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Some baby foods tainted with ‘dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals’, congressional report finds

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A new investigation by the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy has found high levels of toxic metals in several organic and store brand baby foods manufactured by companies including Nurture Inc, Hain Celestial Group Inc, Beech-Nut Nutrition, Nestle-owned Gerber, Walmart, Sprout Organic Foods, and Campbell.

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According to the subcommittee’s findings released on Thursday, the varieties of baby food examined by the panel contained “dangerously high levels” of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.

The report said that internal company standards “permit dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals, and documents revealed that the manufacturers have often sold foods that exceeded those levels.”

In addition, congressional investigators called on U.S. regulators to set maximum levels of toxic heavy metals permitted in baby foods and to require manufacturers to test finished products for heavy metals, not just ingredients.

Exposure to toxic heavy metals can endanger an infant’s neurological development and long-term brain function.

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The subcommittee noted that Nurture, Beech-Nut, Gerber and Hain all cooperated with the investigation, which found toxic heavy metal levels in their products that were “multiples higher than allowed under existing regulations for other products.”

Meanwhile, investigators claimed Walmart, Sprout Organic Foods and Campbell refused to cooperate.

“The Subcommittee is greatly concerned that their lack of cooperation might obscure the presence of even higher levels of toxic heavy metals in their baby food products, compared to their competitors’ products,” the subcommittee wrote.

However, independent testing of Walmart, Sprout Organic Foods and Campbell’s baby food confirmed that the companies’ products contained “concerning levels of toxic heavy metals.”

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The investigation found Nurture sold baby foods containing as much as 180 parts per billion (ppb) of inorganic arsenic, 641 ppb of lead, and 10 ppb of mercury. Over 25% of the products Nurture tested before sale contained over 100 ppb of inorganic arsenic, and the company’s testing shows that the typical baby food product it sold contained 60 ppb inorganic arsenic. Almost 20% of the finished baby food products that Nurture tested contained over 10 ppb lead.

According to the report, Hain sold finished baby food products containing as much as 129 ppb inorganic arsenic. Hain’s ingredients tested as high as 309 ppb of arsenic and 352 ppb of lead, with at least 88 ingredients testing over 20 ppb of lead and six testing over 200 ppb of lead.

Hain’s ingredients also tested over 20 ppb of cadmium with some testing up to 260 ppb of cadmium. The report also noted Hain gave a secret industry presentation to federal regulators in August 2019 revealed that in 100% of Hain baby foods tested, inorganic arsenic levels were anywhere from 28 to 93 percent higher in the finished baby food than the company estimated they would be based on individual ingredient testing.

In addition, the investigation found that Beech-Nut ingredients tested as high as  913.4 ppb of arsenic and that the company routinely used high-arsenic additives that tested over 300 ppb arsenic to address product characteristics such as “crumb softness.” The ingredients also contained as much as 886.9 ppb of lead, with 483 ingredients containing over 5 ppb lead, 89 that contained over 15 ppb lead, and 57 that contained over 20 ppb lead. It also used 105 ingredients that tested over 20 ppb cadmium, with some testing up to 344.55 ppb cadmium.

Gerber also was found to use high-arsenic ingredients, including 67 batches of rice flour that had tested over 90 ppb inorganic arsenic. The company also used ingredients that tested as high as 48 ppb lead and used many ingredients containing over 20 ppb lead. About 75 percent of Gerber’s carrots contained cadmium in excess of 5 ppb, with some containing up to 87 ppb cadmium.

The investigation noted that Hain and Beech-Nut do not test for mercury in baby food, while Gerber rarely tests for mercury.

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Hain Celestial, the baby food market’s No.4. company which makes Earth’s Best said in a statement that it was “disappointed that the Subcommittee report examined outdated data and does not reflect our current practices” and that the report “inaccurately characterized a meeting with the FDA.”

“Like any food producer, we meet with regulatory and oversight agencies to refine and update our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our products. As science evolves, so too should our standards and practices, which is why we met with the FDA last year to discuss how to better refine those standards and practices,” the company continued. “Following the meeting, we took several steps to reduce the levels of heavy metals in our finished products – including no longer using brown rice in our products that are primarily rice based, changing other ingredients and conducting additional testing of finished product before shipping. Meeting with the FDA did what the regulatory process is supposed to: collaboratively drive improvements that benefit the consumer.”

