CDC director urges parents to vaccinate teens, pointing to increase in severe cases

(Source: washingtonpost.com)

Hospitalization rates for adolescents went up in March and April, even as they stabilized for those 65 and older, new study finds

Lena H. Sun
June 4, 2021

Citing increased hospitalization rates of teenagers with covid-19 in March and April, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky urged parents to vaccinate their teens to protect them from an illness that can be severe even among young people.

“I am deeply concerned by the numbers of hospitalized adolescents and saddened to see the numbers of adolescents who required treatment in intensive care units or mechanical ventilation,” Walensky said in a statement that was released Friday alongside a new study looking at trends in hospitalization among adolescents with the disease.

“Much of this suffering can be prevented,” Walensky added, urging “parents, relatives and close friends to join me and talk with teens” about the importance of prevention strategies and to encourage vaccination.

The study showed that nearly one-third of those teenagers hospitalized with covid-19 during a surge of cases early this year required intensive care, and 5 percent required mechanical ventilation.

While most covid-19 hospitalizations occur in older adults, severe disease that requires hospitalization has been shown to occur in all age groups. Covid-19 hospitalization rates among adolescents declined in January and February, the report said, but increased during March and April, even as hospitalization rates stabilized for those 65 and older, probably because of their higher rates of vaccination.Researchers suggest that the increased hospitalization among adolescents in March and April may be related to several factors, including more transmissible and potentially more dangerous virus variants; larger numbers of youths returning to school; and changes in physical distancing, mask-wearing and other prevention behaviors.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was authorized for those 16 and older in December, was recommended for use in 12-to-15-year-olds last month.

Even though the study is of a small group of adolescents, CDC officials and other experts expressed concern about the potential for severe disease and stressed the importance not just of vaccination but also of continued mask-wearing and other preventive behaviors until they are fully vaccinated.

“Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic,” Walensky said. “I continue to see promising signs in CDC data that we are nearing the end of this pandemic in this country; however, we all have to do our part and get vaccinated to cross the finish line.”

The new study is based on data from the CDC’s covid-19-associated surveillance network, a system of laboratory-confirmed covid-19 hospitalizations in 99 counties across 14 states, covering about 10 percent of the U.S. population.

The study looked at 376 adolescents ages 12 to 17 who were hospitalized between Jan. 1 and March 31 and tested positive for the coronavirus. Of that total, 204 youths were hospitalized primarily for covid-19, the report said, with 31 percent admitted to an intensive care unit and 5 percent requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. None of the youths died. (The report said the other 172 hospitalized youths may have been admitted for reasons not directly related to covid-19.)

About 70 percent of the 204 adolescents hospitalized primarily for covid-19 had at least one underlying medical condition — the most common being obesity. But nearly 30 percent had no reported underlying condition, the report said, “indicating that healthy adolescents are also at risk for severe covid-19-associated disease.”

Among the 204 teens, 52 percent were female, 31 percent were Latino and 36 percent were Black.

Researchers said the cumulative covid-19 hospitalization rates for the adolescents from Oct. 1, 2020, through April 24, 2021, were 2.5 to three times higher than seasonal-influenza-associated hospitalization rates during three recent flu seasons.

“Flu very rarely causes long-term symptoms and organ damage — unlike covid-10,” said Andrew Pavia, a professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at the University of Utah. “Adolescents have many reasons to get vaccinated as soon as possible, including their own health, the ability to help control covid-19 among more vulnerable groups and the ability to return to normal life.”

Researchers said hospitalization rates may be underestimated since some clinicians may not have ordered tests for the virus, and adolescents hospitalized with the rare but serious inflammatory syndrome known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children might not be identified if testing took place more than 14 days after hospital admission.

Why America's post-vaccine summer is off to a slow start

(Source: axios.com)

6/12/2021

Naomi Shavin, Sara Fischer

Americans are itching to put pandemic life behind them, but many of the necessary ingredients for a summer of carefree fun — everything from neighborhood pools to car rentals — still aren't fully available.

