Used car prices high but expected to stabilize in 2024

Used cars for sale at Lee Auto Mall on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Staff photo by Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) Brianna Soukup | Portland Press Herald | Getty Images DETROIT — Used vehicle prices are expected to stabilize this year, after buyers of pre-owned cars and trucks got more relief in 2023 … Read more

Will airfares come down this year? Yes, but just slightly say reports

The airline industry’s dramatic climb from the depths of the pandemic may be ending soon. A review of multiple reports shows stabilization across several key metrics, as rapid growth ends and a new era of normalcy begins. “2024 is expected to mark the end of the dramatic year-on-year increases that have been characteristic of the … Read more

Spain Health Officials Reinstate Masks Rules in Some Areas

Spanish health officials in at least five regions of the country are reintroducing masks in health care facilities and recommending their use elsewhere as cases of flu and COVID-19 are seeing a post-holiday spike. Health officials in the Valencia region — an area that includes popular tourist destinations — implemented mandatory masks rules in all … Read more

More US Hospitals Requiring Masks as Flu, COVID-19 Cases Surge

NEW YORK —  More U.S. hospitals are requiring masks and limiting visitors as health officials face an expected but still nasty post-holiday spike in flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses. While many experts say this season likely won’t prove to be as deadly as some other recent winters, it still could mean hundreds of thousands of … Read more

US Trashing Troves Pandemic Gear as Huge, Costly Stockpiles Expire

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear. Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves. With expiration dates passing and few requests to … Read more

WHO Classifies JN.1 Coronavirus Strain as ‘Variant of Interest’

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a “variant of interest,” but said it did not pose much threat to public health. “Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low,” WHO said. JN.1 was previously classified as a … Read more

Why the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet is making an unlikely comeback

The Airbus A380 made its first commercial flight in 2007. When it debuted, it overtook the long-reigning Boeing 747 as the world’s biggest passenger plane. It has four engines and is a full double-decker that can carry more than 800 people depending on an airline’s cabin layout. The plane’s large number of seats was seen … Read more

Face Masks Now an Occasional Feature of US Landscape

NEW YORK —  The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather. There are people — lots of people. But look around, and it’s clear one thing is largely absent these … Read more

Pfizer more than doubles price of lifesaving Covid-19 medication Paxlovid as US transitions out of pandemic phase

The price of the lifesaving Covid-19 antiviral medication Paxlovid will more than double as the United States transitions out of the emergency phase of the pandemic. (CNN) — The price of the lifesaving Covid-19 antiviral medication Paxlovid will more than double as the United States transitions out of the emergency phase of the pandemic, drugmaker … Read more

Flu on Rise, RSV Infections May Be Peaking, US Says

NEW YORK —  Flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections that can hit kids and older people hard may be peaking, U.S. health officials said Friday. COVID-19, though, continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory illnesses — about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every week, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, … Read more