Health

A third of COVID survivors suffer mental, neurological problems

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A third of coronavirus patients were found to suffer from psychiatric or brain problems within six months of their COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a study published Tuesday.

Researchers analyzed the health records of 236,379 COVID patients, mostly from the US, and found that 34 percent had been diagnosed with neurological or psychiatric disorders six months on.

About one in eight of the patients, or 12.8 percent, were diagnosed for the first time with such an illness, the study showed.

Anxiety, at 17 percent, and depression or mood disorders, at 14 percent, were the most common diagnoses, according to the research.

Instances of post-COVID cases of stroke, dementia and other neurological disorders were rarer, but still significant — especially in people who had been seriously ill with the virus, the scientists said.

A nurse tends to a Covid-19 patient in the Intensive Care Unit at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, California on January 11, 2021.
ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP via Getty Images

Among those who had been admitted to intensive care with the coronavirus, 7 percent had a stroke within six months. Almost 2 percent were diagnosed with dementia, the study found.

The disorders were significantly more common in COVID patients than in comparison groups of people who recovered from flu or other respiratory infections over the same time period.

Doctor Neil Hecht and his wife Mindy Cross are seen being treated on January 3, 2021. They will recover at home after after battling Covid-19 for twelve days at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in California.
APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images

“Our results indicate that brain diseases and psychiatric disorders are more common after COVID-19 than after flu or other respiratory infections,” said Max Taquet, a psychiatrist at Britain’s Oxford University, who co-led the work.

The study, published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, wasn’t able to determine how the virus is linked to psychiatric conditions, Taquet said — adding that urgent research is needed to identify the mechanisms involved.

Daniel Kim talks to staff before his release from St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, CA on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.
Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The researchers also suggested that the pandemic could bring a wave of mental and neurological problems.

“Although the individual risks for most disorders are small, the effect across the whole population may be substantial,” said Paul Harrison, an Oxford psychiatry professor who co-led the work.

With Post wires

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Sports

Great expectations for Cincinnati Reds after 14-1 win over Pirates

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This sure is fun, isn’t it?

It was another day with impressive hitting in run-producing situations and for power, as the Cincinnati Reds won their fourth in a row and fourth out of five games out of the gate.

Some in Redleg Nation and beyond will cite small sample size before being willing to consider that this might be the start of something big. I will certainly admit that it’s too early to say anything other than maybe all of last year’s bad BABIP luck is reversing itself in less than a week’s time. It’s also very fair to suggest that for at least the past two days, they have been playing against essentially a Class AAAA team.

For the sake of discussion, let’s say that what we’re seeing in early 2021 is much more representative of this team’s offensive capabilities than what we witnessed in 2020. This team, if it continues to play well this year and beyond, has the potential of a young core that can be a factor for several years.

Including this season, this is how many years the Reds have members of the current major league roster under team control:

6: Jonathan India, Tyler Stephenson

5: Tejay Antone, Aristides Aquino, Alex Blandino, Cionel Perez, Sal Romano, Nick Senzel

4: Jose DeLeon, Carson Fulmer, Jeff Hoffman, Lucas Sims

3: Luis Castillo, Amir Garrett, Tyler Mahle, Jesse Winker

2: Tyler Naquin

And that doesn’t include future hoped-for reinforcements such as pitchers Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo and shortstop Jose Garcia.

Clearly, in the spirit of small sample size, there might be some names on the list above that are not quite as shiny in a week or two. But if you believe there is a core here of a good team with a contending window of several seasons, then the numbers above could add up to some great expectations.

The Offense

It started early and really never stopped.

Naquin batted 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and seven knocked in for one of the best Cincinnati batting lines this side of Scooter Gennett. His seven RBIs are the most ever for a Reds leadoff hitter. And he leads the National League with nine RBI.

Other three-hit performers were Senzel, India and Tucker Barnhart.

The Pitching

Lefthander Wade Miley showed what Reds fans were hoping for a year ago, six innings of shutout pitching.

