Tag Archives: COVIDrelated

Health

Scientists find potential cure for COVID-related loss of smell

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If a lost ability to smell after a COVID-19 infection has sapped some of the color from your world, relief might be on the way. (Stephanie Amador, Associated Press)

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

TORONTO — A team of researchers in California struck upon a possible cure for long-term COVID-19-related smell loss that uses a blood product from patients’ own bodies.

In a randomized, controlled trial of 26 patients who had lost their sense of smell following a COVID-19 infection, half received nasal injections of platelet-rich plasma derived from their own blood, while the rest received a placebo.

The study’s authors, researchers from the University of California and Stanford University, found that those who received the treatment were 12.5 times more likely to improve than patients who received placebo injections. The results were published Dec. 12 in the International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology.

Dr. Zara Patel, one of the authors and a professor of otolaryngology at Stanford Medicine, has studied loss of smell as a symptom of viral infections for years.

“Many viruses can cause smell loss, so it wasn’t surprising to us as rhinologists when we found out that COVID-19 causes loss of smell and taste,” she said in a media release published on Monday. “It was almost expected.”

Patel knew the condition could last for months, that it was related to nerve damage and that few effective treatments were available. She also knew platelet-rich plasma has been promoted as a treatment for other nerve-related ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Platelet-rich plasma is a concentrated form of plasma — the liquid portion of blood — minus blood cells and other blood components. It’s rich in platelets and growth factors, which are compounds known to help regenerate tissue. Platelet-rich plasma injections have been tested as a treatment for mild arthritis, wrinkles and hair loss.

According to Patel’s research, COVID-19-related smell loss is a neurological problem in which the virus prevents nerves deep in the nasal cavity from regenerating correctly, even after an infection has subsided. These nerves connect to the brain and normally regenerate every three to four months.

“It’s a nerve damage and nerve regeneration issue that we’re dealing with,” Patel said.

Patel had already completed a small pilot study demonstrating the safety of platelet-rich plasma injections in the nasal cavity when the pandemic hit, so it was natural to pivot her plans for a larger trial to focus specifically on COVID-19-related smell loss.

According to her research, SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t target nerve cells directly. Instead, it attacks supporting cells known as sustentacular cells, which have the ACE-2 receptor the virus uses to infect cells. These cells play a role in correct nerve regeneration, so persistent inflammation and damage to these cells may lead to long-term loss of function.

Patel’s hope was that by injecting platelet-rich plasma into the site of her subjects’ nasal nerve damage, she could promote the regeneration of those nerves required for smell and taste.

Patients who had suffered from a persistent loss of smell lasting between six and 12 months were given injections — either of platelet-rich plasma or sterile saline — every two weeks for six weeks. They were then tested on their ability to detect and identify a range of odors for three months afterward.

Three months after their first injection, 57% of the platelet-rich plasma group had shown significant improvement, compared with just 8.3% in the placebo group. Everyone recruited for the study had previously tried other treatments – such as olfactory training and steroid rinse – with no success.

Following the success of the experiment, Patel now offers nasal platelet-rich plasma injections to patients outside of the trial.

A survey Patel conducted with colleagues from California and the United Kingdom in 2022 revealed that about 15% of people who experienced smell loss from COVID-19 — or nine million Americans — continued to have problems for at least six months.

“People tell me all the time that they never realized how important their sense of smell and taste was to them and their quality of life until they lost it,” she said. “People say, ‘My life has gone gray.'”

Patel hopes therapies like platelet-rich plasma injection will help more of these people regain their sense of smell.

“Our olfactory systems can be resilient,” she said. “But the sooner you perform some sort of definitive intervention, probably the better chance you have of improvement.”

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Megan DeLaire, CTVNews.ca

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Health

COVID-related POTS: In rare cases, syndrome can be associated with vaccine – and with virus itself

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LOS ANGELES (KABC) — With billions of shots given worldwide, COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be safe and effective.

Earlier research found a connection between COVID vaccines and mild heart inflammation, especially in adolescent and young adult males.

Now, Cedars Sinai scientists are learning more about the vaccine’s connection to a little-known heart condition.

POTS – postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome – can cause rapid heartbeat, dizziness and other nervous system and heart issues.

Kim Ryberg, now 34, started experiencing POTS shortly after she contracted the Epstein Barr virus at age 12. Since then, she’s had severe episodes of dizziness and fainting.

