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A health-care worker has reportedly tested positive for the omicron strain of the coronavirus just 20 days after having an infection caused by the delta variant, according to Spanish researchers.
The case study of the 31-year-old woman, who was fully vaccinated and boosted, is due to be presented by researchers at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases that’s taking place in Portugal this coming weekend.
The 20-day gap between infections is the shortest known.

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a citizen for nucleic acid test at a testing site in Binhai New Area in north China’s Tianjin, Jan. 9, 2022.
Zhao Zishuo | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

A health-care worker has reportedly tested positive for the omicron strain of the coronavirus just 20 days after having an infection caused by the delta variant, according to Spanish researchers.
The case study of the 31-year-old woman, who was fully vaccinated and boosted, is to be presented by researchers at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases taking place in Portugal this coming weekend.

The 20-day gap between the infections is the shortest known.
The woman first tested positive on Dec. 20 last year in a PCR test during staff screening at her place of work. The patient, who didn’t develop any symptoms, self-isolated for 10 days before returning to work.
On Jan. 10 this year, just 20 days after first testing positive, she developed a cough, fever and felt generally unwell and did another PCR test. This was also positive.
Whole genome sequencing showed that the patient had been infected by two different strains of Covid-19. The woman’s first infection was with the delta variant while the second, in January, was with the more transmissible omicron variant that had been identified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization last November.

Studies showed that omicron is much more infectious than delta and can evade the immunity people acquire from past infections and Covid vaccination, which protects against severe infection, hospitalization and death.
The omicron variant has since started to become supplanted by a subvariant of the strain, known as BA.2, while other variants have also since emerged, including one dubbed XE.

One of the study’s authors, Dr. Gemma Recio of the Institut Català de Salut of Tarragona in Spain, said the case highlights the potential of the omicron variant to evade the previous immunity acquired either from a natural infection with other variants, or from vaccines.
“In other words, people who have had Covid-19 cannot assume they are protected against reinfection, even if they have been fully vaccinated,” Recio said.
“Nevertheless, both previous infection with other variants and vaccination do seem to partially protect against severe disease and hospitalization in those with omicron.”

She said the case underscored the need to carry out genomic surveillance of viruses in infections in those who are fully vaccinated and in reinfections as “monitoring will help detect variants with the ability to partially evade the immune response.”
The material has been peer reviewed by the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases selection committee, but there is no full paper at this stage and the authors have not yet submitted the work to a medical journal for publication.

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Starbucks shares have fallen 12% since Howard Schultz took the reins on April 4.
Wedbush Securities and Citi Research both downgraded shares to neutral in April, citing the coffee chain’s growing union push among other concerns.
Starbucks risks its long-held reputation as a progressive company the longer it battles union efforts.

Michelle Eisen, a barista at the Buffalo, NY, Elmwood Starbucks location, the first Starbuck location to unionize, helps out the local Starbucks Workers United, employees of a local Starbucks, as they gather at a local union hall to cast votes to unionize or not, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Mesa, Ariz.
Ross D. Franklin | AP

When Starbucks announced Howard Schultz would return to the company as interim CEO, investors cheered. His first tenure as chief executive turned the company into a global brand and his second, years later, revived both the business and its stock price.
But the applause has since quieted as Wall Street forecasts that the coffee giant will keep spending money in its effort to stem a unionization tide.

The stock has slid 12% since Schultz took the reins on April 4, dragging the company’s market value down to $92.2 billion. The S&P 500 fell just 2% in the same time period. Wedbush Securities and Citi Research both downgraded shares to neutral ratings in April, citing the labor situation and other concerns.

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The recent tension follows months of buildup.
In late August, company-owned Starbucks cafes in Buffalo, New York, petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a union election. Since then, more than 200 of the coffee chain’s locations have filed the paperwork to unionize. To date, 24 stores have voted to unionize under Workers United, with only two locations so far voting against.
To be sure, these locations represent a small portion of Starbucks’ nearly 9,000 company-owned U.S. cafes. But analysts and industry experts are concerned Schultz isn’t taking a frugal approach to curb the union push.
“It’s hard to avoid the reality of the situation – that addressable problems in the near term are probably much more expensive and time consuming to bear results,” JP Morgan analyst John Ivankoe wrote in a note to clients on April 11.

