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After high school years interrupted by COVID, students calculate the cost of college differently

May 25, 2023
This spring, there were 14.2 million undergraduates in the U.S., about 9% fewer than in spring 2019.
This spring, there were 9% fewer undergraduate students in the U.S. than there were in spring 2019.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Clawing back unspent COVID funds might contribute to a debt ceiling solution — but not much

May 15, 2023
The exact amount left from pandemic spending bills could be as little as $30 billion — a fraction of this year’s federal deficit.
Congress passed six COVID spending bills totaling $4.6 trillion, according to the Government Accountability Office. But most of that money is already gone.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Shanghai lockdown a year on: Is it still the same financial hub?

Mar 27, 2023
Shanghai's 2022 lockdown, which lasted two months, left economic and psychological scars on the metropolis.
A view of Lujiazui, the financial district of Shanghai. Government media refers to the cluster of high-rises as the Manhattan of the East.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Moderna will charge around $130 for its COVID vaccine — and Congress isn't too happy

Mar 22, 2023
But the pharma company promised that individuals won't pay the full amount.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel listens to Sen. Bernie Sanders during a committee hearing on the price of COVID vaccines.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

China's big question after ending "zero-COVID" rules: How many have died?

Feb 7, 2023
David struggled to help his 83-year-old father before he died of COVID. Will his father's death be counted in China's official toll?
Hundreds of millions of people in China were infected within weeks of the abrupt end to "zero-COVID" rules, experts say. Above, patients are cared for by relatives and medical staff in the atrium of a busy hospital on Jan. 13 in Shanghai.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Sundance Film Fest and other big events are back after battle with omicron

Jan 18, 2023
Hundreds of businesses rely on major commercial and arts gatherings for much of their annual income.
In Park City, Utah, Sundance's cancellation of in-person events hurt local businesses in 2022. Hotels and restaurants are looking forward to welcoming guests this year.
George Frey/Getty Images

China ends zero-COVID, but are consumers ready to spend?

Jan 12, 2023
Chinese officials have lifted the harshest restrictions of the zero-COVID policy, but consumers are still cautious amid surging infections.
A tourist district in Xiamen city in late December 2022 was quiet amid a surge of COVID infections.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

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China's zero-COVID whiplash

Jan 5, 2023
China has abandoned its sweeping restrictions after nearly three years. Heads are spinning from the speed of the change, and infections are spreading quickly.
A disinfection squad enters a residential building in Shanghai, responding to a confirmed COVID case. Under China's zero-COVID policy, these teams could forcibly disinfect the homes of people who contracted the virus.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Once pandemic emergency protections end, millions likely to lose Medicaid

Jan 2, 2023
As many as 15 million people may lose Medicaid coverage after the pandemic emergency is formally declared over. But the government’s own projections show many of them will still qualify. They’ll just get hung up in the paperwork.
Patients at a low-income clinic in Nashville wait to be seen. During the pandemic, Medicaid programs were not allowed to drop patients, but income reviews will restart once the public health emergency ends.
Blake Farmer/WPLN

Federal funds for COVID testing and vaccines are running low

Dec 28, 2022
The White House has been asking Congress to allocate more funds, but that hasn't happened.
With universal coverage for COVID vaccines, treatments and tests ending, "we're going back to how the U.S. health care system generally works," said Jen Kates at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images