Gottlieb noted data from Google Mobility and OpenTable reservations that show a “decline in these Southern states where these dense epidemics are happening, which is an indication that consumers are pulling back.” He added that the current outbreak in the South is different than what happened in New York. “New York really followed the pattern of Italy, where it was a sharp up, a huge epidemic, but it came down rapidly,” Gottlieb explained....

AstraZeneca announced the results of its U.S. trial on Monday, which included 32,449 participants, two-thirds of whom received two doses of the vaccine with four weeks in between doses. The findings claimed the vaccine was 79 percent effective at preventing COVID symptoms. Data also revealed that the vaccine was 100 percent effective at preventing hospitalization and severe disease. “This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus,” Ann Falsey, MD, a professor of medicine and co-lead principal investigator for the trials, said in a statement....

Since the beginning of the pandemic, William Ducker, PhD, a professor at Virginia Tech, has been working diligently on a product that could help put everyone’s mind at ease. According to Virginia Tech Daily (VTD), Ducker “has developed a surface coating that when painted on common objects, inactivates SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.” Ducker explained to VTD that “the idea is when the droplets land on a solid object, the virus within the droplets will be inactivated” by the coating....

Now it’s time to look back and figure out which teen idol was the most popular when you were a teen—specifically, the year you graduated from high school. If you were a high schooler in the ’70s, there’s a good chance you remember David Cassidy and his time on The Partridge Family, but if you were still collecting report cards in the early ’90s, you’ll probably have a New Kids on the Block song stuck in your head by the time you get through this article....

The frenzy benefited the reseller market—StubHub now offers seats for an April show in Florida ranging from $500 to $42,000 apiece, ABC reported. And some politicians are complaining. Read on to find out why the tickets went so fast, why Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez is urging that Ticketmaster be broken up, and what Swift fans had to say on social media. 1 “Historically Unprecedented Demand” Tickets for Swift’s Eras tour went so fast because there was “historically unprecedented demand,” Ticketmaster said....

RELATED: This Popular Clothing Chain Just Announced It’s Closing 240 Stores. Brick-and-mortar stores suffered during the pandemic, as more of us began to take advantage of shopping from our couches and supply chain issues made it tough to keep shelves stocked. According to a compilation published by commercial real estate firm CoStar Group and reported by Forbes, nearly 12,000 stores closed in the U.S. in 2020, totaling approximately 159 million square feet of retail space....

“If you purchased any of the Gluten Free Battered Halibut … and have an allergy or sensitivity to wheat and/or milk, please do not eat it,” Trader Joe’s posted on its website on Oct. 23. “We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb If you have the Gluten Free Battered Halibut in your freezer, check the end of the box for the following text, “537312620 Best If Used By Nov 5, 2021,” as these are the affected products....

Schumer hopes that by talking about the disorder she still struggles with—and featuring it as a plot point on her new show—she’ll be able to help others who deal with the same problem. Read on to find out more about the condition that Schumer kept a secret for so long. RELATED: A Bond Girl Just Opened Up About Her Alleged Sean Connery Affair. Schumer has struggled for years with trichotillomania—also known as hair-pulling disorder....

READ THIS NEXT: 85 Riddles for Adults (With Answers!) The Best Truth or Dare Questions to Improve Any Party Check out our list of truth or dare questions below. Whether you’re looking for something funny, something daring, or even something to play as a couple, we’ve got you covered! Truth or Dare Questions for Best Friends READ THIS NEXT: 73 Brain Teasers for Adults That Will Definitely Leave You Stumped....

READ THIS NEXT: Doing This at Night May Help You Ward Off Dementia, Study Says. A wide body of research suggests that changes in language are an important indicator of Alzheimer’s disease in all of its stages. “Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by progressively worsening deficits in several cognitive domains, including language,” explains a 2013 study published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging. In fact, the researchers say that “worsening language abilities, or aphasia, has been suggested to have more clinical relevance than other domains, such as memory, orientation, and reasoning, in progression from the moderate to severe stages of AD,” the study says....

READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Making Even More Changes to Your Mail, Starting Jan. 22. Postal facilities have faced a litany of problems recently, forcing mass closures. In mid-December, the USPS temporarily closed around 200 post offices “due to weather.” The closures stretched throughout five states that were battling a massive snowstorm at the time: Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Just a few weeks later, the Postal Service announced that Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota were facing temporary postal closures again....

READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Making This Major Delivery Change, Starting Oct. 2. The USPS strives to provide uninterrupted service to Americans across the country, but that’s not always possible. According to the agency, the operations at postal facilities can be impacted by a number of issues, including weather, natural disasters, and special events. But the Postal Service doesn’t keep people in the dark when this happens. Through its website, the USPS releases regular service alerts so that residential customers can find out if mail is being delivered to their neighborhood or if their local post office is open....

“The result is a trove of updated job listings at some of the nation’s most prominent employers, providing job seekers, existing employees and the merely curious with a rare glimpse at the pay practices of major companies,” the Wall Street Journal reports. The news outlet spotlighted several positions paying more than $200,000. Read on to find out what they are, why the new law was enacted, and why the controversy has already erupted over the policy....

RELATED: 98 Percent of People With Alzheimer’s Develop This Symptom First, Study Says. A study published in February 2019 in the journal Scientific Reports set out to better understand how television viewing habits could affect cognition in people aged 50 and older, with the study’s authors arguing that most research on the topic tends to focus on children and young adults. To test their theory, the team gathered 3,662 participants with an average age of 67 who all resided in England and had not been diagnosed with dementia....

As The Wall Street Journal reports, the White House has relied on rapid COVID tests among employees and visitors in order to mitigate the spread of the virus in their ranks. Significantly, officials have often eschewed masks and other social distancing measures, assuming that negative test results were reason enough to ignore other COVID protection protocols. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. But false negatives are a possibility with any coronavirus test, and rapid COVID tests are notably less accurate....

“I don’t think we have a very gender-specific language and I am of the generation where the word actress was used almost always in a pejorative sense,” Blanchett said, according to CNN. “So I think I claim the other space.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb To prove her point, according to the AFP, Blanchett asked reporters if there is an equivalent of the Italian word “maestro” for women. They told her there wasn’t one. “I think a good performance is a good performance, no matter the sexual orientation of who is making them,” Blanchett said....

READ THIS NEXT: The 7 Best Dogs for Beginners, Vets Say. The scientific term for an animal spinning in circles is frenetic random activity periods (FRAPs), according to Bethany Tate, managing editor at Whole Pet Health. Colloquially, the behavior is known as the “zoomies,” and it’s the result of a buildup of excess energy. Daniel Caughill, a co-founder of The Dog Tale, explains that dogs “may spin in tight rapid circles along with running or jumping....

Read the original article on Best Life. In 2020, Duchess Kate became the family’s secret weapon during some difficult times. Last January, a Palace insider told Best Life, “The Duchess of Cambridge has become one of [the Royal Family’s] greatest assets for her ability to be both an accessible and aspirational figure.” That was certainly true in amid Megxit, and later during the countrywide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic....

With the imminent release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries, promising to drop lots of bombshells about The Firm per the two trailers released, many people are wondering how the family will react and if they will publicly defend themselves. Now, insiders are warning that Prince William might be ready for a fight. Keep reading to learn more. 1 The Docuseries Will Allegedly Accuse the Palace of Racism...

READ THIS NEXT: The No. 1 Place Snakes Love to Hide in Your Home. Rattlesnakes are arguably among the most well-known venomous reptiles, thanks to the distinct warning sound that gives them their name. But their habitat also happens to be spread out quite wide across the continental U.S., spanning from the meadows of the Northeast to the swamps of the Southeast and even into higher elevations on mountains everywhere in between, according to LiveScience....