The big picture: Labor shortages, scrambled supply chains and simple logistics are all making it harder for a whole range of businesses to meet post-pandemic demand, and that’s making “hot vax summer” a little harder to pull off.

Where it stands: A little vacation after a year stuck at home seems like a simple enough indulgence, but the travel industry is still facing some significant hurdles.

• Airlines: "It's not like pilots can just flip a switch. And they throw the keys at us and we come back to work, right?" Air Lines Pilot Association President Joe DePete said on the Axios Re:Cap podcast. "There's a lot involved in that. There are security aspects, there are training aspects, there are medical aspects."
  
  
• Rental cars: Rental companies sold off most of their fleets during the pandemic due to a lack of demand. And now a global chip shortage is squeezing the supply of new cars, making it hard for rental agencies to restock as demand increases.
  
  
• Not to mention, everything’s already booked: Hotels, campsites and Airbnb rentals are all hard to come by, especially in the most popular destinations.

Even staycations are subject to some of the same challenges.

• Live entertainment: Many smaller venues didn't survive the pandemic, and mounting a stage production or a tour for a band is hard work. "Our industry can't just reopen on a week or two weeks notice, we need three to six months," said Dayna Frank, CEO of the historic First Avenue venue in Minneapolis on the Axios Re:Cap podcast last week.
  
  
• Restaurants say they’re having a hard time filling open jobs, although the hospitality sector added more jobs than any other part of the economy last month — 292,000, about two-thirds of which were in "food and drinking places."
  
  
• Pools in many parts of the country are having a hard time hiring lifeguards, and are either limiting their hours or keeping some locations closed as a result.

Yes, but: Post-pandemic job turnover also has many higher-stakes implications, including for child care and health care.

• "Nurses and dental hygienists, they don't necessarily stay in the industry all that long ... I think we will also have some supply constraints potentially in that industry," said Martin Baily, an economist at the Brookings Institution.

The bottom line: "With people switching occupations, jobs being in different geographic places, and people needing to learn to work with technology in new ways — all of this is going to create a lot of churn and disruption in the near-term, meaning the next year or two or three," said Susan Lund, a leading partner for the McKinsey Global Institute.

OH SHIP! Celebrity Millennium – Two passengers on first fully vaccinated cruise in North America test POSITIVE for Covid

(Source: the-sun.com)

Niamh Cavanagh
Jun 10 2021

TWO passengers onboard the first fully-vaccinated cruise ship in North America have tested positive for coronavirus.

The passengers, who shared a room on the Celebrity Millennium, tested positive during the end-of-cruise testing which is completed three days before returning to the US.

In a statement released today, Celebrity said: "Two guests sharing a stateroom onboard Celebrity Millennium tested positive for Covid-19 while conducting the required end of cruise testing.

"The individuals are asymptomatic and currently in isolation and being monitored by our medical team.

"We are conducting contact tracing, expediting testing for all those close contacts, and closely monitoring the situation."

All passengers were required to show proof of vaccination along with a negative Covid-19 test within 72-hours before the ship departed.

The cruise departed the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Saturday.

The Celebrity Millennium is now docked in Curaço with the passengers who tested positive remaining in isolation.

The ship will return to St. Maarten this Saturday to disembark.

The Celebrity Millennium became the first ship to sail with guests from North America in more than a year.

Just under 600 guests were welcomed onboard on Saturday.

As travel demand surges and prices rise, here are 7 ways to save money this summer

(Source: cnbc.com)

PUBLISHED FRI, JUN 11 2021

Michelle Fox @MFOXCNBC

Americans want their summer vacations.

After a year of being pent up during the pandemic, 80% said they are ready to travel, according to a recent survey by tourism market research firm Destination Analysts.

However, with that demand comes higher prices. Airline tickets are up 7% for the month and 24% from the year prior, according to the consumer price index for May, released by the Labor Department Thursday.

