Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children is a rare but scary byproduct of COVID infections in kids that causes dangerous swelling of internal organs, especially the heart. The largest study to date of this syndrome has just been completed. Dr. Dean Blumberg is a pediatrician & infectious disease specialist at UC Davis Health.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he plans to swing the doors wide open and drop almost all COVID restrictions and precautions by June 15th. Dr. Robert Wachter is chair of the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco.

The CDC is advising all of us to back away from the disinfecting wipes and sprays. Reaffirming that the novel coronavirus is transmitted almost exclusively through the air, the CDC says old fashioned soap and water should work just fine to keep surfaces clean. Dr. Joseph Allen directs the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health.

The thinking among mental health professionals was that a year of high anxieties from a global pandemic, combined with persistent social isolation, would result in a rise of suicides during 2020. But, according to new statistics compiled by the CDC, suicides decreased in 2020 for the first time in several years, down almost 5-percent. Dr. Larry Wright directs the Forefront Suicide Prevention Center at the University of Washington.

The airline industry is bracing for a possible shortage of pilots. United Airlines is making a move to get ahead of the issue by committing to train 5,000 pilots at its own academy over the next 10-years. Joe Schwieterman is the Director of the Chaddick Institute at DePaul University in Chicago. 

The pandemic is causing a ketchup shortage. With many people turning to takeout meals, tiny ketchup packets are in high demand. It appears suppliers can't seem to keep up with it. The Wall Street Journal says the price for packaged ketchup has gone up 13%. Another reason for the high demand : restaurants are trying to reduce ketchup sharing during the pandemic by stocking up on those packets. 

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