For most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all. But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed “long COVID”.

Featured: Interview of Mattieu Rouot, CEO, MAXIS GBN – Severe COVID May Be Caused by Autoantibodies – Long COVID, Who Is at Risk? – Outsmarting COVID-19 Fears

In the January 2021 issue: Featured: Interview of Mattieu Rouot, CEO, MAXIS Global Benefits Network Severe COVID May Be Caused by Autoantibodies – Rebecca Aicheler Long COVID – Who Is at Risk? – Frances Williams Outsmarting COVID-19 Fears – Laurel Mellin

International employee benefits network IGP in December 2020 announced the launch of its “Virtual Training Series” to be held in the first half of 2021. The series of six webinars will be repeated in different time zones and will be available in English, German and/or French. January 21, 2021: Trends & Development of the International Employee Benefits Market February 18, 2021: Introduction to IGP Pooling March 18, 2021: Introduction

International employee benefits network MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in January 2021 announced it had selected ICAS World, a London, UK-based employee assistance programme (EAP) platform, as a global provider of counselling support and assistance. As part of the MAXIS Global Wellness solution, multinational clients will be able to choose to work with ICAS World, giving their employees access to counselling and work-life services including legal and financial

Allianz Global Benefits (AGB), the employee benefits network of Allianz Group, in December 2020 announced the appointment of Frank Forster as Managing Director and Chief Transformation Officer. According to the company, “Forster’s responsibility will include introducing new digital offerings to meet the growing demand of multinational corporate clients while implementing AGB’s holistic business model, organized as an employee benefits platform, to simplify and digitize the business.” In a statement,

Over the past nine months, the word “uncertainty” has cropped up time and time again across the news and social media worldwide. The pandemic has created uncertainty in nearly every aspect of daily life. This is not only down to worries over exposure to COVID-19 and access to medical care, but also concerns about the stability of the economy, job security, the availability of food and household supplies – and even when to book a holiday. We have needed to adjust and readjust our behaviour continually in response to changing risks and government guidelines.

In our daily life, we unfortunately have become used to seeing images of tumors and melanomas. You may have noticed that they’re are not entirely symmetric. This asymmetry is useful to doctors in their diagnoses, but why are they asymmetric?

As the weather cools, the number of infections of the COVID-19 pandemic are rising sharply. Hamstrung by pandemic fatigue, economic constraints and political discord, public health officials have struggled to control the surging pandemic. But now, a rush of interim analyses from pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have spurred optimism that a novel type of vaccine made from messenger RNA, known as mRNA, can offer high levels of protection by preventing COVID-19 among people who are vaccinated.

Paolo Lippi is the founder of consulting firm, LongueVue Analytics. Global Benefits Vision: Tell us about yourself – your career to date in a nutshell.

The role of compensation and benefits manager in charge of a company’s pension plan has always required multiple skills. Not only must you know about the pension scheme itself, you also must be an honorary actuary and an expert in finance, accountancy, and tax.

The European Pension System: State of Play – Q&A with Paolo Lippi – mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 – Mathematical modeling of tumors – COVID-19, Coping with Uncertainty

In the December 2020 issue The European Pension System: State of Play – Paolo Lippi Q&A with Paolo Lippi mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 – Sanjay Mishra Mathematical modeling of tumors – Nikita Simonov COVID-19, Coping with Uncertainty – Jayne Morriss

Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) and San-Francisco, California-based Sensely in December 2020 announced a strategic partnership to advance patient interactions through Artificial Intelligence and provide access to Virtual Health Assistants (digitized interactive ‘human-like’ characters or avatars) that respond to voice and onscreen commands through a multi-functional, cloud-based platform. This strategic partnership brings together GEB’s leading network capabilities in the corporate sector and local market knowledge in over 118 countries with

U.S.-based Insured Nomads in October 2020 appointed Allen Koski as President and Chief Innovation Officer, to provide the insights necessary for the company to grow into new markets and unique client segments.. Insured Nomads is an insurtech focused on the healthcare needs of expatriates, remote workers and business travelers.

Insurance and Propagation in Village Networks, NBER working paper: non-insured events have a lasting impact on the entire supply chain.

Andreana Drencheva, Kristin Hildenbrand and Mike Duffy Jr. Through choice or by necessity, some of us are becoming self-employed for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from multiple countries suggests that self-employed workers are one of the groups hardest hit by the pandemic. Support offered by governments varies. Yet, for some, self-employment may represent the only way of earning a living and remaining active in the labour

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the obesity epidemic once again into the spotlight, revealing that obesity is no longer a disease that harms just in the long run but one that can have acutely devastating effects. New studies and information confirm doctors’ suspicion that this virus takes advantage of a disease that our current U.S. health care system is unable to get under control.

Modern businesses understand that when they recognise their employees, business performance improves. Recognition is one of the most basic ways to strengthen the employer-employee relationship, but many companies only recognise employees in an ad hoc way. Recognising employees in a consistent, frequent and meaningful way ultimately boosts both productivity and the bottom line.

Social Recognition for Employee Engagement: Q&A with Achievers – Obesity Harms the Body in Real Time – Self-Employed? How to Protect Your Wellbeing

In the November 2020 issue Social Recognition for Employee Engagement: Q&A with Achievers – Jon Maddison Obesity Harms the Body in Real Time – Cate Varney Self-Employed? How to Protect Your Wellbeing – Andreana Drencheva, Kristin Hildenbrand, Mike Duffy Jr.

According to Swiss Re, global insurance markets are set to rebound in 2021 with China leading recovery.

Swiss Re report advises employers reopening public spaces on reducing the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Direct primary care provider Paladina Health in November 2020 changed its name to Everside Health

Mercer appointed Norman Dreger as its new CEO in Germany

According to UNCTAD, global FDI flows fell 49% in the first half of 2020 compared to 2019, due to the economic fallout from COVID-19

Direct primary care provider Paladina Health hired Samie Moore for the newly created position of Senior Vice President, National Accounts, Healthcare Strategy, Benefits & Innovation