“Every time I’d stand up, I would see a black tunnel at the edge of my vision.”

In her late 20s, she says, there were times it got so bad she couldn’t even walk up a single flight of stairs.

Her doctors say exposure to Epstein Barr caused dysfunction to her autonomic nervous system which controls heart rate and blood pressure.

Dr. Alan C. Kwan treats POTS patients at a specialized clinic at Cedars Sinai. He says most patients take at least two years and see multiple doctors before they are properly diagnosed.

When he started hearing about people experiencing POTS after getting the COVID vaccine, he and his team did a deep dive into patient health records.

“There does appear to be a small signal associating COVID-19 vaccines with POTS occurring after the vaccine exposure within 90 days,” Kwan said.

The study data suggest the risk of developing POTS after vaccination is less than 5 cases per million doses.

You are actually more likely to develop POTS if you are infected with the coronavirus, more than the chances after vaccination, Kwan’s research found.

“The risk of contracting POTS from the infection was significantly higher, more than five times higher than from vaccination,” Kwan said.

Kwan says not only does the COVID vaccine confer protection against disease, but the study also finds it offers substantial protection against POTS as well.

Kwan says people should still get vaccinated.

“The probability says this will help protect you and those around you.”

He hopes his research will help connect people with POTS to proper specialty care.

While Ryberg did experience some symptoms after vaccination, she’s confident the COVID vaccine saved her from something much worse.

“I believe that’s what protected me and kept me out of the hospital even though I was sick,” she said. “It’s not nearly as sick as I have been in the past and could have been.”

Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.

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US

COVID-related hospitalizations increasing among US seniors

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The U.S. is seeing a rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations, and the older population accounts for a growing percentage of U.S. deaths.

Hospitalizations for people infected with COVID-19 increased by more than 30% in two weeks, with much of that spike hitting older people and those with existing health problems, according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky. 

The CDC data includes all hospitalizations of people who test positive for the coronavirus, regardless of the reason they were admitted.

Nursing home leaders are boosting efforts to have staff and residents boosted with the new version of the vaccine, which is now recommended by the federal government for people 6 months and older. These nursing homes now face complacency and COVID-19 fatigue.

TEEN DENIED KIDNEY TRANSPLANT BECAUSE SHE’S NOT VACCINATED FOR COVID, SAY PARENTS

The U.S. is seeing a rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations, and the older population accounts for a growing percentage of U.S. deaths.
(iStock)

Easing coronavirus restrictions, broader immunity in the general population and mixed messages about whether the pandemic is over have lessened younger adults’ concerns about the virus. Nursing homes, however, are still dealing with the impact of COVID-19.

The nursing home leaders said it has become increasingly difficult to receive family consent for vaccinating nursing home residents. Some residents who can give their own consent are refusing the shots, while only 23% of nursing home staff are fully boosted.

Staff and visitors are potential ways in which the virus can enter nursing homes. Many facilities try to protect their residents with masks, screening questions, temperature checks and enhanced infection control.

Hospitals across the country are seeing a rise in senior COVID patients. The rate of daily U.S. hospital admissions for people ages 70 and older with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 jumped from 8.8 per 100,000 people on November 15 to 12.1 per 100,000 people on December 6, according to statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospitalizations for people infected with COVID-19 increased by more than 30% in two weeks, with much of that spike hitting older people and those with existing health problems, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said.
(Reuters/File Photo)

NEW YORK CITY ‘STRONGLY’ URGES MASKS AMID ‘HIGH LEVELS’ OF COVID, FLU, RSV

According to Scripps Research Translational Institute head Eric Topol, hospitalizations for seniors with COVID-19 in New York and California have already surpassed those during spring and summer omicron waves.

And in addition to an increase in hospitalizations, COVID deaths are also rising among seniors.

Nursing home leaders said it has become increasingly difficult to receive family consent for vaccinating nursing home residents. Some residents who can give their own consent are refusing the shots. 
(AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

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Last spring and summer, death rates dipped overall as more people gained protection from vaccination and previous infection. However, the share of COVID-19–related deaths for adults 85 and older, who make up 2% of the population, jumped to 40%.

