Supply Chain Resiliency in the Face of COVID-19, a short video interview with MIT Doctor David Simchi-Levi. Healthcare Packaging's Karen Sookne spoke to Simchi-Levi last November at Pack Expo Connects.
A spat between the European Union and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is threatening to hamper global vaccine efforts, and is raising tensions on the continent as European countries struggle to vaccinate their populations amid the threat of new, more virulent strains of the coronavirus. The EU purchased 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which the company made in partnership with Oxford University, in advance of it being approved by EU regulators. But last week, AstraZeneca abruptly announced that due to production issues it would only be able to deliver about 31 million doses to the EU, or about 40 percent of the roughly 80 million doses promised in the first quarter. That, of course, angered EU leaders, who are desperately trying to inoculate their populations.
A year into the coronavirus pandemic, Americans are painfully aware that overcoming the scourge is a marathon, not a sprint. Enter Dave McGillivray, who knows a thing or two about endurance events — and logistics. The race director of the Boston Marathon, which is on hold until fall, has been tapped by the state of Massachusetts to run mass vaccination operations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park. Idled at his day job by the pandemic, he’s part of an emerging group of event organizers and other unconventional logistics experts who are using their skills to help the nation vaccinate as many people against COVID-19 as possible.
The TSA announced that the rate of firearm detection at airport security checkpoints doubled from 2019 to 2020. At the same time, the number of passengers screened dropped by 500 million. Does this mean that air travelers were safer in 2020, or were there more firearms being carried onto airplanes? The clue to resolve this quandary lies in airport security environments with covid-19 and the profile of passengers who are now flying. In December 2020, the TSA screened over 60% fewer passengers than were screened in December 2019. Airport passenger screening is an intense process of managing the flow of people and items using security technology to detect threats, effectively looking for needles in haystacks.
COVID-19 has impacted every intercollegiate sport this season. For example, over 20 percent of all men’s Division I basketball games have been cancelled or postponed, not including the Ivy League, whose teams shut down their seasons entirely. The NCAA recently announced that March Madness will be held entirely in the state of Indiana. The NCAA has also made several policy changes, including granting one extra year of eligibility to spring-, fall- and winter-sport student-athletes and permitting student-athletes to transfer to another school without sitting out one year. Although such changes appear sympathetic to the needs of student-athletes, they carry with them unintended consequences.
Ashley Smith
Public Affairs Coordinator
INFORMS
Catonsville, MD
[email protected]
443-757-3578
An audio journey of how data and analytics save lives, save money and solve problems.
On Jan. 21, OpenAI launched the $500 billion Stargate Project with partners like Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Oracle. This initiative aimed to secure American AI leadership, create jobs, and boost the economy. Initially, this boosted the stock prices of these companies.
The telecom industry is at a pivotal crossroads, and the only choice forward for telcos is to pursue innovation without the fear of failure. Telcos must be willing to capitalize on emerging technologies and shifting market dynamics that will soon dominate the future telecom landscape. Three areas, in particular, telcos should begin investing in and exploring (if they haven’t already) include:
Health insurance has become necessary, with large and unpredictable health care costs always looming before each of us. Unfortunately, the majority of people have experienced problems when using their health insurance to pay for their medical care. Health insurance serves as the buffer between patients and the medical care system, using population pooling to mitigate the risk exposure on any one individual.
Tariffs could raise the cost of medical care and prescription drugs for people in the U.S.
President Donald Trump on Monday fired another volley in his ongoing trade war, announcing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and canceling exemptions and duty-free quotas for major suppliers.
A groundbreaking new study in the INFORMS journal Transportation Science reveals the severe and far-reaching consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on global food security. The research highlights an urgent need to address disruptions in the transportation of Ukrainian grains, which have caused dramatic price spikes and worsened food insecurity worldwide, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Middle East and North Africa.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban's question to Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, on energy costs took off on social media on Saturday.
Florida lawmakers have banned wind turbines off its shores and near the coast, saying the bill is meant to protect wildlife and prevent noise.