Notes Worth Noting

Since 1895, no Cincinnati Reds team has scored as many as the 46 runs this team scored in its first five 2021 games. Fourteen runs were the most scored by Cincinnati since mid-2019.

The 13-run margin of victory was Cincinnati’s largest at home over Pittsburgh since 1926.

Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds

Wednesday, April 7, 12:35 pm ET

Chad Kuhl (3.00 ERA, 0-0) vs Luis Castillo (21.60 ERA, 0-1)



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US

Chase: Authorities in pursuit of murder suspect in SoCal

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ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) — A murder suspect is leading authorities on a dangerous chase across Riverside and Los Angeles counties Tuesday evening.

AIR7 HD was over the chase around 6 p.m. as the driver in a black pickup truck was going at high speeds on the 60 Freeway.

The suspect moved into the east San Gabriel Valley area and was driving over 75 mph with multiple officers behind.

Riverside County deputies and California Highway Patrol units were in pursuit.

At one point, the driver weaved dangerously past several cars on the freeway. When the pursuit transitioned onto surface streets, the suspect turned into oncoming traffic and narrowly avoided crashing.

It was unclear if any other person was inside the truck.

DEVELOPING: We will add more details to this report as they become available.

Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Business

High-Ranking Researcher Resigns From Google Artificial Intelligence Team

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Google in February fired Mitchell, a lead researcher, following a controversy.

New York:

Google on Tuesday confirmed a leader of its artificial intelligence team has resigned in a departure that comes after the controversial firing of two colleagues.

The internet giant declined to comment further on the resignation of Samy Bengio, who has worked at Google about four years and specialized in machine learning.

“While I am looking forward to my next challenge, there’s no doubt that leaving this wonderful team is really difficult,” Bengio wrote in a work email first cited by Bloomberg.

Bengio did not refer to Timnit Gebru or Margaret Mitchell, two former members of the team focused on ethical artificial intelligence.

Google in February fired Mitchell, a lead researcher, following controversy last year over the tech giant’s dismissal of Gebru, an outspoken diversity advocate.

Bengio expressed solidarity with Gebru in a message shared on Facebook that remained up on Tuesday.

“I have always been and will remain a strong supporter of her scientific work to make sure that AI becomes a positive force for the minoritized, as well as her generosity and tireless actions to lift the voices of the silenced ones,” Bengio said of Gebru in the post.

Mitchell had downloaded and shared company documents, according to a Google statement earlier this year to Axios, which reported that it was an effort to show discrimination in the treatment of Gebru, who was fired last year.

In December, more than 1,400 Google employees demanded that the company explain why it dismissed Gebru.

“It is sad to see this happening to the one director in the research org who was doing the right thing,” Gebru said of Bengio on Twitter.

Mitchell used Twitter to thank Bengio for supporting her and Gebru, and providing them an inclusive environment.

“But once you ‘see’ sexism and racism, staying at an organization that stands by it becomes untenable,” Mitchell said in a tweet, predicting more members of her former team at Google would quit.

“There is keen interest in responsible/ethical AI outside of Google, so people we worked with have a lot of options.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Business

Actor accused of running $227 million Ponzi scheme

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A little-known Los Angeles-based actor was reportedly arrested by the FBI on Tuesday for allegedly running an enormous Ponzi scheme where he duped investors by lying about the success of his film distribution company.

Zachary Horwitz, 34, who has had roles in small films under the name Zach Avery, is accused of cheating investors out of $227 million and using most of the funds for himself, The Los Angeles Times reported, citing federal authorities.

Horwitz allegedly enticed the investors by falsely claiming his company, 1inMM Capital LLC, had film licensing deals with Netflix, HBO and other platforms, the newspaper reported.

He also told investors his company distributed 52 films in South America, Africa and Australia, according to court records obtained by the paper, and gifted his funders bottles of pricey Johnny Walker Blue Label scotch.

The actor owes investors roughly $227 million — defaulting on 160 payments to them since 2019, the report said, citing the FBI.