Throughout the pandemic, one in five COVID-19 deaths were people in a long-term care facility.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Health

COVID-related deaths in LA County attain grim 32,000 benchmark – Daily News

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More than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported by Los Angeles County on Tuesday, May 10, while the overall virus-related death toll reached the grim 32,000 milestone.

The 2,044 new infections reported Tuesday lifted the county’s overall total from throughout the pandemic to 2,897,513.

The county logged four more COVID-related fatalities to reach the 32,000 mark.

The number of COVID-positive patients in county hospitals ticked up slightly to 252, up 10 from Monday. The number of those patients being treated in intensive care was 27 on Tuesday, the same as the previous day.

Health officials have noted that while COVID case numbers have risen sharply in recent weeks, hospitalization numbers have held relatively steady, and daily deaths have continued declining. On Monday, the county Department of Public Health pointed to the effectiveness of COVID vaccines for preventing severe illness from virus infection.

“The lower numbers of hospitalizations and deaths reflect, in large part, the protection provided by the vaccines against the variants,” according to the county Department of Public Health. “For the week ending April 22, unvaccinated people were four times more likely to be hospitalized compared to residents who were fully vaccinated, but not boosted, and five times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated and boosted.”

According to the county, over the last week, the county has averaged four virus-related deaths per day, a 72% decrease from a month ago. The average daily number of virus-positive hospital patients averaged 245, roughly the same as it was a month ago.

The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 2.4% as of Tuesday, a rate that has held mostly steady over the past week.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Monday urged people to consider getting vaccinated and boosted ahead of the Memorial Day holiday and subsequent summer gatherings.

“For these occasions to not contribute to the increasing spread of Omicron variants, we encourage attendees to take sensible precautions that will protect you and those around you, including staying outside as much as possible and wearing a mask when indoors,” she said in a statement. “And given the high number of asymptomatic individuals that are infected, testing before gathering with others, especially if gathering indoors, is an effective and practical safety measure that can easily prevent the spread of the virus. Most importantly, those who are older and those who have underlying heath conditions should be sure to get boosted as soon as eligible to maximize protection from these highly infectious, mutated variants of concern.”

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Health

Orange County reports 3rd COVID-related pediatric death; Child was under 5, officials say

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SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — Health officials in Orange County confirmed its third COVID-related pediatric death.

According to an update issued by the OC Health Care Agency on Thursday, the child was younger than 5, though they did not say whether the child was a boy or a girl. Health officials also didn’t say when the child died.

“We have lost another precious young life to this terrible virus; it is our third pediatric death in Orange County since the start of the pandemic,” said HCA Director and County Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau. “This is yet another somber reminder that we must continue to do everything we can to protect our loved ones, especially our little ones under 5 years of age who are not able to be vaccinated.”

Meanwhile, hospitalizations have eclipsed the peak of the first wave in July 2020. As of Thursday, there were 724 people hospitalized with the virus in Orange County. The county says 87% of the people hospitalized are unvaccinated.

READ ALSO: Doctor explains why omicron is so contagious, new symptom to look out for

“COVID-19 has been spreading very quickly. Cases are reaching levels that we haven’t seen throughout this pandemic,” said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Deputy County Health Officer. “We strongly urge our county residents and visitors to please take all preventative measures to reduce your risk of getting sick or hospitalized. Even though breakthrough infections are possible, the most important thing you can do is get vaccinated and boosted to maximize your immunity to COVID-19 and reduce your chance of getting severely infected.”

Health officials say between Dec. 30 and Jan. 5, the seven-day average COVID case rate in Orange County jumped from 25.5 to 67.5 per 100,000 people and the average number of daily cases rose from 822 to 2,179.

Earlier this week, the U.S. urged that everyone 12 and older get a COVID-19 booster as soon as they’re eligible.

Boosters already were encouraged for all Americans 16 and older, but Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed an extra Pfizer shot for younger teens – those 12 to 15 – and strengthened its recommendation that 16- and 17-year-olds get it, too.

For more information on COVID in Orange County, including case counts, vaccination information and testing sites in the county, visit ochealthinfo.com/covid.

Want more headlines? Hit play in the video above for the top stories from Eyewitness News at 6 a.m. for Friday, Jan. 7, 2022.

Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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Ghislaine Maxwell trial live updates: Court breaks for the day as attorney falls ill, judge says not Covid-related

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Ghislaine Maxwell Trial: Day 7

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell has been adjourned for the day after an attorney on the case fell ill. Judge Alison Nathan said there was no reason to believe it was Covid-related. Proceedings are expected to resume on Friday.

Included in the latest release of evidence from the socialite’s sex-trafficking trial was an image of Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Maxwell sitting together at the Queen’s Balmoral estate. The photo is thought to have been taken in 1999 and shows the pair sitting on a bench on the deck of a log cabin in the highlands of Scotland.

Ms Maxwell is accused of grooming teenage girls for her convicted sex offender partner from the 1990s onwards. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her defence team said that she is being made the “scapegoat” for Epstein’s deeds.

However, her accusers have testified that she was instrumental in the late financier’s crimes and even participated. Annie Farmer, the fourth accuser from the indictment against Ms Maxwell, was expected to testify today. She is the only victim using her real name.

The prosecution reiterated on Wednesday that they intend to rest their case this week, wrapping up arguments from their side in a trial that was expected to last five to six weeks.

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Voices: The return of a phrase we should never use again

Author, journalist, and professor Margot Mifflin explains why the phrase “underage girl” is so wrong and why it should never be used.

Oliver O’Connell10 December 2021 04:15

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Ghislaine Maxwell’s family hires their own courtroom artist

Days after a sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell drawing the artist went viral, her family has hired their own artist, apparently in an attempt to have her sketched for “sympathetic pictures” for their website, The Times reported.

The move did not go down well with social media users. The Maxwell family was criticised for “opulent show of wealth.”

“Rich people are wild. I didn’t even know you could bring your own courtroom artist,” wrote blogger Sugabelly on Twitter.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar10 December 2021 04:11

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Never before seen photos of Epstein’s mansion shown to jury

A sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell hanging in Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion appears in one of dozens of never-before-seen photographs submitted into evidence by prosecutors in the socialite’s trial.

The images were taken during an FBI raid on Epstein’s Florida home in 2005 and show his bedroom, offices, and a massage table where he received sexualised massages.

Oliver O’Connell10 December 2021 03:15

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Maxwell photos removed from Palm Beach mansion when Epstein entertained other women

Jeffrey Epstein ordered all photos of Ghislaine Maxwell removed from his Palm Beach mansion when he entertained female guests, a New York federal court was told by his former housekeeper.

Oliver O’Connell10 December 2021 02:15

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‘She told me I was such a good girl, and that I was one of his favourites’

Oliver O’Connell10 December 2021 01:15

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Key witness ‘Jane’ describes years of abuse at hands of Epstein and Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein engaged in sadomasochistic sexual abuse with a 14-year-old girl who had been left grief-stricken and living in poverty after the death of her father, and Ghislaine Maxwell was often “in the room” when it took place, a jury heard on during the first day of the socialite’s trial.

Oliver O’Connell10 December 2021 00:15

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Key accuser ‘Jane’ recalls meeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago with Epstein

The accuser, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane”, faced a gruelling cross-examination by Ms Maxwell’s defence team on the third day of her trial.

A day earlier Jane had described in vivid detail being subjected to years of sexual abuse by Epstein at properties in Palm Beach, New York and New Mexico between the ages of 14 and 16, and how Ms Maxwell had joined in on multiple occasions.

Oliver O’Connell9 December 2021 23:15

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Housekeeper drove accuser ‘Jane’ to Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion aged 14, court hears

Jeffrey Epstein’s former housekeeper testified that the first accuser in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial was a frequent visitor to his Palm Beach mansion when she was 14 years old.

Mr Alessi said Ms Maxwell was the “lady of the house” and maintained an iron grip over every aspect of life at the Palm Beach mansion.

Oliver O’Connell9 December 2021 22:15

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All the famous names embroiled in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell palled around with presidents, movie stars and royalty, hosting household names aboard private jets and at palatial properties all over the world.

Those decades-long connections are forming a key role in Ms Maxwell’s trial for sex-trafficking at the federal courthouse in Manhattan.

Ms Maxwell would frequently boast of her close friendships with Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Donald Trump, her accusers have testified.

Prosecutors say the access to powerful people was both alluring and intimidating – and victims of Epstein’s abuse would feel afraid to break off contact out of fear of what he and his powerful allies might do.

Oliver O’Connell9 December 2021 21:30

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Could Maxwell take the stand?