Hain added that its internal standards and testing procedures “ensure Earth’s Best products meet or exceed the current federal guidelines” and that it has “consistently supported efforts to reduce naturally occurring heavy metals from our food supply and stands ready to assist the Subcommittee’s efforts toward that goal.”

Representatives for Gerber, Nurture Inc., and Beech-Nut Nutrition did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment.

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A spokesperson for Walmart pushed back against claims that the company refused to cooperate, telling FOX Business in a statement that it provided information to the subcommittee nearly a year ago and “invited more dialogue on this important issue but never received any additional inquiries.”

“Any product testing would be managed by our suppliers, which is why we described the certification requirements for our private label manufacturers and explained that our private label baby food manufacturers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including those set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” the spokesperson added. “In addition, our private label product suppliers must meet our own internal finished goods specifications, which for baby and toddler food means the levels must meet or fall below the limits established by the FDA.”

According to the retailer, an October 2019 report from Healthy Babies Bright Futures —  an alliance of nonprofit organizations, scientists and donors seeking to reduce babies’ exposures to toxic chemicals — called “What’s in my baby’s food,” tested seven Walmart private label products that were determined to have metals tested within FDA guidance levels.

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Also pushing back in a statement on its website is the Campbell Soup Company, which noted the it “responded quickly” to the subcommittee’s questions and “never refused anything requested of us.”

“We are surprised that the Committee would suggest that Campbell was less than full partners in this mission. We welcomed the opportunity to work with the Committee in 2019—and continue to do so today,” the statement added. “We want to assure our consumers, the Committee, and any other interested stakeholders that our products are safe.”

Campbell’s blamed the “unfortunate lack of a current FDA standard “for heavy metals in baby food and noted in a response to the FDA that its testing showed each product was “well within levels deemed acceptable by independent authorities.” The company also noted that the heavy metals are present in the environment including soil and water.

“Whether you are growing your own produce in your backyard, buying fresh produce from a farmer’s market or purchasing a product from your favorite retailer, these substances will be present in the food to some extent,” the statement concluded. “Campbell is committed to minimizing environmental contaminants including heavy metals within our products, and we will work with anyone to help establish federal standards to ensure that babies get the food they need to support healthy growth in their early years.”

A spokesperson for Sprout Organic did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment.

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Investigators were also very critical of the Trump administration, claiming officials “ignored” Hain’s presentation and that the former president’s FDA took “no new action” to address the problem.

“To this day, baby foods containing toxic heavy metals bear no label or warning to parents, investigators said. “Manufacturers are free to test only ingredients, or, for the vast majority of baby foods, to conduct no testing at all.”

According to the report, the FDA has only finalized one metal standard for one narrow category of baby food, setting a 100 ppb inorganic arsenic standard for infant rice cereal. However, the subcommittee noted the standard is “far too high to protect against the neurological effects on children.”

“We acknowledge that there is more work to be done, but the FDA reiterates its strong commitment to continue to reduce consumer exposure to toxic elements and other contaminants from food,” The FDA told Reuters in a statement Thursday.

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Georgia Rep. Greene’s history of dangerous conspiracy theories and comments

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A CNN KFile review of both newly-uncovered and previously reported comments highlight the fringe nature of what Greene shared on and offline.

Greene defended herself ahead of the House vote in a floor speech Thursday as she tried to distance herself from her past conspiracy comments.

After Greene saw “things in the news that didn’t make sense to me,” she said she “stumbled across” QAnon at the end of 2017. She became “very interested” in the theory and began posting about it on Facebook because she “was upset about things” and felt she could not trust the government.

“The problem with that is, though, is I was allowed to believe things that weren’t true, and I would ask questions about them and talk about them, and that is absolutely what I regret,” she said.

“Because if it weren’t for the Facebook posts and comments that I liked in 2018, I wouldn’t be standing here today and you couldn’t point a finger and accuse me of anything wrong,” continued Greene, who went on to blame the media, including CNN, for her comments.