Zachary Horwitz falsely claimed his film distribution company had deals with Netflix, HBO and streaming services, according to The Los Angeles Times.
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He is charged with wire fraud. At his Tuesday arraignment, Horwitz was released on $1 million bond.

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Health

Research reveals burnout among Utah women surpasses hope amid COVID-19 economic crisis

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SALT LAKE CITY — As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, new research has revealed that Utah women are experiencing burnout more than they feel hope. It comes as income decreased and hours increased in some industries.

The data from the Utah Women & Leadership Project was recently released as the pandemic has raged for more than a year and brought with it death, economic crises and mental health problems for residents.

“We need to do specific things in our communities to raise hope and bring down (feeling) burned out,” Susan Madsen, founder and director of the UWLP, explained. “Because our burnout is higher than our hope right now.”

A total of 3,542 Utah women responded to the survey, exceeding the original goal of 2,000 respondents. Tuesday’s report is the first of several upcoming briefs about the impact of the pandemic on women living in the Beehive State.

The research aims to gauge where Utah stands when compared to national trends that showed women in America have suffered from disproportionate effects of the pandemic when compared to men and been forced to leave the workforce in higher numbers as a result; the phenomenon has been dubbed the pink recession.

While Madsen did expect Utah would follow the national trends, she said it’s important to study specific areas and get information on what’s going on in local communities.

“Knowing where we’re at exactly in the state of Utah is so much better than just knowing generally what’s happening (in the country),” she explained.

While Utah has mirrored some of the same trends seen nationally, the state did stand out in other areas.

“We’re the same in a lot of ways, but we’re different in other ways,” Madsen said, pointing to the great economy the Beehive State has sustained.

The data differed across industries, showing that the percentage of women who reported a decrease in wage was the lowest for those working in construction fields at 5.1%. About 13.6% in construction said their hours increased.

Other industries were impacted inversely, with 25% of those in the hospitality and tourism industry reporting their wages decreased and 4.4% reporting their hours had increased. A total of 27% in manufacturing reported their income decreased and 12% said their hours increased.

“Since a decrease in pay and an increase in work hours could lead to more mental and emotional stress, these data were summarized together,” researchers explained in the brief.

On average, those working in food services experienced a decrease in income but an increase in working hours as well with about 26% reporting income decrease and 29% reporting an increase in hours.

“In terms of the emotions that could result from decreased income and increased work hours, the respondents indicated feeling burnout at levels that were greater than the levels of hope across industries, except for trade, transport, and utilities, where they are equal,” researchers wrote. “Utah women as a whole reported that they are burned out, and, at the same time, they have ‘some’ hope for the future.”

Child care

Many women between the ages of 30 and 49 reported they were leaving the workforce to care for children who couldn’t attend school or day care due to the pandemic. Madsen said companies tend to shy away from addressing child care issues, but noted that solving these barriers doesn’t necessarily mean building an on-site day care facility.

Even connecting employees to child care resources can help address these issues and allow women who want to work to be able to re-enter their careers.

“Successful companies are going to shake things up and they have already, and some of the best companies really are implementing these (flexible) policies,” Madsen said. “Figure out what your employees need, do some research, collect data, analyze your data, and just make changes you need to move things forward; it really isn’t rocket science, changing policies within companies can happen fairly quickly.”

Domestic abuse

The research also pointed to a disturbing discovery — 9% of women living in Utah said they had experienced domestic violence in their homes since the pandemic began. For Latino and Hispanic women, that number jumped to 11%, versus 8.7% of white women who felt the same way.

“A lot of women that are struggling the most didn’t take time to take (the survey),” Madsen added. “That’s a lot of people even in our sample, but we know that that percentage is probably much, much higher.”

The data points to a trend first reported in March 2020, when police agencies, including the Salt Lake City Police Department, said they’d seen an uptick of domestic violence-related calls in the first few weeks of coronavirus-related closures.

Connecting victims of domestic violence to the proper resources, like the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, YWCA Utah, South Valley Services, and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, is crucial to addressing these problems in the state, according to Madsen.

