News Digest 1-22-2021

 

England: Almost two-thirds of elderly care home residents have been vaccinated

In England, 63 percent of elderly care home residents have had a COVID-19 vaccine, with vaccinations among all groups occurring at 200 per minute, according to the health secretary in a report to members of parliament. The government has set a deadline of February 15 for offering the first dose of a vaccine to 15 million of the most vulnerable people. Sky News [with video]

 

Connecticut lawmakers to draft legislation classifying COVID as work-related illness

Connecticut lawmakers are considering expanding workers’ compensation to include COVID-19 as a work-related illness. The legislation also would cover such other pandemic-related subjects as hazardous pay, employee safety, health care and personal protective equipment, according to the the Connecticut House and Senate co-chairs of the labor committee. Republican-American

 

Former pharmaceutical exec to pay $5M to settle opioid lawsuit, says New Jersey AG

In the first settlement in any of the state’s civil lawsuits against corporations and executives who allegedly manufactured and fraudulently marketed opioids, a former pharmaceutical executive will pay the state of New Jersey $5 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed his company bribed health care professionals to write improper prescriptions for the sublingual fentanyl spray Subsys, a powerful opioid, according to the New Jersey Attorney General. NorthJersey

 

Australia: Man who strained back picking up company car keys will receive workers’ comp

A South Australia man who was on call at home in 2019 when he received a text message asking him to attend a job to fix a power line, accidentally dropped the keys to a company car, and strained his back picking them up, will receive workers’ compensation. ABC