Wall Street

Five Chinese companies face potential delisting from Wall Street if they fail to comply with new audit orders from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Hybrid versions of the coronavirus that combine genes from the Delta and Omicron variants – dubbed “Deltacron” – have been identified in at least 17 patients in the United States and Europe, researchers said. Additionally, new research adds to evidence that trained dogs could help screen crowds to identify people infected with the coronavirus.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on March 9 said COVID-19 cases fell by 26 percent across the Americas during the previous week while deaths from the virus dropped by nearly 19 percent, but cautioned that some effective measures to curb infections should be maintained.

The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron was estimated to be 11.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of March 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on March 8.

Bristol Myers Squibb’s blockbuster cancer drug Revlimid finally has a competitor as Teva Pharmaceuticals announced the launch of a generic version of Revlimid, which could significantly cut into the global biopharmaceutical company’s earnings.

As Russia continues to bombard cities across Ukraine in artillery strikes, thousands of people have huddled in underground metro stations and bunkers to escape the devastation of those attacks. But another type of attack could result from this – a new outbreak of COVID-19 infection. 

Florida’s top health official said on March 7 the state would recommend against the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children, breaking with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 3 said some 93 percent of the U.S. population live in locations where COVID-19 levels are low enough that people do not need to wear masks indoors.

The Sackler family owners of Purdue Pharma LP reached a deal with nine state attorneys general to pay up to $6 billion in cash to resolve widespread litigation alleging that they fueled the U.S. opioid epidemic, bringing the OxyContin maker closer to exiting bankruptcy.

A mediator in Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy case on March 2 indicated an agreement was being drafted between the company’s owners and U.S. states pressing for more money to resolve allegations that the OxyContin maker fueled the opioid epidemic.