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How Costco, grocery membership fee hikes impact consumer buying decisions

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Raising membership fees can generally be chalked up as “the price of doing business.” But as inflation, demand and supply chain issues continue to dictate an increase in prices, consumers are left to consider the value of using services like grocery deliveries and big-box retailers.

Retail analyst and financial expert Hitha Herzog shared her insights with “GMA” on increases in membership fees as well as how individual lifestyle is a key driving factor for cost-benefit analysis.

“It always leads back to the consumer, because the consumer will have to eat the cost somehow,” Herzog explained. “It’s in the form of membership prices.”

Amazon recently announced a price hike for its membership to Prime services, which includes discounts for Whole Foods and grocery deliveries, due to “the continued expansion of Prime member benefits as well as the rise in wages and transportation costs.”

“We’re going to start seeing more and more of these memberships to retailers, especially larger online retailers — go up in price as well — if you’re going to increase the number of goods sold on the site and what you offer to your customers, you’re going to have to cover those overhead costs.”

Guggenheim analyst John Heinbockel predicted in a new research note earlier this week that popular big box retailer Costco is close to increasing its annual membership fees.

“We believe we are now 8 to 9 months away from a likely membership fee increase, a historical catalyst for the shares. As is well known, Costco has increased its annual membership fee every five and a half years by $5 to 10. On this timetable, the next hike would come in August-September 2022.”

Herzog explained that bulk stores like Costco increase their membership price cyclicly “about every five and a half years.”

Costco has bifurcated membership options, Gold Star and Executive, the first costs $60 a year and the latter $120 a year, currently.

“I think the crux of this is that this is something typical of these bulk stores. The fact that they’re only doing it every five and a half years — as opposed to other stores or services that are increasing the price of products because of inflation,” Herzog said. “So I think this price increase is already baked into their business model we already knew that this was coming.”

According to Heinbockel’s analysis, he predicts the Gold Star fee would go to $65 while the Executive membership would move to $130. The warehouse retailer’s increased fee could potentially help keep overall product cost down for members amid labor shortages, supply chain issues and inflation.

Costco did not immediately respond to “Good Morning America’s” request for comment.

How should consumers weigh the value of pricier memberships?

“I think it really you have to examine your life, a little bit,” Herzog said. “What I mean by that is you have to assess, what is going to cost you less? So if you are seeing an increase in product [prices], which we’re definitely seeing across the board with everything from staple items in your refrigerator to the price of gasoline — Is it worth it to you to spend more on gasoline to drive to a store to try to get a cheaper product? Or is it worth it for you to spend a little more on a membership to potentially get free delivery, so you can spend a little more on the product?”

She continued, “Overall, consumers are going to have to pay for the price increase due to inflation and due to supply chain issues still existing.”

“As much as we hear government officials saying, ‘it won’t impact the consumer … manufacturers are going to eat the cost,’ it’s never the case,” she said. “At some point, the consumer is going to have to pay.”

Inglewood’s Black-owned businesses to be highlighted during Super Bowl weekend

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(INGLEWOOD, Calif.) — Seeing a need to promote Black-owned businesses, longtime Inglewood, California, resident Keokia Childress helped start a community-organized food festival to showcase what their neighborhood had to offer.

But what began with only a handful of food trucks in 2017, the Taste of Inglewood will have a super-sized spotlight and more than 100 Black-owned food and retail vendors this year as tens of thousands of NFL fans descend on the neighborhood for Super Bowl weekend.

Childress said she created the event after noticing a movement of Black-owned food trucks popping up throughout the neighborhood.

“I said to myself, ‘I wish there was something we could do to help promote these businesses because they do not get the recognition they deserve.'” Childress told ABC News.

After networking with some of her friends and community members, she gathered a few food trucks and curated an event to bring more publicity to their businesses.

“We were able to find a niche in creating an environment where urban food vendors, as well as retail vendors, could get the same publicity that a bigger business would,” Childress said.

After the first event’s success, Taste of Inglewood continued to grow, only to have COVID-19 halt its plans in 2020.

Childress, who lost her husband Jan. 2021 of over 20 years due to COVID-19, said as she and her daughters continued to grieve, she decided now was the time for her to get back into the community, get the dust off her shoulders and bring Taste of Inglewood back in time for Super Bowl weekend.