Pay and benefits

In October, when Kevin Johnson was CEO, the company announced two wage hikes for all of its baristas that would take effect this year and bring its average wage up to $17 per hour. In late March, Starbucks Workers United warned Schultz could leverage those improved benefits in an attempt to curb the union’s campaign.
Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment at the time, but Schultz appeared to confirm the strategy on his first day back on the job when he announced that Starbucks would suspend all stock buybacks to invest back into the company’s people and cafes.
In meetings with U.S. store leaders last week, Schultz said the company was weighing improved benefits for all its workers, but that federal labor law precludes the chain from giving higher pay or making other changes to the terms of employment for unionized workers. Labor experts say that’s technically true, but Starbucks can still ask the union if those baristas want the enhanced benefits.
Higher benefits could dissuade baristas from organizing, but Wall Street is worried that strategy may come at too high a cost.
Citi Research analyst Jon Tower wrote in a note on April 11 either wage hikes or growing momentum behind the unionization efforts would make him more bearish on the stock.
There’s also the risk that Starbucks hikes worker pay, but the initiative doesn’t stave off unionization efforts.
“Starbucks has made the job of being a barista so much more challenging that even if they ‘solve the wage and benefit issue,’ I don’t think that’s necessarily going to stop or slow down the unionization push,” said Nick Kalm, who has advised other companies on how to deal with unionizing workers, strikes and lockouts as president and founder of Reputation Partners.
While organizing baristas have mentioned the low pay gains for more senior staff and other benefits issues, contract negotiations at its Elmwood location in Buffalo, New York, have focused on “just cause” firing, stronger health and safety policies and allowing customers to tip with credit cards. The union is planning to ask for higher wages and benefits as well.

Reputational risk

With each new union counterstrike, Starbucks is also risking its long-held reputation as a progressive company.
“Our conversations with several union experts suggest that the greatest financial risk to Starbucks is market share loss and deterioration in brand perception if the union battle continues to make headline news,” BTIG analyst Peter Saleh wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.
Saleh lowered his price target on the stock from $130 per share to $110 per share but maintained his buy rating.
The Seattle-based company garnered a reputation as a generous employer by offering its workers healthcare, paid leave and other benefits decades ago, a rarity in the restaurant industry at the time and even today. The company has also been vocal in its support of same-sex marriage, hiring refugees and other liberal causes, further bolstering its image as a bastion of progressive capitalism.
While conservatives have threatened boycotts of the company before, its stances drew in progressive employees – like those pushing for a union today – and customers.
But the union has alleged union-busting activity by the company, including firing organizers and cutting barista hours at unionizing locations. The NLRB has filed three complaints against Starbucks, alleging that the company illegally retaliated against organizing baristas. Starbucks has denied all allegations of union busting and filed two complaints of its own with the NLRB on Wednesday, alleging that the union broke federal labor law by intimidating and harassing its workers.

If your whole mantra is being a very progressive company, it becomes very difficult for you to reconcile strong anti-union messages with that.”

president and founder of Reputation Partners

Starbucks’ response to the union push could turn off investors who pick stocks with environmental, social and governance values in mind. An investor group led by Trillium Asset Management urged Starbucks to adopt a neutral policy toward union efforts. The group said in March that it holds at least $1.2 billion in Starbucks shares.
“If your whole mantra is being a very progressive company, it becomes very difficult for you to reconcile strong anti-union messages with that,” Kalm said. “And that’s where they’re finding themselves, and it is going to take a reputational toll. Now, at the same time, people are strangely addicted to Starbucks products.”
One such conflicted customer is Clarissa, a 33-year old from Taos, New Mexico, who describes herself as “a bit of a peppermint mocha or blonde roast addict.”
She hasn’t patronized a Starbucks cafe since Feb. 13, citing how the company has dealt with unionizing workers. Her personal boycott breaks a two decades-long streak of visiting the coffee chain at least five times every week.
“I still have $6.70 on my Starbucks Gold card that is likely just sitting there because I won’t go back after their union busting,” she said.
But not everyone’s soured on the company. BTIG surveyed 1,000 Starbucks customers on their allegiance to the coffee chain if it fails to agree on a contract with Starbucks Workers United. Only 4% of respondents said they would never visit a Starbucks again, and 15% said they would visit less frequently.
More than two-thirds of consumers surveyed said it wouldn’t impact their visit frequency at all.
Neuberger Berman analyst Kevin McCarthy said he’s sticking with the stock because of his belief in the company’s long-term prospects under Schultz’s leadership. The investment firm has $460 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31.
“It’s the Howard 3.0,” McCarthy said. “I’m hopeful that his credentials and historic track record with being able to come back to the business and reinvigorate will be constructive for the company in the long term.”