Car and truck rental rates jumped 12.1% in May, rising 110% from a year ago, and gas is up 56.2% over the past year.

Yet there still are ways to spend smartly.

“Whether it is international or domestic, it is best to plan out every stage of your trip in advance to make sure there are not any hidden sticker shocks,” said Jordan Staab, president of SmarterTravel Media.

Here’s how you can save money when planning your next vacation.

1. Road trip it

The best way to save money is to drive your own car to your destination, Staab said.

To find the cheapest fuel prices during your road trip, he suggests downloading the GasBuddy app

2. Don’t wait until the last minute

Staab anticipates the cost of flying will continue to rise until July 4, so if you want to book a summer trip, get on it right away, he advised.

If you have more flexibility and are comfortable waiting, there’s a chance prices could start going down after Independence Day.

But if you book the flight too close to the actual trip date, you could wind up paying more. The best time to buy your airline tickets is in what Scott Keyes, founder of travel deal websites and newsletter Scott’s Cheap Flights, calls the “Goldilocks window” — not too early and not too late.

For domestic trips, the cheap flights are most likely to pop up one to three months in advance of your travel date. If you are traveling internationally, they are mostly likely to occur two to eight months in advance, he said. You can monitor fares by setting up price alerts.

3. Be flexible
Typically people choose a destination, when the trip will occur and then look up airfares.
Instead, flip that on its head, Keyes said. Look up cheap flights out of your home airport and choose the destination that most interests you. Then, see what dates work with your schedule.

“By setting price as the top priority rather than the last priority, that’s how you get cheap flights,” Keyes said.

You may also find cheaper airfare at another nearby airport. It may mean a farther drive, but it doesn’t necessarily result in a longer travel time. For instance, that longer drive may result in a flight that doesn’t have as many stops along the way.

If you are traveling to a far-flung destination, you can also find less expensive airfares to a major city and then take a local budget airline, ferry or train to your final destination.

4. Remember the days

It’s no longer true that there is a best day of the week to book a flight, since new prices are constantly coming online, Keyes said.

However, there tend to be cheaper days to actually fly: Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

5. Think outside the box
Beaches and national parks are extremely popular in the summer. In fact, if you want to visit a national park, Staab advises making a reservation first. In many parks, reservations are mandatory.

To save money, consider a place that is not your normal destination, like the mountains instead of the beach.

“If it is something everyone wants to do, it is going to be expensive,” Staab said.

6. Don’t forget about Covid testing

You may need a coronavirus test before traveling, so research your destination to make sure you know what is required.

Some drugstore chains offer PCR testing at no additional cost if you use insurance, or if you fall under a federal program. You can also get rapid and PCR tests at some airports for a fee.

While you often have to pay for the test ahead of travel, many hotels and destinations are offering free testing, Staab noted. Some destinations will even pay you for a negative Covid test. For instance, Portugal’s Azores Islands offer a 35 euro voucher to offset the cost of the mandatory Covid test, he pointed out.

7. Hold off until fall

If you don’t have school-aged children, or don’t mind them missing a few days of class, then consider waiting to travel until the summer is over.

 “If you travel during off-peak times, then you can find some great deals,” said Staab, who noted one of his favorite time to travel is in September.

CDC To Hold "Emergency Meeting" After 100s Suffer Heart Inflammation Following COVID Vaccines

(Source: zerohedge.com)

(Check out link above, for pictures and links related to the article.
 All bold is from the original website source.)

BY TYLER DURDEN
THURSDAY, JUN 10, 2021

Update (2000ET): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that it will convene an "emergency meeting" of its advisers on June 18th to discuss rare but higher-than-expected reports of heart inflammation following doses of the mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

The new details about myocarditis and pericarditis emerged first in presentations to a panel of independent advisers for the Food and Drug Administration, who are meeting Thursday to discuss how the regulator should approach emergency use authorization for using COVID-19 vaccines in younger children.