Here are some of the most extreme things Greene has done:

Greene repeatedly indicated support for political violence and execution of top Democrats and FBI agents

As CNN’s KFile previously reported, Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians — including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry — and FBI agents in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress.
Greene created a White House petition to impeach Pelosi for “treason” after Pelosi did not vote to fund former President Donald Trump’s border wall in 2019. In newly found posts from 2019, she also wrote a “press release” and a previously unreported blog post promoting the petition and suggested that Pelosi could be executed for treason.
In other newly-uncovered tweets and posts, Greene also liked a call to put Pelosi to death. In one tweet, she said she hoped Pelosi would lose her memory sitting in prison.

Greene, in a statement, did not deny that she liked posts and replied to comments but claimed that many people have run her Facebook page. Greene did not specify whether she or a member of her team were behind the posts reviewed by CNN’s KFile.

“Over the years, I’ve had teams of people manage my pages. Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views. Especially the ones that CNN is about to spread across the internet,” Greene said in a statement last week.

CNN previously reported that Greene posted on her candidate Facebook page in September 2020 an image of herself holding a gun alongside images of Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. The caption encouraged going on the “offense against these socialists” and was interpreted by observers as a threat against the politicians. The Facebook post was taken down for violating its policies.

Greene’s campaign told CNN in an emailed statement in September 2020 that those who think the picture incites violence “are paranoid and ridiculous.”

In other videos from 2019 and 2020, respectively, Greene encouraged protesters “to flood the Capitol” and endorsed political violence to defend freedom.

“The only way you get your freedoms back is it’s earned with the price of blood,” she said in the video from 2020.

While she was a congresswoman-elect and a sitting congresswoman this January, Greene fanned the flames of the Capitol insurrection by encouraging the big lie that Trump, and not Joe Biden, won the election and objected to the election certification process. Greene later denounced the violence at the Capitol but falsely blamed it on “BLM/Antifa violence” in a statement.

Greene promoted violent, deranged conspiracy theories online

Before she ran for Congress, Greene embraced violent, fringe conspiracies. Chief among them was the QAnon conspiracy theory — a discredited conspiracy that pits former President Trump in an imagined battle against a cabal of Satan-worshipping, child-abusing Democrats and celebrities — though in August 2020 she tried to distance herself from QAnon and claimed that “it doesn’t represent me.”
One of the most disturbing violent conspiracies Greene engaged with in May 2018 is the “Frazzledrip” conspiracy, which exists deep within conspiracy rabbit hole. The conspiracy baselessly contends that Hillary Clinton and former Clinton aide Huma Abedin were videotaped sexually assaulting a child and then ripping off the child’s face to wear as a mask in a Satanic blood sacrifice. The theory then alleges that Clinton ordered an assassination hit against the police officer who found the footage, named “Frazzledrip,” according to reporting from Media Matters.
Greene also peddled in 2017 the debunked “Clinton Kill List” or “Clinton Body Count” conspiracy, which alleges the Clintons have assassinated their associates. She spread false conspiracies the Clintons were involved in sextrafficking and peddled the cruel conspiracy that Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was not killed during an attempted robbery but murdered by Democratic actors.
CNN’s KFile previously reported that Greene in 2017 peddled the “Pizzagate” conspiracy, a debunked conspiracy alleging that Clinton and other Democratic Party leaders were running a human-trafficking and pedophilia ring out of a pizzeria in Washington, DC. In a blog post, she suggested that the White supremacist rally held in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, that killed one woman was an “inside job” to “further the agenda of the elites.”
Greene also endorsed 9/11 trutherism conspiracies and falsely claimed there was no evidence a plane crashed into the Pentagon, according to reporting from Media Matters.
After facing backlash from her plane comments, Greene said in August 2020, “Some people claimed a missile hit the Pentagon. I now know that is not correct. The problem is our government lies to us so much to protect the Deep State, it’s hard sometimes to know what is real and what is not.”
In her floor speech on Thursday, Greene said, “9/11 absolutely happened. I remember that day, crying all day long, watching it on the news. And it’s a tragedy for anyone to say it didn’t happen. So that I definitely want to tell you all, I do not believe it’s fake.”

Greene peddled conspiracies that mass shootings were false flags and “staged”

While Greene peddled violent conspiracy theories online, she often speculated if real-world violent events were part of a deeper conspiracy and were actually false flag operations, which refers to acts that are designed by perpetrators to be made to look like they were carried out by other individuals or groups.