The three-day festival, which takes place less than five minutes from SoFi Stadium, where the Los Angeles Rams will be taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, will also include Latin, R&B, and hip-hop artists as part of a concert series.

Some of the businesses participating in the festival include All Flavor No Grease, A Hint of Moss, Sweet Red Peach, and Not Ya Mama’s Kitchen.

Vendors like Not Ya Mama’s Kitchen said they are filled with pride to see their neighborhood in the spotlight.

“When we sit back and think of the Super Bowl coming to Inglewood, the only words that come to mind are wealth and long overdue,” Angie Dillard-Miller, owner of Not Ya Mama’s Kitchen, told ABC News. “Inglewood has shaped us into hardworking and dedicated members of this community and for others to see what’s been here all along is truly astounding.”

“The taste of Inglewood is such a great opportunity not only for our family-owned business, but for the many other Black-owned businesses that are being showcased out here as well,” Dillard-Miller said.

The festival will also be incorporating a special moment where Issa Rae, the creator of the hit series “Insecure,” will be receiving the key to Inglewood for her hard work and positive recognition that she brings to the city.

The festival kicks off Thursday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. local time and will end Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 p.m.

New York City looks to lower greenhouse gas emissions by improving public housing

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As cities across the country work to meet clean energy goals in the coming years, a critical focus is being placed on public and affordable housing.

There are more than 1.2 million public housing units across the country, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Many of these buildings have aging heating and cooling equipment that is largely inefficient, resulting in expensive utility bills.

Low-income households spend three times more income on energy bills than those living above the poverty line, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Not only are these systems expensive, they also rely on fossil fuels, making them significant sources of greenhouse gases — any gas that absorbs heat and radiates it back at the Earth, causing global warming.

In America’s largest city, New York, more than 80% of low-income housing relies on old boilers fueled by natural gas, propane or oil. The New York City Housing Authority oversees more than 170,000 units and is the largest landlord in the city. The agency is looking to the future, and is required by law to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. To tackle that goal, NYCHA is beginning to address a long-standing problem with energy in its buildings.

The boiler at the Fort Independence Houses in the Bronx, home to more than 700 residents, broke at the end of 2021. The building was built in 1971 and people have had a difficult time staying warm this winter.

“I have my socks on. I have a T-shirt. I have sweatpants,” said resident Lauren White. “I have another sweatshirt and I have a hood, and sometimes I put the scarf around my neck so that I could be warm.”

NYCHA brought in a temporary mobile boiler to provide heat for residents in the complex while the building’s boiler, which is 18 years old, is being repaired. NYCHA told ABC News that repairing the equipment and finding the parts takes time.

Unfortunately, this energy problem is not unique. Heating outages have been reported in low-income housing from Brooklyn to Queens this winter. Tragically, 17 people, including eight children, died last month in a fire started by a space heater in a privately owned building in the Bronx.

NYCHA, the city’s public housing agency, is currently testing a pilot program at the Fort Independence Houses using electric heat pumps inside seven units. Jordan Bonomo, the program manager overseeing the electrification of NYCHA’s properties, said that heat pumps are like air conditioners that can work in both directions.

“In the winter, [the heat pump] goes into heating mode and takes heat from outside even though it’s cold,” said Bonomo. “I know it feels cold, but there’s actually heat here and it transfers inside.”

NYCHA said the heat pumps are six times as efficient as the old boiler system.

Heat pumps can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% compared to natural gas alternatives, according to a study from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the University of California. This is because heat pumps don’t need to use fossil fuels to generate heat, they just transport heat.

If the new heat pump technology is successful, it will deploy the new technology to more than 50,000 apartments over the next 10 years, according to NYCHA. But even that effort will only impact 30% of NYCHA properties.

John Rogers, an energy expert from the Union of Concerned Scientists, told ABC News that heat pumps were not previously an option in very cold climates, but that technology is now changing.

“I think what we need is to be looking to the building owners and building managers and the government — the city, the state and federal level — to be driving us in the direction of truly clean energy, of which energy efficiency is a huge piece,” said Rogers.

Jennifer Lopez reveals “the difficult part” of playing a character similar to herself in ’Marry Me’

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Marry Me, a new romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, hits theaters and the Peacock streaming service today.

Lopez, 52, not only stars in the film, she also worked simultaneously on the soundtrack, which she said was a first for her and “such a pleasure. It’s like my two worlds coming together.”