With the prosecution’s case drawing to a close, when the defence team calls its witnesses could the socialite testify, or would cross-examination prove too great a risk?

Oliver O’Connell9 December 2021 20:45

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Health

Health officials report uptick in children’s rare COVID-related inflammatory syndrome following delta surge

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A number of pediatric hospitals across the country are warning about an increase in the number of cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare condition in which different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs, become inflamed.

MIS-C, which most often appears four to six weeks after a COVID-19 infection, can be serious and potentially deadly, but most children who are diagnosed with it recover with medical care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal data shows that there have been at least 46 confirmed MIS-C deaths and 5,217 confirmed MIS-C cases — and about 61% of the reported cases have occurred in children who are Hispanic/Latino or Black. Children between the ages of 6 to 11, who may soon be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, have reported the highest number of MIS-C cases since the onset of the pandemic.

Nearly 5.9 million children have tested positive for COVID-19, and MIS-C infections represent only 0.0009% of COVID-19 pediatric cases. However, between July and August, the average number of daily MIS-C cases nearly doubled.

“MIS-C happens about four to six weeks after a primary COVID infection, and we know that the delta variant has really impacted kids, more than previous waves have done, and so it’s not really that big of a surprise a couple weeks after your first cases of COVID start rolling, and then you start seeing your MIS-C cases roll in,” Dr. Amy Edwards, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, told ABC News Friday, in reference to the facility’s recent uptick.

MORE: Ohio health care workers warn of ‘astronomical’ COVID-19 pediatric surge

Dayton Children’s Hospital told ABC News they too have seen an uptick in recent weeks. And it is not just in Ohio where officials are seeing increases. In Tennessee, the number of MIS-C cases has more than tripled since early February.

“We saw a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in children over the past two months with the delta variant surge in our region,” Dr. Sophie Katz, assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt said in a press release on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, we anticipate an increase in MIS-C cases following this spike.”

Earlier this week, officials from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, said at a press conference that their physicians have seen an uptick in MIS-C in recent weeks as more children test positive.

“I saw three with MIS-C personally last week,” said Dr. Angela Myers, the division director of infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy. “I think we’ve had more [children] continue to get admitted to the hospital since then. That’s more than the zero we had multiple months before that.”

PHOTO: A healthcare worker responds to a page as a patient who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receives treatment at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Oct. 5, 2021. (Callaghan O’Hare/Reuters)

And on Wednesday, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which houses Mississippi’s only pediatric hospital, reported that the state is still seeing acute cases of COVID-19 and MIS-C in children.

“What we have now is both MIS-C and severe acute COVID-19, and I think it’s because of schools dropping mask mandates,” Dr. Charlotte Hobbs, professor of pediatric infectious diseases and director of UMMC’s MIS-C clinic, said in a statement. “We saw this drop of acute COVID-19, and then MIS-C, and now acute COVID-19 is increasing again. Acute COVID and MIS-C at the same time is something that has not happened before, and it is preventable.”

Utah native Sharella Ruffin’s 6-year-old son, Zyaire, contracted the rare syndrome earlier this month.

“How can something like that take over your kid’s life in like a week? I’m not understanding that. It was like the most scariest things that ever happened in my life. No mother should ever have to hear that your baby might not make it,” Ruffin told ABC News Friday. “To see your 6-year-old son just laying there. And he’s scared and don’t know what’s going on.”

According to the CDC, the best way for a parent to protect their child is by taking “everyday actions” to prevent COVID-19, including mask-wearing and hand-washing.

At this time, severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

MORE: How students are able to stay in school despite classmates testing positive

However, any acute illness from COVID-19 and death in a child is concerning, Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and former acting director of the CDC, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday.

“One of the myths that is out there is that this COVID pandemic isn’t affecting children. There have been over 600 children who died. There have been thousands who have been hospitalized,” Besser said.

Experts continue to emphasize the urgency for not only children to be vaccinated, when eligible, but also for their parents and all of those in the communities around them to get the shot as soon as possible

ABC News’ Felicia Biberica, Kelly Landrigan and Kristen Red-Horse contributed to this report.

Health officials report uptick in children’s rare COVID-related inflammatory syndrome following delta surge originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

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Health

Hawaii reports 12 additional COVID-related deaths; 279 new infections

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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii on Saturday reported 279 new COVID-19 cases and 12 additional fatalities.