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American said March was the first month since the pandemic began that its revenue surpassed 2019 levels.
It expects to fly as much as 94% of its 2019 schedule, more than competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
The airline said it paid $2.80 a gallon for fuel in the first quarter, up 65% from last year.

American Airlines on Thursday forecast a second-quarter pretax profit as strong bookings help it cover soaring fuel costs.
American, the country’s largest airline, said March was the first month since the pandemic began that its revenue surpassed 2019 levels and said bookings have continued to rise.

The carrier forecast second-quarter sales as much as 8% higher than the same period three years ago even though it plans to fly between 6% and 8% less than its 2019 schedule. That’s still more than competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, which have been more conservative about restoring capacity throughout the pandemic.
American forecast business-travel revenue will be 90% recovered to 2019 levels in the second quarter, led by small- and midsize companies.
“I’m a new CEO. People want to come and see me. It’s the same thing in the rest of the economy,” new CEO Robert Isom told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “People have been cooped up too long, relationships have faded, and they need to be reestablished.”
American is the third major airline to report quarterly results. United said Wednesday it expects to return to a profit this year thanks to a surge in bookings and fares, echoing similar comments a week earlier from Delta. United’s forecast sent airline stocks higher in after-hours trading Wednesday.
American shares surged after reporting results and were up more than 11% in premarket trading Thursday, up from a roughly 5% increase fueled by United’s results. United was up more than 8%.

Here’s how American performed in the first quarter compared with what Wall Street expected, based on average estimates compiled by Refinitiv:

Adjusted loss per share: $2.32 versus an expected $2.40
Total revenue: $8.9 billion versus expected $8.826 billion

American posted a net loss of $1.6 billion in the first quarter on revenue of nearly $8.9 billion, more than double its $4 billion in sales a year ago and ahead of analyst estimates. Sales were down 16% compared with the same quarter of 2019.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said it paid $2.80 a gallon for fuel in the first quarter, up 65% from last year. American stopped hedging fuel after oil prices cratered in 2014.

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Earth-imaging and data specialist Planet Labs on Thursday unveiled details of its new line of Pelican satellites.
Planet expects to begin launching the Pelican satellites in early 2023, with the constellation consisting of up to 32 spacecraft.
“Pelican stacks right up to the highest resolution of what is commercially available today,” Planet co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Robbie Schingler told CNBC.

A graphic rendering of a Pelican satellite.

Earth-imaging and data specialist Planet Labs on Thursday unveiled details of its new line of Pelican satellites, as the company looks to further expand and improve its space-based imagery capabilities.
Planet expects to begin launching the Pelican satellites in early 2023, with the constellation consisting of up to 32 spacecraft. The Pelican satellites will boast the ability to capture images up to a resolution of 30 centimeters, meaning each pixel shows more detail than the 50 centimeter resolution of Planet’s current 21 SkySat satellites in orbit.

“Pelican stacks right up to the highest resolution of what is commercially available today. The difference is the number that we can have, the more revisits that we can have and the real-time connectivity – and then also what you get with Planet as an unclassified source,” Planet co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Robbie Schingler told CNBC.
The number of Pelican satellites planned will also boost another key metric for Planet: the revisit capability of its higher imagery products. Revisit is essentially how frequently a company’s satellites can image a targeted location on the ground.
Schingler says the Pelican constellation will be able to revisit up to 10 times per day for most of the globe, but up to 30 times per day at mid-latitudes – where the majority of people live on Earth. For comparison, Planet competitor Maxar advertises revisit of up to 15 times per day for its new WorldView Legion satellites.
Schingler emphasized that the Pelican’s spacecraft base “is built for speed of upgrade-ability,” and features inter-satellite links to further boost data delivery through the network. Planet is building the Pelican inter-satellite links in house.
The company has “a number of partnerships” with companies that operate satellite communications networks, Schingler said, to distribute Pelican data. Planet declined to specify which satellite communications companies.
Planet went public via a SPAC merger and began trading on the public market late last year. The stock has slid since that debut, however, with Planet shares at $5.70 as of Wednesday’s close – down nearly 50% since closing its merger.

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Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, pictured here at the final cup match at the Johan Cruijff Arena on April 15, 2022 in Amsterdam, has been appointed as the new manager of Manchester United.
Bsr Agency | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Manchester United have appointed Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as their new manager, to replace interim Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season.
Sky Sports News reported on March 31 that Ten Hag was in pole position to land the job over Mauricio Pochettino, with sources close to the manager and Ajax revealing compensation is below £2m.