Lopez added, “Making an album…was great because they really allowed me to input into where and when and what these musical moments would be for this character.”

In Marry Me, Lopez plays Kat Valdez, a pop superstar who, after finding out her fiancé is cheating on her, decides to marry one of her fans. When asked about how she and the character relate to each other, J-Lo admitted, “I think there’s a lot of us in each other.”

“This wasn’t a role where I had to research what it was like to be a famous recording artist…I understand what all of that is already,” she continued. “I think the difficult part was…the idea of showing what it’s really like inside my bedroom when something goes wrong and you suffer a heartbreak like this in front of the whole world.”

Marry Me is out just in time for Valentine’s Day. So how would Lopez like to celebrate the occasion?

“The ideal Valentine’s Day for me is just me and my partner alone in a place where we don’t have to worry about people watching us,” she shared. “Where it wouldn’t be a bunch of paparazzi, where we can have some private moments and really talk about life and and love and just really appreciating the company and being in love and being together.”

Marry Me also stars Owen Wilson, Maluma, and Sarah Silverman.

Queen Elizabeth being monitored after Prince Charles tests positive for COVID-19

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth is being monitored for COVID-19 after her son, Prince Charles, tested positive for the virus on Thursday, according to Buckingham Palace.

A royal source told ABC News the 95-year-old queen and Prince Charles, 73, met recently. The queen is not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 at this time, according to the source.

Prince Charles, who is now self-isolating, attended an event Tuesday at Windsor Castle, where the queen recently returned after spending time at Sandringham, her Norfolk estate.

This is the second time Prince Charles has tested positive for COVID-19, with his first diagnosis coming in March 2020, before he was vaccinated.

Buckingham Palace has not said if Queen Elizabeth has been tested for COVID-19.

“With the queen, they’re balancing the situation,” said ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy. “She is head of state and there is a sense that the public does need and want to know, but at the same time, she’s a very elderly lady who is entitled to a certain amount of medical privacy.”

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, was last seen publicly on Saturday at an event in Sandringham to mark her 70 years on the throne.

The queen met with representatives from local community groups in the ballroom at Sandringham House to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee.

It was the queen’s first public, in-person event since October, when she was hospitalized for one night for what the palace described as “preliminary investigations.”

After being advised by her doctors to rest, Queen Elizabeth took on a more modified schedule. In November, she missed the annual Remembrance Sunday Service for the first time in her reign due to a sprained back.

The queen had already modified her schedule throughout the coronavirus pandemic, holding virtual audiences and participating in video calls instead of public events.

When her husband, Prince Philip, died at age 99 last April, the queen sat alone during the funeral service in St. George’s Chapel, following pandemic restrictions.

Both Queen Elizabeth and her late husband received their first COVID-19 vaccination shots in January 2021, Buckingham Palace confirmed at the time.

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, confirmed in December that they had both received their booster shoots of the vaccine, according to the BBC.

In Brief: ‘Better Call Saul’ returning April 18; Disney+ pauses ‘Beauty and the Beast’ prequel

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

AMC on Thursday announced the premiere dates for the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul. The seven-episode first part of season six will debut on April 18 on AMC and AMC+ with back-to-back episodes. Part two, consisting of six episodes, will begin rolling out on July 11. AMC also revealed three new original short-form series connected to the world of Better Call Saul debuting this spring, including the animated series Slippin’ Jimmy, Cooper’s Bar — starring Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn — and new episodes of the Better Call Saul Employee Training Video series…

Disney+’s Beauty and the Beast prequel series has been put on hold amid delays with creative elements and scheduling challenges with its cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Insiders tell the outlet that the show will eventually be made, but it’s unclear if the cast — including stars Josh Gad and Luke Evans — will be available when, and if, that actually happens. Gad confirmed the news on Twitter, writing in part, “Sadly, ‘Tis true. We tried to make it all work but under the gun it wasn’t meant to be… for now.” Disney is the parent company of ABC News…

Oscar-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola will receive the ICG Publicists Guild‘s Lifetime Achievement Award at the in-person 59th annual Publicists Awards on March 25 at the Beverly Hilton. The guild calls Coppola an “epoch-making writer, director and producer” and “an auteur and innovator in complete command of the medium.” In addition to The Godfather trilogy, Coppola’s credits include 1974’s The Conversation — which he co-wrote — and 1979’s Apocalypse Now. He also produced George Lucas’ Best Picture nominee American Graffiti…

Five police officers shot in Phoenix

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PHOENIX) — Five Phoenix police officers are in the hospital after being shot during a barricade situation at a house, the department said.