As CBS reports, the CDC previously disclosed that reports of heart inflammation were detected mostly in younger men and teenage boys following their second dose, and that there was a "higher number of observed than expected" cases in 16- to 24-year-olds. Last month, the CDC urged providers to "ask about prior COVID-19 vaccination" in patients with symptoms of heart inflammation.

We'll leave the judgment up to someone far more qualified...

YOU STUPID, STUPID STUPIDS.

This was so predictable. pic.twitter.com/oHKFgR9vF4

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) June 10, 2021
Congrats you f***wits you are about to destroy confidence in ALL vaccines and ALL public health measures for a generation.

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) June 10, 2021
Does anyone else not find it odd that after discovering 800 cases in the VAERS database the "emergency" meeting is in 7 days? ... and in the meantime, every public health authority figure is encouraging parents to get their young children vaccinated?

The reports of myocarditis or pericarditis were submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a passive reporting system run jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration, through May 31.

The bulk of the reports described heart inflammation appearing after the second of two doses of either the Pfizer of Moderna vaccines, both of which utilize messenger RNA technology.

Authorities stress that anybody can submit reports through the reporting system but authorities have already verified that 226 of the reports meet the CDC’s working case definition, Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, a deputy director at the agency, said during a presentation of the data. Followup and review are in progress for the rest.

Of the 285 case reports for which the disposition was known at the time of the review, 270 patients had been discharged and 15 were still hospitalized, officials said. Myocarditis typically requires hospital care. No deaths were reported.

The CDC announced last month that it was investigating reports of heart inflammation in teenagers and young adults who received a COVID-19 vaccine, though it took no definitive action besides saying it would continue reviewing case data.

An advisory committee to the agency, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said in a little-noticed update published dated May 24 and published on June 1 that data from VAERS showed that in the 30 days following the second dose of mRNA vaccinations, “there was a higher number of observed than expected myocarditis/pericarditis cases in 16–24-year-olds.”

Data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, an active reporting system that relies on nine healthcare organizations in seven states, did not show higher than expected cases, it added.

“However, analyses suggest that these data need to be carefully followed as more persons in younger age groups are vaccinated,” the advisory committee’s vaccine safety workgroup said in its report.

Israel’s Health Ministry said that same day that it found 275 cases of heart inflammation among the more than 5 million people in the country who received a vaccine between December 2020 and May. An Israeli study found “a probable link” between receiving the second dose of the Pfizer jab “and the appearance of myocarditis among men aged 16 to 30,” the ministry said.

Shimabukuro said the U.S. passive surveillance data “are consistent with the surveillance data that emerged from Israel.”

The figures are also consistent with other case reports and data from the Department of Defense.

The vast majority of the U.S. reports deal with male patients. Approximately 300 preliminary reports indicated the patients suffered chest pain, with nearly as many having elevated cardiac enzymes.

A case report examining myocarditis in seven adolescents following vaccination with Pfizer’s jab, published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, this month, said all seven developed the inflammation within 4 days of receiving the second dose, did not have evidence of COVID-19 infection, and did not meet the criteria for MIS-C, a rare disease.

The seven males, between the ages of 14 and 19, all required hospital care but each was eventually discharged.

Authors, who did not respond to requests for comment, said no link has been established between the vaccines and myocarditis and that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks. But they also urged healthcare workers “to consider myocarditis in the evaluation of adolescents and young adults who develop chest pain after COVID-19 vaccination.”

A commentary on the study published in the same journal, said “there are some concerns regarding this case series that might suggest a causal relationship and therefore warrant further analysis through established surveillance systems.”

“First, the consistent timing of symptoms in these seven cases after the second vaccination suggests a uniform biological process. Second, the similarities in clinical findings and laboratory characteristics in this series suggest a common etiology. Finally, these cases occurred in the context of a dearth of circulation of common respiratory viruses known to be associated with myocarditis, and thorough diagnostic evaluations did not identify infectious etiologies,” they added.