The 52-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the option of a further 12 months. He told United’s website: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead.
“I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

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“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”
John Murtough, United’s football director, added: “During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.
“In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.”We wish Erik the best of luck as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.”

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Sir Martin Broughton is leading one of three remaining bids for Chelsea after Roman Abramovich put club up for sale.
Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams understood to have committed £10m each to bid.
Steve Pagliuca and Todd Boehly also head consortiums in race to buy club.

Chelsea’s stadium, Stamford Bridge is seen through trees in London on March 10, 2022, as Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich was hit with a UK assets freeze and travel ban, throwing his plans to sell the European and world club champions into disarray.
Justin Tallis | Afp | Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams are committing millions of pounds to one of the bids vying to become the new owners of Chelsea.
Sky News can exclusively reveal the full line-up of investors backing the takeover offer for the club being spearheaded by Sir Martin Broughton, the former Liverpool and British Airways chairman – the most prominent of whom are the seven-times Formula 1 world champion and the former women’s world tennis No 1.

Sources close to the group said that Hamilton and Williams – the highest-profile members of any of the three remaining consortia – had pledged an estimated £10m each to the bid.
Both Hamilton, who will compete for Mercedes at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola this weekend – live on Sky Sports – and Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slams including seven Wimbledon titles, have become established investors in their own right in recent years.
Serena Ventures, the tennis star’s venture capital fund, this week announced an investment in Opensponsorship, a British-based sports technology start-up, while Hamilton has backed a range of early-stage companies such as Zapp, the London-based rapid grocery delivery app.
Their involvement in the Chelsea auction is unexpected – not least because Hamilton is an Arsenal fan.
Hamilton and Williams have, however, been in talks with the group spearheaded by Broughton for several weeks.

It was unclear on Thursday morning which corporate entities would be used by the pair to invest in the Blues.
The consortium is uniquely British-led among the trio of shortlisted bidders and features another UK sporting icon in the form of Sebastian Coe among its backers.
A source close to the group said the addition of Hamilton and Williams was a serious investment decision because of their experience at building global sports brands.
They also pointed out that the involvement of the pair was not the first time famous athletes had backed a Premier League club – NBA star LeBron James has been a small shareholder in Liverpool for more than a decade.
Under the consortium’s plans, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), the holding company headed by American private equity billionaires Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer, would hold a controlling stake in Chelsea – although they will need to divest their minority shareholding in Crystal Palace prior to completing a deal.
Their involvement with the ownership and running of Crystal Palace since 2015 is also a distinctive factor among the remaining bidders for Chelsea.

Read more stories from Sky Sports

The Broughton-led group’s other investors include: Canada’s Rogers family, which holds a big interest in the media and telecoms company Rogers Communications; John Arnold, who chaired the Houston 2026 FIFA World Cup bid committee; and Taiwan’s Tsai family, which owns the Taipei Fubon Braves and Fubon Guardians baseball teams.
As Sky News reported on Monday, Alejandro Santo Domingo, an heir to one of the world’s biggest brewing fortunes and an investor in several North American sports franchises, is also investing in the bid.
Sources close to the offer led by Broughton said the diversity of its roster of global investors was among the factors that had persuaded Hamilton and Williams to become involved.
One insider suggested that Hamilton was likely to play a formal role in Chelsea’s future efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion if the bid is successful.
He and Williams have been advocates in their respective sports and beyond in promoting equality, lending their names to numerous anti-discrimination initiatives.
That issue was thrown into sharp focus earlier in the Chelsea sale process when one of the bidders – a consortium headed by the Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts family – was forced to distance itself from historical Islamophobic remarks.
Broughton’s consortium is said to believe that it is best-placed of the remaining consortia to navigate the complexities of owning Chelsea, including the prospective redevelopment of its Stamford Bridge home.

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Ford Motor plans to introduce four new electric vehicles into its Lincoln lineup by 2026.
The new vehicles were announced Wednesday night alongside the unveiling of a new concept EV called the Lincoln Star.
The concept vehicle marks new technological and design direction for the brand, according to officials.

Lincoln Star concept electric vehicle

DETROIT – Ford Motor plans to introduce four new electric vehicles into its Lincoln lineup by 2026, as the once-dominant American luxury brand reinvents itself to focus on EVs.
The new vehicles were announced Wednesday night alongside the unveiling of a new concept EV called the Lincoln Star. The concept marks new design and technology directions for the brand, according to company executives.