The latest infections bring the statewide total number of infections since the pandemic began to 79,851.

The new fatalities bring the death toll to 801.

In September alone, the state had seen 193 COVID deaths. That was more than the number seen in June, July and August combined. Over that three-month period, Hawaii logged 89 COVID deaths.

Of the new infections reported Saturday:

  • 179 were on Oahu
  • 47 on Hawaii Island
  • 26 on Maui
  • 16 on Kauai
  • 1 on Molokai

There were also 10 residents diagnosed out-of-state.

The state Department of Health does not provide vaccination status of new cases and fatalities, but officials provided the following information on the 12 deaths Saturday:

Oahu

  • 1 man in his 50s, hospitalized
  • 3 women in their 60s, hospitalized
  • 2 women in their 70s, hospitalized
  • 1 man in his 70s, hospitalized
  • 1 woman in her 80s or older, not hospitalized
  • 1 man in his 80s or older, hospitalized

Hawaii Island

  • 1 man in his 60s, hospitalized
  • 1 woman in her 80s or older, hospitalized

Maui

  • 1 man in his 50s, hospitalized

Over the last 14 days, there have been 4,653 cases reported.

Some 68% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated, while 76.1% has received at least one dose.

This story will be updated.

Copyright 2021 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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Sports

Patriots Cut Cam Newton After Covid-Related Disruptions

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Under N.F.L. rules, unvaccinated players must be tested every day for the virus, as opposed to once a week for vaccinated players, and they cannot move around the team facility or mix with teammates as freely as vaccinated players.

Once one of the league’s most electrifying players as the franchise quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, Newton had the misfortune of sustaining a serious foot injury in 2019, limiting him to two games, a few months before a new regime took over the front office and a pandemic disrupted off-season player movement. The Panthers released him, but as other quarterbacks signed quickly, Newton languished for months, reportedly unwilling to be a backup.

In the depressed market for his services, the Patriots saw an opportunity. After cutting ties with Tom Brady, the team signed Newton to a one-year, incentive-heavy deal in June 2020, and he promptly beat out Jarrett Stidham in training camp. Starting 15 games for New England, Newton rushed for 12 touchdowns and completed 65.8 percent of his passes, though the offense sputtered for vast chunks of a season undermined by infrequent practices and meager skill players.

The Patriots, wanting an established quarterback on the roster before free agency began, re-signed Newton in what was a prelude to a bigger investment at the position. For the first time in his 22 drafts in New England, Belichick drafted a quarterback in the first round, taking Jones at No. 15.

No defense in 2020 could stop Jones, who at the University of Alabama threw for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions, leading the nation with 11.2 yards per attempt and a 77.4 completion percentage. A traditional pocket passer, Jones was an outlier among the quarterbacks chosen in the first round of the draft.

But the Patriots were enamored of his awareness, steady improvement and command of the offense. In the preseason, he completed 36 of 52 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown.

“I’m going to be ready whenever my time comes up,” Jones said Sunday night.

That time has come, and against the Dolphins in Week 1, he will most likely start opposite the player he succeeded at Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa. Newton could be attractive to teams with unsettled backup situations, among them the Jets, Dallas, Houston and Washington. But it is also possible that his vaccination status will deter other teams from signing him because they do not want to risk disrupting their season.

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Sports

Cam Newton’s COVID-related absence opens door for Mac Jones as Patriots starting QB and could’ve been avoided

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The COVID-19 protocols jointly agreed to by the NFL and NFL Players Association this summer made it clear that players — and ultimately their teams — would be at a competitive disadvantage if they didn’t get vaccinated.

Cam Newton may be finding that out this week.

The Patriots’ incumbent starting quarterback and leader for the post for Week 1 of the 2021 season (for now) must sit out half of this week’s practices because of what the team is calling a “misunderstanding” about testing requirements. Locked in a battle with rookie Mac Jones, Newton will miss the first joint practice with the New York Giants on Wednesday before being eligible to return on Thursday prior to their final exhibition on Sunday.

“On Saturday, Cam Newton traveled to a Club-approved medical appointment that required him to leave the New England area,” said the team in a statement Monday morning. “He received daily Covid tests, which were all negative. Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility. Cam will continue participating virtually in team activities and return to the club facility on Thursday, August 26.” 