The expected number of myocarditis/pericarditis cases in those aged 16 or 17, based on background incidence rates and the number of doses administered to that population through May 31, is between two and 19. But based on the VAERS reports, the number is 79.

Likewise, the expected number for cases among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 is eight to 83. The number based on the reports is 196.

“In the 16- to 17 year-olds and the 18- to 24-year-olds, the observed reports are exceeding the expected based on the known background rates that are published in literature,” Shimabukuro told members of a Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee in the meeting on Thursday, though he cautioned that not all the reports will “turn out to be true myocarditis/pericarditis reports.”

“Of note, of these 528 reports after second dose with symptom onset within 30 days, over half of them were in these younger age groups, 12–24 years old, whereas roughly 9 percent of total doses administered were in those age groups, so we “clearly have an imbalance there,” he added later.

Data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, which comes from nine healthcare groups that have collectively administered over 8.8 million doses—only some 284,000 of those have been given to 12- to 17-year-olds—did not indicate safety concerns, with just 60 myocarditis or pericarditis events reported through May 29, the doctor continued.

A Food and Drug Administration surveillance system, the Biologics Effectiveness and Safety Initiative, which utilizes claims data from CVS and two other partners, has detected 99 cases of myocarditis/pericarditis in the 42 days following vaccination among some 3.1 million shots given to people between the ages of 12 and 64, the panel was told earlier by an official from the drug regulating agency.

Another 1,260 were reported in people 65 or older through claims data from Medicare claims data.

Neither number raised safety signals, Steve Anderson, director of the FDA’s Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology said.

Dr. Cody Meissner, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at the Tufts Children’s Hospital, and a member of the panel that heard from Shimabukuro and others, said after the presentations that he was “struck by the fact” that myocarditis “occurs more commonly after the second dose.”

“It’s a pretty specific interval of time, it’s primarily after the mRNA vaccines as far as we know, we know that the consistent age, there’s a lack of alternative explanations even though these patients have been pretty well worked up, and it’s a widespread occurrence because, as you said, Israel has found a pretty similar situation,” he said during the meeting.

He asked Shimabukuro about the rates of blood clots seen in women between the ages of 30 and 49 after vaccination—most of the clots appeared in that population after getting a Johnson & Johnson shot, though officials ultimately lifted a pause, saying the benefits outweighed the risks—and to restate the rate of incidence of myocarditis in adolescents after a jab.

Shimabukuro said that in contrast with the clotting situation, when data showed “strong evidence of a causal relationship fairly early on,” further study is needed on heart inflammation.

“At this point, I think we’re still learning about the rates of myocarditis and pericarditis. We continue to collect more information both in VAERS and continue to get more information in VSD, and I think as gather more information we’ll begin to get a better idea of the post-vaccination rates and hopefully will be able to get more detailed information by age group,” he said.

“It’s still early,” he added, noting that authorization for a vaccine for 12- to -15-year-olds didn’t come until mid-May while immunization of older adolescents largely came later than shots for adults.

“I believe that we will ultimately have sufficient information to answer those questions,” he said.

Another panel member, Dr. Jay Portnoy, director of the Division of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology at Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, asked for a comparison between the adverse events in vaccinated versus unvaccinated persons, saying if the adverse event rate was lower in those who are vaccinated, then it would still be worth getting a jab.

Shimabukuro said a risk-benefit assessment would be provided by the CDC’s advisory panel, known as ACIP, on vaccines during a meeting next week.

A CDC spokeswoman also referenced the upcoming meeting, which will take place on June 18, after saying reports of myocarditis remain rare, given that over 300 million doses have been administered in the United States.

“Given the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, these reports are rare. More than 18 million people between ages 12-24 have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States,” she told The Epoch Times via email.

“CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years and older. Getting vaccinated is the best way to help protect yourself and your family from COVID-19.”