In 2018, she questioned whether the Parkland shooting that killed 17 people was a planned event and called Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg a “paid actor.” In a recently surfaced video from March 2019, Greene follows Hogg as he walks toward the US Capitol and can be heard making false and baseless claims as she asks him a series of questions related to gun rights and how he was able to meet with senators. Hogg continues to walk without addressing Greene.

At the end of the video, Greene calls Hogg a “coward” and claimed Hogg’s activism was funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is often the subject of far-right conspiracy theories, and other liberals. “He can’t say one word because he can’t defend his stance,” she said.

In another video, she mocked Hogg as an “idiot” who “only talks when he is scripted.”
Greene also supported Facebook comments from 2018 that alleged the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed six adults and 20 children was a “staged” event.
She mused on Facebook whether the 2017 Las Vegas massacre — the deadliest mass shooting event in the United States that killed 58 people — was part of a massive conspiracy to enact gun control, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution report. Greene walked back her comments to the AJC and said she was only expressing bewilderment.

In a statement posted on Twitter following intense backlash to some of her comments, Greene acknowledged that 17 people died in the Parkland shooting and blamed “gun free” zones at schools for the tragedy.

After live bombs were sent to Democratic politicians and CNN in October 2018, Greene repeatedly liked and agreed with multiple comments that the terrorist act was a “false flag” operation staged by Democrats.

In one little-remembered Facebook post from September 2018, Greene claimed that the mythical figure “Q” — whom Greene had previously called a “patriot” –warned of false flags for school shootings.

She then questioned if a shooting at Kennesaw State University in Georgia that killed one person was “a failed op? What about hearing voices? Mental illness? Demon possession? Or military grade intelligence developed weapons like Voice of God technology,” which refers to a government-controlled device implanted in a person’s head.

“We don’t know, but I do believe all three of those exist,” she wrote.

Greene made similar unreported comments about the “Voice of God” conspiracy on Twitter in 2018.

In her floor speech Thursday, Greene affirmed that “school shootings are absolutely real and every child that is lost, those families mourn it.”

Greene spread anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic comments and conspiracies

On and offline, Greene frequently engaged with extreme anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Some of the targets of her comments included her future colleagues in the House of Representatives, like Tlaib and Omar, and Obama, who Greene falsely said is Muslim.

“These are women that really would like to see Sharia in America,” Greene said in one since-deleted Facebook video, captured by CNN. Sharia refers to Islamic law, which is interpreted from the religious text of the Quran, and encompasses marriage, divorce, inheritance and punishments for criminal offenses.

“And as an American woman, as a business owner, as a mother, I have two daughters — I never want to see Sharia in America. And so I really want to go talk to these ladies and ask them what they are thinking and why they’re serving in our American government. They really should go back to the Middle East if they support Sharia. So let’s go talk to them. Definitely want to go talk to them.”

In a 2018 Facebook comment, captured by CNN, Greene responded “truth,” to a comment comparing Obama to terrorist Osama bin Laden. The comment came in response to a post where Greene said the Obama presidency was “flooding our country and government with Muslims that don’t like our American ways!!!!!”

In another video from 2019, saved by CNN’s KFile, Greene spoke about going into Omar’s and Tlaib’s offices and saying all Muslims want to take away women’s rights.

“Did you see the part where we went into Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib’s office?” Greene said. “I was like, so are you going to make me live under Sharia law? And I’m an American woman. Are you going to take away my equal rights?”

“They would in a heartbeat,” responds another rally participant.

“Yeah,” Greene responded. “They all, all, all Muslims. That’s the goal of Islam. The goal of Islam is Sharia, and they want to conquer. They want to conquer America and we’re not going to do it.”

Greene directed anti-Muslim rhetoric at the American Muslim Women Political Action Committee in 2018.

“Wtf is their mission??? To make sure every women is dominated by Islam, is covered in sheets, loses our freedoms, and has to have our vaginas mutilated???,” she wrote in 2018 on Facebook. Greene then liked a comment that the PAC was an “invasion” of our government. In another instance, Greene liked a comment saying “We don’t need gun control! We need Muslim control!”