The Patriots don’t explicitly reveal Newton’s vaccination status in the statement, but the statement also makes clear he is not if you know the league’s protocols. Vaccinated players aren’t subject to travel restrictions under the protocols. Vaccinated players (and coaches) are only required to be tested once every 14 days and wouldn’t have “received daily Covid tests” like Newton did, according to the statement.

Who will be the Patriots’ starting quarterback this season? Can Mac Jones unseat Cam Newton? And what does it mean for the rest of the Patriots’ players? Download the CBS Sports app to find out! Plus, get insight from our resident Patriots insider, Tyler Sullivan. If you already have the CBS Sports app, make sure to pick the Patriots as your favorite team for up-to-the-minute news.

It’s unclear what exactly was misunderstood but it was likely one of two outcomes: either Newton missed one of his daily tests (which would subject him to a $50,000 fine by the league), or he did not get the Mesa test required by the league but another kind of test. Whether it was his fault or the team’s or both is also unclear.  

Anecdotally, it’s also been obvious Newton isn’t vaccinated. He’s worn masks to outdoor press conferences and declined to divulge whether he got the shot. At this point nearly nine months into an American society with the vaccine, that usually means one has not been vaccinated.

“It’s too personal to discuss,” Newton said earlier this month. “I’ll just keep it at that.”

I am pro-vaccine and haven’t hidden that when discussing COVID on air or on this here site. Months ago I decided against spending my days railing against NFL players who opted not to get the vaccine. There are too many of them, speaking nonsense too regularly, for me to fight them. I simply couldn’t expend any more energy on Cole Beasley or Kirk Cousins or anyone else who chose to be loud and wrong about the vaccine.

So with the best doctors in the world and experts both from the NFL and NFLPA available to Newton, and with plenty of time to develop a full understanding of the competitive advantages of being vaccinated, Newton made a clear and conscious choice to not get the vaccine.

Here you go, I guess.

Mac Jones has performed well consistently in his two exhibitions for the Patriots. Both he and Newton have been up and down in training camp practices over the past month, but Jones has delivered under the lights against Washington and Philadelphia. He’s completed 26 of his 38 passes for 233 yards with no passing touchdowns or interceptions. PFF has Jones as the highest-graded quarterback of the preseason, though I’d posit Zach Wilson has been better than Jones through two exhibitions.

Nevertheless, the rookie Jones is applying pressure to Newton when it matters. Head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have called Newton the starter, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Now Jones gets a few days of unquestioned No. 1 reps, followed by a joint practice against a Giants team who looked worse on Day 1 than Day 2 of their joint practices with the Browns last week.

Beyond what Newton’s absence may mean for Jones, though, is what his five-day absence may mean for himself. Last year Newton was the first starting quarterback to test positive for COVID-19 during the regular season after starting the season hot through the first three weeks. He missed one game and looked like a shell of himself when he returned, throwing zero touchdowns and five interceptions the following four weeks as the Patriots went 1-3 in that stretch.

“When I came back, it was something that that’s where the lack of an offseason, the lack of time really being invested in the system kind of showed itself,” Newton said on the “I Am Athlete” podcast in February.

“By the time I came back, I didn’t feel comfortable physically, skillfully. A lot of that discomfort came pre-snap. I’m lost. I’m thinking too much. … The offense kept going, and I was stopped and stagnant for two weeks. By the time I came back, it was new terminology. … I wasn’t just trying to learn a system for what it was, I was learning a, let’s be honest, 20-year system in two months.”

The latest COVID interruption to Newton’s career comes at a time where he was again making gains on the field. Newton dazzled Thursday against the Eagles, going 8 of 9 for 103 yards and a touchdown. He showed a mastery of the pocket, a strong arm and ability to go through his progressions and torch the Eagles (mostly second-string) defense. Even though Jones had a great night himself, Newton was better.

And now for Newton, a reset. Again. Just as he may have been hitting his groove. Missing time for this “misunderstanding” won’t impact his body the way the actual virus did last year, but he’ll have to stave off any feelings of discomfort upon his return.

This entire episode for Newton was completely avoidable. But he made his choice to be an unvaccinated player in the NFL under these protocols, and this is a consequence of that. He’s put himself at a disadvantage in the first true quarterback battle he’s had in his professional career.

And for what?

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