“We do need more resources in the state of Utah, but we have some solid foundational resources,” Madsen said. “The problem is that a lot of people in domestic violence situations actually don’t even know what to do because they don’t want to admit that’s what’s going on, they don’t want to talk about it, they don’t want to reach out. So some of the people that need it the most actually need people around them to say, ‘Hey, can you read this report that actually defines what domestic violence is?’

Raising awareness of the problem itself, educating individuals about the signs of violence in the home and letting people know there are groups that help is one of the most important things the state can do to address the issue, Madsen noted.

Moving forward

Now that there’s data, what can residents of the state do? Madsen said it’s fairly simple: Implement better practices to address these issues. Companies, for example, can take the research and immediately look at how their business practices could be changed to better serve the women on their staffs, Madsen said.

“Those, to me, are conversations tomorrow,” she said. “If they got this brief, companies could have the conversations exactly about that.”

For state and local leaders, it’s important to take action and look for ways to solve the problems residents face in local areas.

Madsen said county and city leaders reached out to their group during the project to create data based on respondent’s locations in order to set a baseline of where each area is at now, with the hope of improving issues in the future. There were differences in experiences based on where women lived across Utah. For example, those living in Washington County did report slightly more hope than burnout, whereas all other counties in the state saw an increase in burnout and a decrease in hope.

Solutions like Gov. Spencer Cox’s recently implemented returnship program for adults impacted by the economic toll of the pandemic are a great way to address the problems exposed by COVID-19, she added. Cox’s executive order is aimed at removing barriers many might face as they try to re-enter the workforce after suffering from the ongoing economic constraints the pandemic.

“The goal of a returnship program is to help experienced adults re-enter the workforce without starting at the bottom of the career ladder,” Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said when the program was announced last week. “Diversity and life experience are valuable to us and shouldn’t be relevant to pay and opportunity in the workplace.”

Moving forward, implementing more of these types of programs can really help the state develop and address some of the pandemic-caused issues that could have a lasting impact on the state for the coming years, Madsen said.

“Understanding the research and the research that’s going to come and then putting those programs together, they can all work together in really moving things and changing things,” she said.

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Health

COVID-19 increase triggers new round of restrictions in Portland, Bend

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The director of the Oregon Health Authority, Patrick Allen, told OPB a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections could cause “upwards of 1000 cases a day” within the next month if people don’t alter their behavior.

The spread of contagious variants and the easing of restrictions on businesses and social gatherings have already led to an increase in COVID-19 cases locally and nationwide. Now, those rising case counts have triggered a return to tighter indoor dining capacity limits and restrictions on other businesses and personal gatherings in several of Oregon’s most populous counties.

The state moved six counties into its “high risk” category Tuesday, triggering stricter capacity limits on restaurants, bars, gyms, shops, and limiting private social gatherings to 8 people.

The affected counties include Multnomah and Clackamas in the Portland metro area, as well as the more rural counties of Deschutes (home to Bend), Klamath, Linn and Tillamook, expanding Oregon’s list of “high risk” counties to 14.

Gov. Kate Brown also announced a major change to the metrics the state uses to determine when to judge counties at “extreme risk,” which triggers an outright ban on indoor dining, among other restrictions.

That risk level will only be triggered in limited circumstances that indicate the state could be at risk of running short on hospital capacity: COVID-19 positive patients occupying 300 hospital beds or more, and a 15% increase in the seven-day average over the past week.

Three counties, Josephine, Klamath, and Tillamook, meet the state’s case and positivity rate threshold for being designated “extreme risk” but will be considered high risk instead, under the new guidelines.

The governor has described the current situation as a race between the vaccination effort and the spread of more transmissible variants of COVID-19 that have been detected across the state.

Two states with high enough case numbers to be considered “extreme risk” — Josephine and Tillamook — have among the lowest vaccination rates in the state.

Overall, Oregon’s vaccination rates aren’t yet high enough to stop the spread of COVID-19: only about one-third of Oregonians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 19% are fully vaccinated. Statewide, 76% of seniors 65 and over have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 57% are fully vaccinated, but rates vary widely across the state.