The officers’ conditions were not immediately clear.

One woman was also critically injured in the early morning incident, police said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Russia-Ukraine tensions reignite debate over Biden’s climate agenda

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The specter of a military confrontation on the Ukrainian border is stoking fears in Europe of an interruption in natural gas from Russia — and pumping fresh life into the debate over whether President Joe Biden’s climate agenda is brushing up against difficult geopolitical realities.

Critics of the Biden administration say its efforts to curb domestic oil and gas production have complicated its ability to negotiate with Russia, which provides more than a third of Europe’s natural gas.

To others, the standoff demonstrates the need for a swift transition to clean energy, “so that we’re not held hostage by Russia moving forward,” says Erin Sikorsky, director of the Center for Climate and Security and a former intelligence official.

Either way, experts say, the conflict in Eastern Europe is shining a spotlight on the challenges ahead as governments adapt to an evolving energy landscape.

“It is clear that climate change is a huge focus for the Biden White House,” said Ben Cahill, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But energy security realities are intervening, and they can’t be ignored.”

As Russian troops amass along Russia’s border with Ukraine, American officials are warning of a possible invasion in the coming days or weeks. In the event of an escalation, Western leaders fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin could halt gas supplies to Europe, potentially threatening Europe’s energy security.

The Biden administration has prepared contingency plans to backfill Europe’s energy needs in such an event. But oil interests and Republican lawmakers argue that a reduction in domestic fossil fuel extraction in recent years has hamstrung the United States’ ability to ensure Europe’s energy security.

Frank Macchiarola of the American Petroleum Institute told ABC News that “ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine serve as a reminder of the critical role of U.S. oil and natural gas in meeting our nation’s energy needs and ensuring our allies have access to a stable supply of affordable, reliable energy.”

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, echoed that sentiment to Politico, characterizing the Biden administration’s scramble to shore up natural gas for Europe as “a crisis strategy that didn’t have to be.”

But many experts disagree with that critique. Because investments in domestic oil production today generally won’t impact the market for many years, Biden is limited in what he can do now to boost oil reserves. In the meantime, Cahill said, Biden should continue to advance his clean energy ambitions — but recognize the need for future U.S. oil production.

“The Biden administration should pursue its climate agenda, including tougher regulations on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry,” Cahill said. “But we’ll need fossil fuel investment for years to come, even as the energy transition picks up speed.”

Sikorsky warns critics not to conflate “the short-term crisis and the long-term strategy.”

“The administration has to do what it has to do to make sure energy supplies in Europe remain strong in the face of Russian aggression,” Sikorsky said. “But it has do that with an eye toward a more rapid transition to renewable energy.”

Because Russia’s economy relies so heavily on natural gas exports to Europe, Biden and European allies still have substantial energy-related leverage in negotiations with Moscow. The Russian government generated almost 30% of state revenue in 2020 from fossil fuel companies, including $40 billion in gas sales to Europe, according to one U.S. government report.

“The long-term threat to Russia’s market position is actually far greater” than the threat to Europe’s energy needs, said Matthew Schmidt, director of the International Affairs program at the University of New Haven. “Russia is a dinosaur. Their economy is weak. It’s a carbon-based economy, and if Putin were to use gas a weapon, he’s going to kill the market.”

Additionally, experts say renewable energy breakthroughs are closer than most leaders realize — a development that could render oil and gas obsolete in the coming decades.

Schmidt said he would encourage the Biden administration to forego any further investment in fossil foils and instead “go in on clean energy now, because that’s the long-term trend.”

This week, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz pledged to halt production of Europe’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the event of an invasion. The U.S. and its allies could also directly sanction the Russian oil and gas industry as part of an effort to “reverse the direction of energy leverage,” according to a Brookings Institute policy paper.

But sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry carry substantial risks for Europe’s energy needs. Enacting them would present the same outcome as Putin preemptively cutting off natural gas.

Cahill said that Biden’s quest for additional energy resources “does raise questions about whether we’ve under-invested in fossil fuels in the past five to seven years … which in turn raises questions about our ability to impose sanctions.”

For some industry experts, Europe’s dependence on Russian oil serves as a cautionary tale for the U.S. — and an impetus for the U.S. to expand investments in clean energy.

“Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels has made it vulnerable, the result of investment choices made over the course of decades,” said Trevor Higgins, vice president for climate policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

“We should not repeat the same mistakes,” said Higgins. “A clean energy economy will be more secure and resilient than continued dependence on fossil fuels.”

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva fights positive test ahead of women’s individual event

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BEIJING) — Russian star figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance during December’s Russian Figure Skating Championships, the International Testing Agency confirmed Friday, as rumors of her positive tests swirled in reports for days. However, a decision on her competing in the women’s individual event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will now go to an appeal hearing.

Valieva was a heavy favorite in the women’s event after scoring a record-high total in the team competition.

A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited lab found Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication, in a sample taken on Dec. 25, 2021, by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, known as RUSADA. RUSADA was notified of the positive result Feb. 8, at which time Valieva was provisionally suspended. The sample was collected by RUSADA, not the ITA, according to the agency, and not under the direct jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee and thus her identity was not revealed.

The ITA was informed of the positive test on Feb. 8, after the team event was wrapped up with the Russian Olympic Committee winning gold.

The testing agency said it does not typically reveal the name of minors — Valieva is just 15 years old — but did so due to “the necessity for official information due to heightened public interest.”

The suspension prohibited her from competing further in the Beijing Games, and thus the individual event, however, Valieva appealed the suspension and RUSADA cleared her to compete on Feb. 9.

The ROC confirmed the chain of events and named Valieva in a statement Friday, saying the committee “considers it necessary to provide detailed explanations on the current situation.”

“The doping test of the Athlete who gave a positive result does not apply to the period of the Olympic Games,” the ROC said. “At the same time, the Athlete repeatedly passed doping tests before and after December 25, 2021, including already in Beijing during the figure skating tournament. All results are negative.”

However, the IOC is now challenging RUSADA’s decision, according to the ITA, and the IOC said a rushed decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will take place before the women’s event.

“The IOC will exercise its right to appeal and not to wait for the reasoned decision by RUSADA, because a decision is needed before the next competition the athlete is due to take part in (Women Single Skating, 15 February 2022),” the ITA said in a statement Friday.

The International Skating Union (ISU) later released a statement saying it “will exercise its right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport the decision of the RUSADA Disciplinary Anti Doping Committee of February 9 to lift the provisional suspension and to ask CAS to reinstate the provisional suspension.”

The WADA also confirmed in a statement that it “intends to lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in relation to the anti-doping case involving a Russian Olympic Committee figure skater who tested positive for a prohibited substance in an event prior to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.”

“Under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), WADA has a right to appeal the decision to lift the provisional suspension before CAS and does so on the grounds that the Code has not been correctly applied in this case,” the agency added.

The ROC noted in its statement that Valieva currently “has the right to train and take part in competitions in full without restrictions until the Court of Arbitration for Sport decides otherwise regarding her status in relation to the Olympic Games.”

“In any case, on the merits of a possible anti-doping violation, a disciplinary investigation will be conducted by RAA RUSADA in accordance with the applicable rules in the prescribed manner,” the ROC said. “Given that the Athlete’s positive doping test was not taken during the Olympic Games, the Athlete’s results and team competition results during the Olympic Games are not subject to automatic review. In addition, the Russian Olympic Committee draws attention to the fact that the Athlete’s doping test, taken after the European Figure Skating Championships in January 2022, as well as her doping test taken during the Olympic Games, gave a negative result.”

“The Russian Olympic Committee is taking comprehensive measures to protect the rights and interests of the members of the ROC Team, and to keep the honestly won Olympic gold medal,” the committee added. “The Russian Figure Skating Federation has no doubts about the honesty and purity of its Athlete, will make every effort to clarify the circumstances of the incident and provide the Athlete with the necessary comprehensive assistance and support.”

The reports began to grow in intensity after the medal ceremony for Russia’s gold medal-winning team, helmed by Valieva, was delayed. The ITA said Friday that a decision on whether the ROC will be able to keep its medals after the full appeal process for Valieva takes place, which will come once an analysis of her B sample is completed.

The figure skating team event medal ceremony was delayed due to what the IOC described as “legal issues.”

The medal ceremony was scheduled for Tuesday, before it was postponed. The athletes still have not received their medals.

Russia won gold in the team event, while the United States and Japan won silver and bronze, respectively.