In 2018, she liked a tweet from an account that pushes anti-Semitic conspiracies suggesting intelligence services for the nation of Israel killed President John F. Kennedy. In another post from 2018, Greene wrote a theory that the deadly wildfires in California that year were caused by a laser from space, possibly controlled by the Rothschild investment bank. The Rothschilds are frequent targets of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Greene has also called Soros, the Democratic donor and philanthropist, a “Nazi” and peddled a conspiracy that Soros is a Jew who “turned in his own people over to the Nazis”; Soros is a Holocaust survivor.

This story has been updated to reflect the House’s vote to remove Greene from her committee assignments.



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N.J. weather: Winter storm warnings issued with heavy wind-driven snow, dangerous driving conditions expected

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The National Weather Service has upgraded its winter storm watches to winter storm warnings in advance of a slow-moving coastal storm that could dump more than a foot of snow on much of New Jersey and bring fierce winds that could trigger flooding along the Shore and make driving difficult.

The warnings advise drivers that dangerous road conditions are likely late Sunday night and through much of the day on Monday as the snow gets heavy and strong gusty winds cause blowing snow that will reduce visibility.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the storm warnings say, noting the heaviest snow and strongest winds could impact the morning or evening commutes on Monday.

Here’s a breakdown of the storm warnings, watches and advisories issued so far in New Jersey, and what times they will be effective:

Winter storm warnings

Camden County

  • Effective: 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Tuesday
  • Forecast: Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph.

Gloucester and Salem counties

  • Effective: 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Tuesday
  • Forecast: Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet accumulations of 7 to 13 inches, along with a light glaze of ice and winds gusting as high as 40 mph.

Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean counties

  • Effective: 1 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Tuesday
  • Forecast: Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 7 to 13 inches, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph

Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Warren

  • Effective: 5 p.m. Sunday to 1 p.m. Tuesday.
  • Forecast: Heavy snow expected, with total snow accumulations of 11 to 15 inches and winds gusting as high as 35 mph.

Winter weather advisories

Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties

  • Effective: 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Tuesday
  • Forecast: Snow expected, with total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches and winds gusting as high as 50 mph.

Coastal Ocean County

  • Effective: 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Tuesday
  • Forecast: Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches and winds gusting as high as 55 mph.

Winter storm watch

A winter storm watch is in effect at midnight Monday (late Sunday night) and continues through 6 a.m. Tuesday in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. Heavy snow is possible, with snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, and winds gusting as high as 45 mph.

This is the latest snow forecast for most of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, updated by the National Weather Service Saturday afternoon.National Weather Service

Updated snow forecast map for parts of N.J.

In an updated forecast map issued late Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office increased its snowfall projections in some counties and lowered them in others. Among the notable changes from the morning map to the new map:

  • Early projections of 8 to 12 inches of snow have been boosted to 12 to 18 inches in several counties, including Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Morris.
  • Early projections of 6 to 8 inches of snow have been upped to 8 to 12 inches in Sussex and Warren.
  • Early projections in the Vineland area of Cumberland County went down slightly, from 6 to 8 inches of snow to 4 to 6 inches.
  • Early projections in the Toms River area of Ocean County went down, from 6 to 8 inches to 3 to 4.

Costal flood watch

  • A coastal flood watch has been issued in coastal Ocean, eastern Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean, southeastern Burlington and western Monmouth, effective from 7 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Tuesday. The watch says 1 to 2 feet of inundation above ground level is possible in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways
  • A coastal flood watch has been issued in coastal sections of Atlantic and Cape May, effective from 7 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Tuesday.

With these types of levels, “widespread roadway flooding occurs in coastal and bayside communities and along inland tidal waterways. Many roads become impassable. Some damage to vulnerable structures may begin to occur.”

Live weather radar

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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Health

New York Times: The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed dangerous, drug-resistant pathogens to flourish

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According to a report from the New York Times, one of the many consequences of our response to the novel coronavirus pandemic might well be the emergence of dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria and fungi.

The report notes that a number of different pathogens, which are considered to be highly dangerous, have been resurgent as hospitals have scrambled to meet the challenges of the pandemic. Of specific concern is the fungus candida auris, which has been described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a “global health threat.”

