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Two researchers hope to use cannabis to ‘temporarily close the doors’ on coronavirus

By Tommy Flemm 1 year ago

Canadian researchers Olga and Igor Kovalchuk have been developing and testing novel cannabis strains for years, mostly to examine the strains’ efficacy to combat cancer and inflammation.

Now, they’ve turned their focus to COVID-19, after preclinical research showed their strains might make it more difficult for the virus to enter human cells.

As the pandemic began to unfold, and lockdown orders went into place, Olga Kovalchuk and her husband Igor wondered how their cannabis strains might interact with COVID-19. “Let’s take a look whether or not any of our cannabis extracts affect any of the gene proteins that may be involved in COVID-19 disease,” Kovalchuk recalled asking.

The duo suspected their extracts might affect the ACE2 receptor, a gateway through which the virus enters and threatens human cells. “We looked through the literature and said ‘this looks very similar to SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome], so it probably enters in

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OpenTable CEO says 25% of America’s restaurants will close for good due to coronavirus

By Tommy Flemm 1 year ago

As the world’s largest restaurant reservations platform, OpenTable has unique insight into the recovery restaurants are making as economies start to open back up from coronavirus lockdowns.

Unfortunately, OpenTable data shows the tough road ahead is pointing to the grim reality that up to 25% of restaurants in the U.S. might permanently close due to the pandemic, according to OpenTable and Kayak CEO Steve Hafner.

“Twenty-five percent [of restaurants closing] is still what we’re projecting,” he told Yahoo Finance’s YFi PM, reaffirming his company’s dire projection from back in May despite a recent uptick in restaurant reservations. “Even in the best of times, restaurants operate on really thin margins. So if you add on capacity restrictions, new safety and service protocols, it’s really tough for a restaurant to make it.”

OpenTable data, which comes from a fraction of the nearly 60,000 restaurants around the globe, shows a modest recovery for

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Apple to close retail stores in 4 states amid coronavirus spikes

By Tommy Flemm 1 year ago

Apple (AAPL) is temporarily shuttering stores again in U.S. states where COVID-19 cases have been spiking in recent weeks. The company confirmed the move to Yahoo Finance via an emailed statement saying that the company is closing its retail stores beginning June 20 out of an abundance of caution.

The stores to be closed are in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, four states that are seeing the highest seven-day average of new coronavirus infections since the pandemic took root in the U.S.

“Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas,” Apple said in a statement provided to Yahoo Finance.

“We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible.”

Apple shut all of its stores across

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Walmart stores suffer damage from George Floyd protests and looting — several hundred forced to close early

By Tommy Flemm 1 year ago

Walmart (WMT) joins a growing list of retailers whose stores have been vandalized and looted amidst the George Floyd protests sweeping the U.S.

A Walmart spokesperson told Yahoo Finance that 12 stores across the country have sustained damage from the violence (seen below, as an example). Several “hotspots” for the store damage include Minnesota and Dallas, says the spokesperson. Walmart operates more than 5,300 stores in the U.S., including 81 in Minnesota where the protests have been the most intense following the death of Floyd at the hands of a police officer.

The conditions on the ground at some stores led Walmart to close more than 200 stores about one hour early on Sunday, the spokesperson added, so employees could return home safely. The majority of these stores are slated to reopen on Monday, provided it’s safe to do so.

Walmart rival Target has also been hit hard by protests

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George Floyd protests, looting lead Target to temporarily close and adjust hours at 200 stores

By Tommy Flemm 1 year ago

Target (TGT) has taken action to protect its workers and merchandise as civil unrest related to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police sweeps across the country, which has in some instances led to looting of retail stores.

The discount retailer closed or adjusted hours at 200 stores over the weekend, a spokesperson told Yahoo Finance via email. Target operates 1,900 stores across the U.S, including 73 in Minnesota.

Target’s decision comes in light of its own stores in its hometown of Minneapolis being targeted by protesters for looting or vandalism. In one video that has gone viral on Twitter, a female in a wheelchair (seen below) was attacked by protestors looting a Minneapolis Target store. Other videos of Target locations being looted also continued to pop up on Twitter during the weekend.

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