A Pfizer spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the company is aware of federal data indicating “rare reports of myocarditis and pericarditis, predominantly in male adolescents and young adults, after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.” It noted that federal officials have not concluded that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause either condition, before expressing support for an assessment of suspected adverse events.

“With a vast number of people vaccinated to date, the benefit risk profile of our vaccine remains positive,” the spokesperson added.

Moderna did not return an inquiry.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine and associate chief at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Epoch Times in an email that in light of the increased risk of myocarditis above expected rates among young people, especially after the second dose, parents should keep a close eye out for when guidance is issued by federal authorities.

“Possibilities include only vaccinating children without prior infection as there is an association between prior COVID and this adverse effect; giving 1 dose instead of 2 below the age of 20; addressing the dosage of the vaccine (currently at 30 micrograms down to the age of 12, which is the same dose as in adults); and extending the duration between doses 1 and 2 for younger people,” she said.

“I look forward to ACIP guidance on this over the next few weeks.”

Heart reaction probed as possible rare vaccine link in teens

(Source: apnews.com)

  By LINDSEY TANNER and LAURAN NEERGAARD
June 4, 2021

Health authorities are trying to determine whether heart inflammation that can occur along with many types of infections could also be a rare side effect in teens and young adults after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

An article on seven U.S. teen boys in several states, published online Friday in Pediatrics, is among the latest reports of heart inflammation discovered after COVID-19 vaccination, though a link to the vaccine has not been proven.

The boys, aged 14 to 19, received Pfizer shots in April or May and developed chest pain within a few days. Heart imaging tests showed a type of heart muscle inflammation called myocarditis.

None were critically ill. All were healthy enough to be sent home after two to six days in the hospital and are doing “doing pretty well,” said Dr. Preeti Jaggi, an Emory University infectious disease specialist who co-authored the report.

She said more follow-up is needed to determine how the seven fare but that it’s likely the heart changes were temporary.

Only one of the seven boys in the Pediatrics report had evidence of a possible previous COVID-19 infection and doctors determined none of them had a rare inflammatory condition linked with the coronavirus.

The cases echo reports from Israel in young men diagnosed after receiving Pfizer shots.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted doctors last month that it was monitoring a small number of reports of heart inflammation in teens and young adults after the mRNA vaccines, the kind made by Pfizer and Moderna.

The CDC hasn’t determined if there’s really a link to the shots, and continues to urge that everyone 12 and older get vaccinated against COVID-19, which is far riskier than the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is available to those as young as 12; the Moderna shot remains cleared only for adult use.

This kind of heart inflammation can be caused by a variety of infections, including a bout of COVID-19, as well as certain medications — and there have been rare reports following other types of vaccinations.

Authorities will have to tease out whether cases following COVID-19 vaccination are occurring more often than that expected “background rate.”

For now, the CDC says most patients were male, reported symptoms after the second dose, and their symptoms rapidly improved.

“I think we’re in the waiting period where we need to see whether this is cause-and-effect or not,” said John Grabenstein of the Immunization Action Coalition, a former director of the Defense Department’s immunization program.

A Pediatrics editorial noted that among U.S. children under age 18, there have been over 4 million COVID-19 cases, more than 15,000 hospitalizations and at least 300 deaths.

The CDC on Friday reported that COVID-19-related hospitalizations of kids aged 12 to 17 fell early this year but rose again in March and April. Possible reasons include the spread of new virus variants, more kids going back to school, or the relaxing of mask and social distancing rules, agency researchers said.

While infected kids are less likely to become critically ill than adults, the CDC data on about 200 hospitalizations from 14 states show that one-third were treated in intensive care units. The report had no mention of any heart involvement.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the hospitalizations raise concerns and urged parents to get their kids vaccinated.

“Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic,” she said in a statement.

The Pediatrics editorial said the heart inflammation cases warrant more investigation but added that “the benefits of vaccination against this deadly and highly transmissible disease clearly far outweigh any potential risks.”

