in Covid-19 Vaccine-Related Fraud and Cybercrime
In a notice on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department warned of an uptick in cyberattacks and scams linked to covid-19 vaccines, saying ransomware poses a particular threat as criminals search for ways to exploit the ongoing public health crisis. Certain scams linked to the vaccination efforts may include counterfeit vaccines, the agency warned, citing prior … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
ScienceHealthYou Think Covid-19 Is Bad?
Experts with the World Health Organization issued a somber warning on Monday: The next pandemic to strike humanity could be even more devastating than covid-19 has been, especially if we don’t learn our lessons this time around. The warning came from Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, during a press briefing … Continued
By Ed Cara -
io9MoviesTom Hanks Believes Franchises Will Save Movie Theaters
Tom Hanks has been one of the biggest movie stars on the planet for as long as most of us have been alive. He’s won Oscars, grossed billions at the box office, and worked with all the best directors (he’s even directed himself). Basically, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to movies, … Continued
-
ReviewsThe Best and Worst of the World’s Covid-19 Response
On January 7, 2020, I wrote about a mysterious, pneumonia-causing viral illness making people sick in Wuhan, China. It was the first Gizmodo article about what eventually became known as covid-19, the second pandemic to strike humanity in the 21st century. It’s eerie to look back at those early days and weeks, when it still … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthThe U.S. Just Secured Another 100 Million Doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine
Americans will have more opportunities to get their hands on the authorized covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. On Wednesday, the companies announced having reached a deal with the U.S. government for an additional 100 million doses by July 31, up from the initial 100 million doses ordered already. The deal follows a similar … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthCongress to Employers: You Can Go Back to Not Giving Paid Leave to Covid-Positive Staff
Here’s a big fuck you from Congress to everyone else: The coronavirus relief bill passed this week removes a requirement that employers provide at least two weeks of paid sick leave at full salary if their employees contract the coronavirus. The bill also strips requirements that employers provide two weeks of leave at two-thirds’ salary … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthAntarctica Got the ‘Rona
The virus responsible for covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, has now reached all seven continents on Earth, with Antarctica reporting its first batch of cases. Thirty-six people working at Chile’s General Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme research base in Antarctica have tested positive for covid-19, according to multiple Spanish-language media outlets. So much for that Associated Press article from September, … Continued
-
ScienceHealthWhat We Know About the New Coronavirus Mutations and the Vaccines
Scientists in the UK and elsewhere are reporting the discovery of new, potentially important mutations found in local strains of the coronavirus. These strains may pose a real added danger to people, with early research suggesting that they’re more transmissible than the classic version. And though there’s much about them left to understand, there’s also … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsNewsCDC Reports 550,000 Americans Have Received First Dose of Covid-19 Vaccine
Over 550,000 Americans have received their first dose of the vaccine against the coronavirus as of Sunday night, according to new figures released online by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of vaccinated Americans is encouraging news as covid-19 continues to devastate the U.S., a country that has averaged over new 216,000 … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNewsUK Prime Minister: ‘We Cannot Continue With Christmas as Planned’
With only days left before Christmas, millions of people in the United Kingdom received disheartening, though not unsurprising, news on Saturday. They were under a strict lockdown again, and would in general not be allowed to mix with other households for the next two weeks. The reason was related to a new strain of the … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsNewsCongress Finally Reaches Deal on How Many Pennies to Throw to Americans
Congressional leaders have reached a bipartisan deal on an almost $1 trillion covid-19 economic relief package Sunday afternoon that would establish a temporary $300 per week bump in unemployment benefits and send $600 stimulus checks to most Americans, the Associated Press reports. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck … Continued
-
Tech NewsAppleYou Know the Pandemic’s Getting Worse if Apple’s Closing Its Stores En Masse Again
Besides the official reports from states, the federal government, and entities like Johns Hopkins, there’s always been another, unorthodox way to gauge the severity of the pandemic: Apple Store closures. The company was one of the first major retailers to close its stores during the pandemic and has been opening and closing them ever since … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityShoppers Beware: Scammers Are Sending Fake Shipping Notifications to Steal Your Info
With the pandemic pushing more holiday shoppers online this year, business is booming for major shippers like Amazon, FedEx, and UPS. Malls around this time are already veritable Petri dishes with crowds packing into stores and willing to elbow the ever-loving Christmas cheer out of each other over gifts. And to cash in on the … Continued