Allen warned that seniors in rural parts of Oregon where vaccination rates lag behind are particularly vulnerable as case counts, test positivity rates and hospitalizations all continue to rise.

Grant County has the lowest rate of vaccinated seniors, with just 23.6 % fully vaccinated, while the highest is Baker County at 87.7 % fully vaccinated seniors, according to the CDC.

Allen fears rates for seniors are leveling off at 50% or less in some rural areas.

“I think that there are a lot of factors, and it is a little hard to get to the bottom of that. I don’t think it’s because of the lack of access to vaccine. I think it’s a lack of concern about the disease in some cases, a perception that a lot of us have that we’re healthy and strong,” Allen said.

Oregon was among the last states in the nation to open up vaccine eligibility broadly for people 65 and up, and in many counties, a fragmented, largely online system for signing up for appointments has been difficult for older adults to navigate.

Allen says that while the demand for vaccines still outstrips the supply in the Portland metro area, that’s no longer true in parts of rural Oregon, where it takes longer for vaccination appointments to get booked up.

Statewide, the pace of vaccinations has ramped up significantly, a factor in the governor’s decision to open up vaccine eligibility to all Oregonians 16 and older on April 19, in keeping with a new deadline set by President Joe Biden.

“Our daily average seven days a week is closing in on 35,000 people. While you still get a traffic jam when you make a new group eligible, we’re powering through those traffic jams faster,” Allen said.

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Technology

Envy Gaming pledges action after Dallas Fuel’s ‘Fearless’ speaks out about racism he, teammates have experienced in Dallas

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Envy Gaming leadership is taking action after Dallas Fuel player Lee “Fearless” Eui-Seok spoke out this week about racism he and his Korean teammates say they have faced in Dallas.

Mike Rufail, the organization’s founder and Chief Gaming Officer, said Envy is looking to ramp up security and asked others to battle racism when they see it.

Rufail doesn’t often make political statements. He said it himself in the five-minute video he posted Tuesday, saying he typically sticks to gaming and esports. But this was something he had to acknowledge after Lee’s Sunday clip, which was later translated from Korean to English, discussed the hatred the Fuel were receiving “basically every day.”

“Being Asian here is terrifying,” said Lee, as translated by Florida Mayhem manager Jade “swingclip” Kim. “Seriously. People keep trying to pick fights with us.”

The video originated from Lee’s Twitch stream on Sunday and was later posted to Twitter. Kim’s translation brought more English-speaking members in the Overwatch League community to the conversation.

Reports of hate crimes against Asians in the United States have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, per The New York Times, and on March 16, there were eight people killed in Atlanta-area spas, six of whom were Asian.

Rufail wished Envy leadership knew about the incidents with Lee and the Fuel earlier so they could possibly pursue action, but was pleased with Lee’s response in his video.

“I wish he would’ve told us as soon as it happened, so maybe there were things we could do to find out who those people were and maybe there are things we could have done sooner,” Rufail said. “But at the same time I told Fearless he could always speak his mind and he could always be open publicly about his experiences.”

Rufail acknowledged that he and Envy can’t control what other people do, but are still looking at ways to ramp up security. Envy CEO Adam Rymer said on Twitter that the organization is working through options.

“We have discussed adding security, personal security. We’ve already discussed with security in our building, who will, when they are able to, will try to make sure the players are safe when they are outside and around the building,” Rufail said. “I think this will evolve a bit as we go along. We are still in the process of discussing what we can do to make them feel safe.”

In the translations of Lee’s discussion, he mentioned that this was happening to him and his teammates daily, and the lack of mask-wearing was concerning to them. People would even cough at them and shout racial slurs.

Being part of the Dallas Fuel has helped Lee and his seven Korean teammates and three Korean coaches.

“That’s why sometimes I wear my jersey around on purpose,” Lee said. “If I have my jersey on, I think they realize we’re part of some kind of team, so they don’t bother us as much. But if I have my everyday clothes on, they run up to us, harass us, then run away.”