Editorial co-author Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, head of an American Academy of Pediatrics infectious diseases committee, is involved in Pfizer vaccine studies, including a COVID-19 vaccine study in children.

---

AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this report.

7 Tips to Save on Groceries as Food Costs Rise

(Source: fool.com)

by Natasha Gabrielle | June 4, 2021

By taking the right steps, you can get the groceries you need without an expensive bill.

Food costs have been rising over the last few months, resulting in higher grocery prices. If you've been unhappy with your recent grocery receipt totals, there may be some changes you can make to save on the cost of food and other household essentials. Check out these tips to save on groceries next time you go shopping.

1. Use a store loyalty card
   If you're not using your local grocery store's loyalty program, you're missing out. Most stores require you to have a store loyalty card to get the sale prices, and this is a simple way to save some money on every shopping trip. If you don't yet have a card, sign up for one. Joining a loyalty program is easy and usually only takes a couple of minutes.
   
   

2. Make a list
   When you walk into the grocery store without a list, it's easy to lose track of what you need. You may end up filling your cart with nonessential items. Having a list can help ensure that you buy everything you need, and it can also minimize overspending.
   
   

3. Use the sale flyer as a guide
   As you go about making your weekly shopping list, take some time to look at the sale flyer. Most stores put their flyers online and also send them out in the mail. Choosing your meals and snacks for the week based on what's on sale can offer significant savings.
   
   

4. Don't forget about digital coupons
   Many grocery stores offer digital coupons through their store apps. All you have to do is push a button to clip a coupon that you want. The coupons will then be tied to your store loyalty card. This is a convenient way to save some extra money and is a lot faster than clipping actual coupons. Before heading to the store, clip any coupons that you might use so they're ready to go.
   
   

5. Try curbside pickup
   If you find that you continue to overspend when grocery shopping, curbside pickup is another option to consider. You'll order all your groceries online, and someone else will do the shopping for you. Then all you need to do is pick up your order curbside. This is an excellent way to stay on budget. Since you won't be shopping in store, you'll be less likely to add items you don't need to your order. Plus, as a bonus, this can help you save time.
   
   

6. Buy store-brand items
   Another way to save on grocery costs is by purchasing store-brand items. Many store-brand products have the same ingredients as the well-known brands that you regularly see advertised. Since most products are available in generic form, this is an easy way to save on almost every item you buy. Even if you mix and match some store-brand items and some branded items, you can lower your grocery bill.
   
   

7. Take advantage of cash back grocery apps
   You can also take advantage of cash back apps when you shop. Many of these apps are geared toward grocery spending. While you won't be able to collect your cash back right away, you'll earn it on qualifying purchases. Over time, this can add up. Most apps have a minimum cash out of $20 or $25, but you can withdraw your cash back when you do reach that amount. Then you can add those funds to your savings account for a future purchase.
   
   

Food costs can add up quickly, especially when food production and supply costs are higher than usual. These tips can help you trim your grocery bill while still getting the food and household supplies you need. If you're looking for other tips on how to save and spend your money, check out our personal finance resources.

Top credit card wipes out interest until 2022

If you have credit card debt, transferring it to this top balance transfer card can allow you to pay 0% interest well into 2022! Plus, you'll pay no annual fee. Those are just a few reasons why our experts rate this card as a top pick to help get control of your debt. Read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

TIK SHOCK TikTok quietly changes rules to harvest scans of your FACE and voice in creepy ‘biometric collection’

(Source: the-sun.com)

Charlotte Edwards, Digital Technology and Science Reporter | Jun 4 2021

TIKTOK has updated its privacy policy in the US so it can collect things like “faceprints and voiceprints” from its users.

The app said it “may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information” from users but would need consent before this data is taken.

TikTok has added a new section to its US privacy policy called “Image and Audio Information".

It can be found under the heading “Information we collect automatically”.

This section of the policy is already fairly lengthy.