“As Lincoln enters the next chapter in our transition to a zero-emissions future, the Lincoln Star Concept will lead the way for our portfolio of fully electric vehicles,” Lincoln President Joy Falotico said in a release. “It is an excellent example of how we are redefining luxury for the next generation as we work to transform the vehicle into a third space — a true place of sanctuary — for our clients.”

Lincoln Star concept electric vehicle

The Lincoln Star is a crossover SUV with a smooth exterior design and panoramic windows. Much of the vehicle’s badging is in lights rather than traditional physical logos. Its silhouette is reminiscent of a Land Rover Range Rover SUV.
The interior is where the vehicle is especially different compared with Lincoln’s current lineup of vehicles, which includes the large Navigator SUV and several crossovers in the U.S.
The Star, like many new luxury vehicles from competitors, includes a large screen across the instrument panel and a retractable steering wheel that can be stowed away. The two front seats of the vehicle can rotate to face the rear seats, providing a lounge-like setting.
The Star also features three “rejuvenation moods” that change the audio, lighting and even smell of the vehicle’s cabin. The moods are Coastal Morning, Mindful Vitality and Evening Chill.

Lincoln Star concept electric vehicle

Automakers routinely use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a vehicle or brand. The vehicles are not meant to be sold to consumers.
The new Lincoln EVs could provide a much-needed boost for the brand. Lincoln expects EVs to make up more than half of its global volume by mid-decade and 90% of its North American sales by 2030.
“Now is our moment,” Falotico said during a media briefing. “This is just the start of our electric journey.”
Lincoln has failed to gain much traction in the U.S. in recent years outside of its large Navigator SUV. Sales for the brand recently peaked at about 112,000 units in 2019. Amid supply chain problems, its sales dropped to about 87,000 vehicles last year.
Lincoln has found some success in China, though, leading the brand to report its best global retail sales last year in 21 years. The brand’s retail sales were just under 190,000 vehicles, up about 7% compared with 2020.

Lincoln Star concept electric vehicle

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The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to overturn the $10,000 limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, which is known as SALT.
Without an extension from Congress, the $10,000 SALT cap will automatically sunset in 2026, restoring the full tax break.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference announcing the State and Local Taxes (SALT) Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol.
Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge from New York and three other states to overturn the $10,000 limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, which is known as SALT, enacted through the Republican’s 2017 tax overhaul. 
The order denied a request from New York, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey to review an October ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which rejected arguments that the SALT cap is an “unconstitutional assault” on the states’ taxing decisions.

“This decision by the Supreme Court underlines the fact that any change to the SALT cap will come from an intentional act of Congress, not through the courts,” said Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation.
“The legal challenges to the cap itself were always a longshot, so this decision by the Supreme Court to decline the review of the case was not totally unexpected,” he said.
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The SALT cap has been a pain point for high-tax states because residents can’t deduct more than $10,000 in state and local levies on their federal returns. And some lawmakers from these areas have been fighting for relief as part of a Congressional SALT Caucus.

With a slim Democratic majority, the $10,000 limit was a sticking point in Build Back Better negotiations, and House lawmakers in November passed an $80,000 SALT cap through 2030 as part of their $1.75 trillion spending package. However, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., blocked the plan in the Senate, halting momentum for SALT relief. 

“I do expect this decision will revive some discussion about if and how the deduction cap should be changed moving forward, especially in the context of any revised Build Back Better package in Congress,” Watson said.

There remains skepticism of SALT cap changes in both chambers, which may make any legislative attempt to alter the cap an uphill battle at best.

Garrett Watson
senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation

“There remains skepticism of SALT cap changes in both chambers, which may make any legislative attempt to alter the cap an uphill battle at best,” he added.
Without an extension from Congress, the $10,000 SALT limit will automatically sunset in 2026, along with several tax breaks from the Republican legislation.
In the meantime, many states have SALT cap workarounds for pass-through businesses, allowing owners to bypass the limit by paying for part of their state taxes through their company.  

Other roadblocks

While the SALT cap has been a hot-button issue in high-tax states and Congress, there are other economic factors to consider, policy experts say.
“There was the pandemic, and the economic recovery from the pandemic, and these are the things that are driving current state policy decisions, not the state and local tax deduction,” said Richard Auxier, senior policy associate at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.
Those affected by the $10,000 SALT limit are affluent homeowners with “the ability to make a lot of political noise,” he said, and many have benefited from other provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
If repealed, the top 20% of taxpayers may receive over 96% of the relief, according to a Tax Policy Center report, which would affect only 9% of American households. 

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