Omicron’s Threat to Global Economy Increasingly Runs Through China

The direct economic harm caused by the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in highly vaccinated countries appears so far to be relatively modest and short-lived, but its indirect hit could prove significant if China resorts to repeated lockdowns in its effort to suppress the virus within its borders. Omicron led to a fresh surge in infections … Read more

Even Among the Vaccinated, Covid-19 Prompted a Surge of Sick Days

The number of workers taking time off because they were sick with Covid-19—or caring for someone else who was—surged at the beginning of the year, topping another leading cause for missing work: caring for children who were out of school because of the pandemic. A major difference between January 2021’s surge and the one last … Read more

Canadian Mayor Seeks Injunction as Trucker Protest Limits Ford, GM Auto Production

The Canadian border city of Windsor, Ontario, said Thursday it would seek a court order to remove demonstrators who have blocked most traffic along a crucial US-Canada trade corridor for four days. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said at a press conference that city lawyers would try to argue its case before a judge later Thursday. … Read more