And another day of long Covid, Covid-related cognitive impairment, appalling videos from Ukraine, monkeypox stigma, forest fires out West and in France and Portugal, UPS drivers battling heat, and the loss of two legends comes to a close:
“Forget the theatrics. Republicans used Trump, the culture & race rage, resentment and Kremlin-aiding divisiveness he gleefully stoked to get the two things they wanted: a 6-3 corporate-serving SCOTUS (with a Christian fanatical right payoff) and tax cuts for billionaires. Period.” — Joy-Ann Reid
“Every time a Republican shows you who they are, you should believe them.” — Tea Pain
Deaths
US: 1,055,059
World: 6,419,833
Cases
US: 93,082,195
World: 582,173,485
Millions of Americans have long COVID. Many of them are no longer working. Now, millions of people may be sidelined from their jobs due to long COVID. Katie Bach, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, drew on survey data from the Census Bureau, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and the Lancet to come up with what she says is a conservative estimate: 4 million full-time equivalent workers out of work because of long COVID. "That is just a shocking number," says Bach. "That's 2.4% of the U.S. working population." The Biden administration has already taken some steps to try to protect workers and keep them on the job, issuing guidance that makes clear that long COVID can be a disability and relevant laws would apply. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, employers must offer accommodations to workers with disabilities unless doing so presents an undue burden.
New findings suggest there might be a connection between Covid-related loss of smell and cognitive impairment, but experts say more research is needed. Previous research has found that some Covid patients go on to develop cognitive impairment after their infection. In the new study — which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal — researchers in Argentina found that loss of smell during Covid may be a stronger predictor of cognitive decline, regardless of severity of disease. “Our data strongly suggest that adults over 60 years of age are more vulnerable to cognitive impairment post-Covid if they had a smell dysfunction, regardless of the severity of the Covid,” said study co-author Gabriela Gonzalez-Aleman, a professor at Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina in Buenos Aires, adding that it’s too soon to tell if the cognitive impairment is permanent.
Appalling' videos alleged to show Russian soldiers castrating a Ukrainian soldier. The video that appears to come first shows the victim being gagged surrounded by at least four men, one of whom is wearing what looks like a Russian uniform with the "Z" insignia associated with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A second video shows the same man writhing on the ground as a man wearing blue surgical gloves and what appears to be a Russian uniform cuts off the victim's underwear with a box cutter. The man uses the same box cutter to castrate him, then holds the mutilated genitals up for the camera. In the video, the perpetrators can be heard saying "hold him, hold him" in Russian. The third video shows the bound and mutilated man being shot in the head and dragged away.
Indiana Senate narrowly passes near-total abortion ban. Indiana state senators narrowly passed a near-total abortion ban Saturday during a rare weekend session, sending the bill to the House after a contentious week of arguments over whether to allow exceptions for rape and incest. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 26-20 after about three hours of debate, passing the bill with the minimum 26 votes needed to send it on to the House, which Republicans also control.
New York City declares monkeypox a public health emergency. Officials in New York City declared a public health emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus Saturday, calling the city “the epicenter” of the outbreak.
Spain reports second death related to monkeypox. According to a World Health Organization report from 22 July, only five deaths had been reported, all in Africa. The WHO last Saturday declared the rapidly spreading outbreak a global health emergency, its highest level of alert.
Health officials fight monkeypox stigma as virus spreads. "Whenever anybody gets sick -- even if it's COVID -- half the time, people don't want to tell because sometimes it feels like a moral failure," Hall told ABC News in an interview. "We've stigmatized these things in so many ways that if you get sick, that you somehow have failed morally. I think people are scared to admit that." "It's a system problem rather than an individual problem," Hall added.
Wildfires in West explode in size amid hot, windy conditions. Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was spreading.
Western flames spread, California sees its largest 2022 fire. Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for additional fire growth Sunday as they sought to protect remote communities.
Portugal, France battle big forest fires as mercury soars. Experts blame climate change for the soaring temperatures -- and warn that worse is yet to come.
Smoking, vaping increases risk of death from COVID, study finds. People who reported use of tobacco products prior to their hospitalization were 39% more likely to be put on mechanical ventilation than non-smokers. What's more, they were 45% more likely to die.
‘Sending drivers out to die’: UPS workers demand heat safety amid record temps. Union representatives around the country say they’re worried about the number of UPS workers who have needed medical treatment for heat illness this summer.
Call to raise school start age in Scotland to six. The move would bring Scotland into line with countries such as Finland, where formal education starts at seven.
RIP Nichelle Nichols. She was 89.
RIP Bill Russell. He was 88.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
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