Candida auris is extremely difficult to detect and is highly resistant to drugs. According to the report, there are now about 250 confirmed cases in Los Angeles County alone, whereas before the pandemic there were only a “handful” of cases.

Other pathogens noted to be on the rise in the article include the potentially fatal Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, which is called an “urgent health threat” by the CDC.

The report notes that a number of factors may have contributed to the spread of these other, drug-resistant pathogens.

First, during the early stages of the pandemic, a number of facilities were forced to reuse protective equipment that was in short supply at the time. Second, the laser-like focus on testing for COVID-19 has hampered the ability of medical providers to adequately test and screen for these pathogens.

Third, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the use of ventilators, which are known collectors of dangerous pathogens, particularly for long-term patients. And fourth, the strain on the medical system may have led to a breakdown in “infection control” for pathogens like C. auris, because medical personnel are focused on COVID-19 protocols to the exclusion of sanitation measures that were implemented to halt the spread of the fungus in 2019.

Also, we may not yet know the extent of the spread of many of these pathogens because screening for them remains virtually halted due to the emergency presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Health

US Coronavirus: Now that new Covid-19 variants are circulating everyday activities are more dangerous, expert says

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“We’ve seen what happens in other countries that have actually had coronavirus under relatively good control, then these variants took over and they had explosive spread of the virus, and then overwhelmed hospitals,” emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

“If there is something more contagious among us, if we thought that going to the grocery store before was relatively safe, there’s actually a higher likelihood of contracting coronavirus through those every day activities,” she said.

“Wearing an even better mask, reducing the number of times that we have to go out shopping, or in indoor crowded settings, all of that will be helpful,” Wen added.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC Monday wearing two masks is likely more effective in stopping the spread of the virus.

“If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” he said.

Send us your questions for President Biden’s Covid-19 team

Moderna says its vaccine protects against some variants

The good news, Fauci told CNN in a separate interview Monday, is that current Covid-19 vaccines are likely to be effective against the new variants.

“The sobering news,” he added, “(is) as you get more and more replication, you can get more and more of evolution of mutants, which means you always got to be a step ahead of it.”

Moderna said Monday its vaccine created antibodies that neutralized Covid-19 variants first found in the UK and South Africa. There are concerns the vaccine may have a somewhat decreased efficacy against the strain first spotted in South Africa, and the company is working on a booster shot aimed at fighting it.

But as Covid-19 evolves, it will be important to prove “time and time again” that vaccines provide protection against new strains, Moderna president Dr. Stephen Hoge said during a panel Monday.

“Until we’ve got this thing sort of fully suppressed and in control, and people are broadly vaccinated or seropositive and protected against it, it’s going to be an ongoing battle for the next couple of years,” he said.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is currently being tested in South Africa, the US and Brazil, and those results could provide insight into how well it works against emerging variants, one of its developers said. The company has said it could share its Phase 3 vaccine trial data as early as this week.

“If we see the efficacy results … it’ll give us insights not only into whether or not this vaccine candidate is effective, but it’ll also give us insights into whether or not the variants that are circulating in South Africa might be a problem for vaccines,” Dr. Dan Barouch, a Harvard Medical School professor, told CNN.

6% of the US population has gotten a Covid-19 shot

So far, about 19 million people — nearly 6% of the US population — have received at least the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. More than 3.3 million are fully vaccinated.
The numbers are a far cry from where some officials hoped the US would be by now, but President Joe Biden said Monday he is hopeful the country could soon be administering 1.5 million vaccines daily. That’s about a 50% faster pace than the goal of a million doses per day he’s promised since before inauguration.

A White House official told CNN the administration’s official goal remains getting 100 million shots administered in the President’s first 100 days in office.

Across the country, health leaders and state officials have been working to enhance their vaccination strategies and boost the number of shots going into arms.

CVS will begin offering on-site vaccinations at more than 270 locations across 11 states in February, Dr. David Fairchild, associate chief medical officer at CVS Health, said Monday.

“We’re definitely prepared and want to play a large role in helping to get the vaccine out there,” he added. “Our internal goal is to have a capacity to perform 25 million shots a month or more.”

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice debuted a new online pre-registration system Monday, which allows residents to pre-register to receive a vaccine. Since the system’s launch Monday morning, more than 32,000 residents had scheduled a vaccine appointment, the governor said. That will work alongside an existing hotline that residents can call and pre-register.

