NOTEWORTHY.

• Position: COVID-19 impact on the automotive industry

COVID-19 has had a drastic effect on the automotive industry: shutdowns of factories, fewer people commuting to work, and an overall shift in the landscape of transport. Car sales in 2020 dropped by six percent in China, 24% in Europe, and 14% in the U.S. However, sales of high voltage hybrids (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) all saw an increase in most regions across the globe, notes IDTechEx.

It costs roughly $5,264.58 a year to own an automobile in the U.S., points out move.org. This includes the average costs for car payments, gas, insurance, and replacement parts across every state in the country, some of which have much higher costs than others. For example, the average Michigan resident pays $9,304.28 every year for his or her vehicle, while the average Alaskan pays $3,586.95.

Dentists continue to have a lower COVID-19 infection rate than other front-line health professionals, such as nurses and physicians, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Dental Association. "High rates of pre-appointment screening of patients and appropriate infection control measures demonstrate that adhering to very strict protocols helps protect patients, the dental team, and the dentists themselves," says Marcelo Araujo, CEO of ADA'S Science and Research Institute.

"Previously, on average, about 50% of a company's data or marketing list goes bad every two years, but there's been a massive acceleration in data turnover due to COVID," says Sky Cassidy, CEO of MountainTop Data. "We don't know the exact rate of data decay yet because it's still so volatile--but it went through the roof due to the virus. Not only have people lost their jobs, but companies have changed locations, restructured, or employees are working remotely. All of this degrades the usefulness of direct marketing data."

The COVID pandemic...