The new policy explains about collecting object and scenery data, which some other social media companies do for this like AR effects and ad targeting.

However, the creepiest part concerns 'biometric data', meaning body measurements and human characteristic data.

It states: "We may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information as defined under US laws, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from your User Content.

"Where required by law, we will seek any required permissions from you prior to any such collection."

TikTok hasn't explained why it needs this data or how it will ask for permission to take it.

Only a few US states have biometric privacy laws.

They include Texas, Washington, California and New York.

This could mean TikTok could take biometric data without asking permission from users in other states.

The new policy comes as TikTok works to regain trust in the US after the Trump administration tried to ban it and claimed the Chinese-owned app was a security threat to the country.

We reached out to TikTok for comment on why biometric data is needed and whether a similar policy could come to the UK.

A spokesperson responded: "At this time, no updates were made to our EU Privacy Policy.

"We periodically review and update our Privacy Policies so that they best reflect our current practices based on market, regional, and legal requirements."

TikTok: Brief guide to the world's most downloaded app

• TikTok lets users create and share short videos with music and camera effects
  
  
• The hit app is best known for short dance videos, lip-syncing clips, comedy sketches, and talent footage
  
  
• It is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, founded by the entrepreneur Zhang Yiming
  
  
• The $200billion conglomerate acquired the Musical.ly app in 2017 and merged it with TikTok, bringing millions of new users
  
  
• By February 2019, TikTok and Douyin had been downloaded more than a billion times
  
  
• It was the most-downloaded app on the App Store in 2018 and 2019
  
  
• Cyber experts have expressed concern over ByteDance's alleged links to the Chinese government
  
  
• The Department of Defense has urged its employees to avoid using the app over national security concerns
  
  
• TikTok says it does not and would not share user data with the Chinese government

Facebook Wants Your Thoughts and Prayers

(Source: gizmodo.com)

Shoshana Wodinsky | 6/03/21

Facebook’s found a new way to capitalize on the thoughts, prayers (and data) from the religious side of its user base. On Thursday, the company confirmed that it’s begun expanding a new feature called “prayer posts” that will let members of particular Facebook groups literally ask for (and offer up) prayers for other folks on the platform.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the feature’s been in testing for “over a year” before quietly rolling out to the masses over the past few months. Back in April, Robert Jones—who runs Public Religion Research Institute in Washington DC—was one of the first public faces to actually ask the company what the hell these posts actually were.

His question wasn’t picked up by mainstream outlets at the time, but more than a few religious-facing newswires jumped on the story and got Facebook to confirm that Prayer Posts were indeed being tested on a select few groups, though the company wouldn’t elaborate on which groups they were (hint: probably users who are religious).

At the time, Nona Jones—who has the baffling role of leading “Global Faith Partnerships” for the company—told one of these religious outlets that the idea for prayer posts stemmed from the need to “build community,” with users over the course of the pandemic. It’s not a coincidence that Jones was seeing this post in the lead-up to Easter when churches were expecting to see their attendance to be sliced to a fraction of what they’d expect in the pre-covid era.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve seen many faith and spirituality communities using our services to connect, so we’re starting to explore new tools to support them,” a Facebook spokesperson told Gizmodo. He added that the feature first debuted in select groups in the US in order to “give people the option of requesting prayer from their Facebook Group,” if they choose. The company did not answer questions on whether any of the data from these posts would be used to deliver targeted ads at users based on their group-praying habits.

When a group administrator opts into using the feature, members just drop prayer requests into the group, and then others can flock over and hit the “pray” button to notify the poster that their request has been prayed for. Sure, it’s... something, but like the majority of Facebook’s design, it’s a concept that feels cold and clinical and more than a bit bizarre. This is a company that puts profits before all else, always, and has found ways to turn even the smallest blip on the platform into data to be monetized. And if prayers are something deeply personal to the users posting them, at the end of the day, they’re still just points of data on a major social platform that has absolutely no scruples about turning over that data for as much cash as possible.