Illinois announced it was entering its next stage of vaccinations Monday, opening guidelines to people 65 and older and frontline essential workers including teachers, first responders and grocery workers. The governor added as more doses become available, more mass vaccination sites will open up

Chicago will target 15 “high-need communities based on the City’s COVID vulnerability index,” the mayor’s office said in a news release. The initiative will include “strike teams” that will reach to “those who may be disconnected from more traditional vaccine administration channels,” it said.

“Our city is two-thirds people of color,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a news briefing. “Yet we are falling woefully behind in the number of people of color who’ve been vaccinated today.”

Lightfoot said that of the nearly 108,000 residents who have received their first vaccine dose, only 17% are Latino and about 15% are Black.

Supply still limited

But many states are still struggling with supply.

Kentucky has used about 88% of their first doses so far, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday, and called on the federal government to send more supply.

Beshear told reporters the state reached an all-time high vaccination rate last week with more than 82,500 doses administered, but highlighted the state could be in the range of 250,000 doses weekly if the supply was there.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also renewed a call for more vaccines as the state continues to exhaust the supply allocated by the federal government.

“I continue to urge our federal partners and the new Biden administration in Washington to ramp up vaccine distribution right away,” Polis said in a statement. “Colorado is ready to immediately use three to four times as many vaccines as we are currently getting each week right away.”

The state has so far administered more than 458,400 shots, more than 82,600 of which are second doses.

“The sooner Colorado gets more vaccines, the quicker we can get them into arms, and the faster we can help our small businesses and economy build back stronger,” the governor said. “We’re ready and welcome renewed federal assistance to get the job done.”

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Chris Boyette, Taylor Romine, Gisela Crespo, Omar Jimenez, Amanda Sealy, Andrea Diaz, Leslie Perrot, Maggie Fox and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