Rufail said the Fuel players were doing all right, and that Fearless himself was “caught off guard” by the response and concern from Envy. Right now, his team is focused on its Overwatch League season debut against the Houston Outlaws on April 16.

Rufail, who said he’s experienced racist remarks in esports himself during his multi-decade career that began as a player, wants his players to feel safe.

Find more Fuel coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Find more esports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.



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Entertainment

Sharon Osbourne refutes Sheryl Underwood’s apology claims

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Well, that didn’t take long.

Sharon Osbourne is already hitting back at Sheryl Underwood’s claim Osbourne never reached out or apologized to her following their March 10 dustup on “The Talk.”

Underwood, 57, on the latest episode of her “The World According to Sheryl” podcast, revealed that she hadn’t spoken to Osbourne since the tiff, and, when asked if Osbourne had reached out, replied “No!” scrolling through her phone messages as evidence.

But Osbourne, 68, leaked receipts of her own Tuesday to the Daily Mail, sending a series of screenshots of her purported texts to Underwood and telling the site, “I not only sent these messages to Sheryl but I apologized to her in person in her dressing room. Why are you saying I never apologized Sheryl? What are you trying to do to me? Why are you trying to destroy my reputation? Just be honest. Tell me.”

“‘Sheryl, My heart is heavy and I’m deeply saddened by the events that transpired on Wednesday,” reads one screenshot provided by Osbourne, dated March 12.

“I don’t want to lose my true friend over this. Im sorry for telling you to f**k off during break, I’m sorry for accusing you of fake crying while we were live on air and I’m sorry for losing my temper with you.” 

Osbourne continued, “I felt shocked, scared and saddened by what felt like was a blind-sided attack. You know me. You know how I’ve always had your back. We’ve outlasted everyone on this show and that’s because we’ve always been a team and had each other’s backs.” 

“I consider you a genuine friend. If you want to talk on the phone over the weekend I’m here. Once again from the bottom of my heart I’m sorry. Is there anything You need from me or that I can do to help you heal? Love and respect always — Sharon.” 

A follow-up message from March 15 reads, “Hi Sheryl. I know you’re taking space and I don’t want to disrespect that. I’m just reaching out because I want you [to] know I’m thinking about you. If you are willing, can we talk before Wednesday? Big kiss.”

Osbourne’s supposedly final note, from March 18, reads, “Sheryl I am thinking about you. Hope you are well. Sending my love.”

A March 15 Page Six exclusive appears to confirm Osbourne’s version of events, with a source telling us “she texted [Underwood] a very detailed, emotional and heartfelt apology on Friday” the 12th. “It was very personal and Sheryl did not get back to her.”

Osbourne exited “The Talk” two weeks after a heated argument with Underwood over Osbourne’s defense of pal Piers Morgan, who exited his own show in Britain after blasting Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

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Sports

Warren Moon: Russell Wilson, Seahawks appear headed to divorce

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Richard Sherman left the Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch left the Seahawks. Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, who spent two seasons with the Seahawks, expects Russell Wilson to one day leave the franchise.

“I think it’s kind of headed, unfortunately, in the same direction [as Lynch and Sherman],” Moon said on the Huddle & Flow podcast with Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche of NFL Media. “I think right now it’s almost like a marriage that’s started to just have squabbles, and they’re squabbling about certain little issues, whether it’s pass protection, whether it’s talent. There’s all these little squabbles going on right now. And I think because of Russell’s contract situation, there’s not a whole lot the Seahawks can do as far as moving him somewhere else, even if they wanted to.

“So I think he’s definitely there this year unless they just want to take a hit and not become a really good football team for a year or so. But I think that the marriage is not going to end very well going down the road. I think this squabble is going to turn into more of a separation and then a divorce at some point. And that usually happens with most players anyway. You just don’t like it to happen because of the two sides not getting along.”

The Bears made an “aggressive pursuit” of Wilson, but the Seahawks said no to a trade.

That doesn’t mean Wilson will finish his career with the Seahawks, though, even with Carlos Dunlap saying Tuesday that Wilson told him the quarterback is in Seattle to stay.

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