Russian news outlets reported that Valieva tested positive for a banned drug before the Olympics, resulting in the ceremony being postponed. Russian newspapers RBC and Kommersant reported that Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication used to treat chest pain.

Valieva made history in the event when she became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics. She won the women’s portion of the team event, earning the ROC 10 points.

“I am glad that I was able to do the quad Salchow, quad toe and the triple Axel,” she said, according to the ISU. “Only the second quad toe did not happen, but I’ll work on that.”

The young skater is scheduled to compete again in the women’s singles event next week.

Valieva is the only minor on the ROC team who participated in the team event.

Russian athlete are competing under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” due to an ongoing ban against Russia participating in the games due to its previous doping violations. This is the second Olympics in a row that Russia has been banned from.

The WADA banned the country from all international sporting events because of its doping violations.

The agency allowed athletes who could prove they are clean and unconnected to the cover-up to compete.

COVID-19 live updates: New York City’s unvaccinated workers face termination

February 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 915,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 64.3% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 11, 6:56 am
New York City’s unvaccinated workers face termination

About 3,000 municipal workers in New York City — less than 1% of the city’s workforce — face termination Friday after refusing to abide by a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The requirement, established under former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, applies to municipal employees hired after Aug. 2, 2021, who were told to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment and to unvaccinated police officers, correction officers, firefighters and others who opted to forego city health benefits and are currently on leave because they are not vaccinated.

The mandate achieved a vaccination rate among municipal workers of more than 95%. A number of exceptions were approved in recent months.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that some workers initially facing termination had submitted their proof of vaccination, so the final number wasn’t yet clear. He reiterated that the stragglers aren’t being fired but are “quitting.”

“The responsibility is clear,” Adams told reporters Thursday. “We said it. If you were hired, you get this job, you have to be vaccinated. If you are not following the rules, you are making that decision. You are making the decision that you are not going to follow the rules of getting vaccinated. And that is a decision they are making.”

“I want them to stay, I want them to be employees of the city,” he added. “But they have to follow the rules.”

-ABC News’ Mark Crudele and Aaron Katersky

Feb 10, 3:24 pm
1st vaccine shipments for kids under 5 could be as soon as Feb. 21, pending FDA authorization

The first vaccine shipments for children under 5 could arrive at pediatricians’ doors as soon as Feb. 21, according to a planning guide sent to states from federal health officials and obtained by ABC News.

Doses can ship once the FDA signs off.

The FDA’s independent advisory committee will meet on Tuesday and after that the FDA can issue an emergency use authorization.

The CDC’s independent advisory panel is expected to meet within days of the FDA’s authorization. Once the CDC signs off on its panel’s recommendations, vaccinations for kids under 5 can start.

-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik

Feb 10, 2:18 pm
Walensky: Difficult to release guidance that works everywhere from NYC to rural Montana

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged that it’s tough to make national guidelines to ease restrictions that will fit every different city and town.

“One of the challenging pieces has been how we make guidance that is general enough so that it can be applied to New York City and rural Montana and Indian country, which is our responsibility, and yet have it be specific enough so that people can get their questions answered,” Walensky said in a webinar in hosted by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project.

Looking to the future, Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief, said “Obviously the hope is — and I think it’s probably the 90% scenario — is that we’re going to now move into a period where … the virus becomes endemic. And we will be living alongside it probably in a period where we will start to get yearly boosters for it.”

But Dr. Sara Oliver, an epidemic intelligence service officer for the CDC, noted that, although there’s a drop in cases, the same hasn’t happened yet in hospitals.

“It’s difficult to envision a time point where we can say COVID is over if we’re still in a time period where our hospitals and ICUs are feeling the strain,” Oliver said.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Feb 10, 1:51 pm
Nevada lifting indoor mask mandate, including for schools

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Thursday announced an immediate end to the state’s indoor mask mandate — including for schools — citing a rapid decline in cases and a drop in hospitalizations.

“Teachers & schools will no longer be required to wear masks but school districts will need to work with their local health authorities to have plans in place to deal with outbreaks,” the governor tweeted.

He added, “Employers and organizations, including school districts, may set their own policies, and I encourage them to work with their employees and communities to ensure that policies are in place.”

Masks in Nevada will only be required on public transit per federal law, or in special facilities like hospitals or long-term care facilities.

-ABC News’ Matthew Fuhrman

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