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Business

Goldman Sachs warns of a dangerous bubble in these 39 hot stocks

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TipRanks

3 Top Dividend Stocks With Growth Opportunity; Goldman Sachs Says ‘Buy’

Investing is all about finding profits, and investors have long seen two main paths toward that goal. Growth stocks, equities that will give a return based mainly on share price appreciation, are one route. The second route lies through dividend stocks. These are stocks that pay out a percentage of profits back to shareholders – a dividend, usually sent out quarterly. The payments vary widely, from less than 1% to more than 10%, but the average, among stocks listed on the S&P 500, is about 2%. Dividends are a nice addition for a patient investor, as they provide a steady income stream. Goldman Sachs analyst Caitlin Burrows has been looking into the real estate trust segment, a group of stocks long-known for dividends that are both high and reliable – and she sees plenty of reason to expect strong growth in three stocks in particular. Running the trio through TipRanks’ database, we learned that all three have been cheered by the rest of the Street as well, as they boast a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus. Broadstone Net Lease (BNL) First up, Broadstone Net Lease, is an established REIT that went public this past September in an IPO that raised over $533 million. The company put 33.5 million shares on the market, followed by another 5 million-plus picked up by the underwriters. It was considered a successful opening, and BNL now boasts a market cap over $2.63 billion. Broadstone’s portfolio includes 628 properties across 41 US states plus the Canadian province of British Columbia. These properties host 182 tenants and are worth an aggregate of $4 billion. The best feature here is the long-term nature of the leases – the weighted average remaining lease is 10.8 years. During the third quarter, the most recent with full financials available, BNL reported a net income of $9.7 million, or 8 cents per share. The income came mainly from rents, and the company reported collecting 97.9% of rents due during the quarter. Looking ahead, the company expects $100.3 million in property acquisitions during Q4, and an increased rent collection rate of 98.8%. Broadstone’s income and high rent collections are supporting a dividend of 25 cents per common share, or $1 annually. It’s a payment affordable for the company, and offering investors a yield of 5.5%. Goldman’s Burrows sees the company’s acquisition moves as the most important factor here. “Accretive acquisitions are the key earnings driver for Broadstone… While management halted acquisitions following COVID-induced market uncertainty (BNL did not complete any acquisitions in 1H20) and ahead of its IPO, we are confident acquisitions will ramp up in 2021, and saw the beginning of this with 4Q20 activity… We estimate that BNL achieves a positive investment spread of 1.8%, leading to 0.8% of earnings growth (on 2021E FFO) for every $100mn of acquisitions (or 4.2% on our 2021E acquisition volumes),” Burrows opined. To this end, Burrows rates BNL a Buy, and her $23 price target implies an upside of ~27% for the year ahead. (To watch Burrow’s track record, click here) Wall Street generally agrees with Burrows on Broadstone, as shown by the 3 positive reviews the stock has garnered in recent weeks. These are the only reviews on file, making the analyst consensus rating a unanimous Strong Buy. The shares are currently priced at $18.16, and the average price target of $21.33 suggests a one-year upside of ~17%. (See BNL stock analysis on TipRanks) Realty Income Corporation (O) Realty Income is a major player in the REIT field. The company holds a portfolio worth more than $20 billion, with more than 6,500 properties located in 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the UK. Annual revenue exceeded $1.48 billion in fiscal year 2019 (the last with complete data), and has kept up a monthly dividend for 12 years. Looking at current data, we find that O posted 7 cents per share income in 3Q20, along with $403 million in total revenue. The company collected 93.1% of its contracted rents in the quarter. While relatively low, a drill-down to the monthly values shows that rent collection rates have been increasing since July. As noted, O pays out a monthly dividend, and has done so regularly since listing publicly in 1994. The company raised its payout in September 2020, marking the 108th increase during that time. The current payment is 23.45 cents per common share, which annualizes to $2.81 cents – and gives a yield of 4.7%. Based on the above, Burrows put this stock on her Americas Conviction List, with a Buy rating and a $79 price target for the next 12 months. This target implies a 32% upside from current levels. Backing her stance, Burrows noted, “We estimate 5.3% FFO growth per year over 2020E-2022E, versus an average of 3.1% fo rour full REIT coverage. We expect key earnings drivers will include a continued recovery in acquisition volumes and a gradual improvement in theater rents (in 2022).” The analyst added, “We assume O makes $2.8 billion of acquisitions in each of 2021 and 2022, versus the consensus expectation of $2.3 billion. [We] believe our acquisition volume assumptions could in fact turn out to be conservative as, eight days into 2021, the company has already made or agreed to make $807.5 mn of acquisitions (or 29% of our estimate for 2021).” Overall, Wall Street takes a bullish stance on Realty Income shares. 5 Buys and 1 Hold issued over the previous three months make the stock a Strong Buy. Meanwhile, the $69.80 average price target suggests ~17% upside from the current share price. (See O stock analysis on TipRanks) Essential Properties Realty Trust (EPRT) Last up, Essential Properties, owns and manages a portfolio of single-tenant commercial properties across the US. There are 214 tenants across more than 1000 properties in 16 industries, including car washes, convenience stores, medical services, and restaurants. Essential Properties boasts a high occupancy rate of 99.4% for its properties. In 3Q20, the company saw revenue increase of 18.2% year-over-year, reaching $42.9 million. Essential Properties finished the quarter with an impressive $589.4 million in available liquidity, including cash, cash equivalents, and available credit. The strong cash position and rising revenues had the company confident enough to raise the dividend in going into Q4. The new dividend payment is 24 cents per common share, up 4.3% from the previous payment. The current rate annualizes to 96 cents, and gives a yield of 4.6%. The company has been raising its dividend regularly for the past two years. In her review for Goldman, Burrows focuses on the recovery that Essential Properties has made since the height of the COVID panic last year. “When shelter in place mandates went into effect in early 2020, only 71% of EPRT’s properties were open (completely or on a limited basis). This situation has improved in the intervening months and now just 1% of EPRT’s portfolio is closed… We expect EPRT’s future earnings growth to be driven by acquisition accretion and estimate 2.8% potential earnings growth from $100 mn of acquisitions,” Burrows wrote. In line with her optimistic approach, Burrows gives EPRT shares a Buy rating, along with a $26 one-year price target, suggesting a 27% upside. All in all, EPRT has 9 recent analyst reviews, and the breakdown of 8 Buys and 1 Sell gives the stock a Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares are priced at $20.46 and have an average price target of $22.89, giving ~12% upside potential from current levels. (See EPRT stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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