Category: Covid-19

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the unsealing of an Indictment today charging DOUGLAS RAYMOND ARNTSEN with masterminding a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $1.3 million in government-funded loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. ARNTSEN was arrested this morning and presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: As alleged, Douglas Raymond Arntsen, a disbarred attorney, recruited multiple co-conspirators in a scheme to defraud the government out of more than $1 million by submitting fraudulent loan applications. These loans were funded by the American taxpayers and meant to help small businesses struggling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were not meant to line peoples pockets for personal gain. Todays arrest demonstrates this Offices ongoing commitment to holding accountable those who illegally profited from a national emergency.

According to the allegations in the Indictment, which was unsealed today:[1]

Between in or about June 2020 through at least in or about August 2020, DOUGLAS RAYMOND ARNTSEN orchestrated a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting fraudulent loan applications through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. In doing so, ARNTSEN recruited multiple co-conspirators. ARNTSEN promised potential co-conspirators a way out of their difficult financial circumstances. Certain of those co-conspirators trusted ARNTSEN because they thought he was an attorney. In reality, ARNTSEN had been disbarred.

ARNTSEN asked his co-conspirators to give him their personal information, including social security and drivers license numbers, and then used this information to submit fraudulent loan applications to the EIDL program. The applications submitted by ARNTSEN falsely claimed that the co-conspirators owned businesses that had substantial revenue. Often, the co-conspirators named as owners of the businesses, in fact, had no legitimate connection to the businesses at all. After the loan applications were submitted, ARNTSEN directed his co-conspirators to lie to the SBA during the loan diligence process.

ARNTSEN also directed his co-conspirators to recruit additional participants to his fraudulent scheme. After one co-conspirator had obtained a fraudulent loan, ARNTSEN directed him, in sum and substance, to [g]et me one more warm body. The co-conspirator proceeded to give ARNTSEN the personal information of a relative, which was then used to obtain another fraudulent loan.

ARNTSEN and his co-conspirators enriched themselves through the fraud. In total, ARNTSEN and his co-conspirators obtained at least approximately $1.3 million in fraudulent loans and attempted to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional loans that the SBA declined to fund. After one fraudulent loan was approved by the SBA, ARNTSEN texted a co-conspirator, in sum and substance, Need how you want your bank checks. Your chariot has arrived this morning.

* * *

ARNTSEN, 45, of Staten Island, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and additionally thanked the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office for its assistance.

This case is being handled by the Offices General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sowlati is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Read this article:

Disbarred Attorney Charged In COVID-19 Relief Loan Fraud Scheme - Department of Justice

What GAO Found

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of a strong public health infrastructure to prepare for and respond to threats, including a skilled workforce, and physical infrastructure, such as laboratories. The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) annually supports public health infrastructure in jurisdictionsstates, localities, and territoriesthrough two key preparedness programs: (1) Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases and (2) Public Health Emergency Preparedness. The programs' award amounts to jurisdictions from annual appropriations totaled about $845 million on average per year from fiscal year 2019 through 2022. Separately, in fiscal years 2021 through 2023, using supplemental appropriations from the most recent COVID-19 relief law, CDC also provided jurisdictions with about $7.1 billion in awards to enhance infrastructure. Of this, $3.5 billion can be used over 5 years for a new longer-term infrastructure investment to help with future threats. Jurisdiction officials GAO spoke with cited important benefits of awards from both annual and supplemental appropriations, such as supporting epidemiology staff and purchasing supplies for laboratories.

Selected jurisdictions and stakeholder groups identified several challenges building and maintaining infrastructure to be sufficiently prepared for public health threats. These include challenges in the following areas:

Jurisdictions are key partners in preparing for and responding to public health threats. The infrastructure challenges they face can impact how quickly and effectively CDC and other response partners are able to contain these threats, as was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to CDC officials, increased and ongoing investments in public health infrastructure are vital to the response to contain threats on a national level.

CDC is the primary federal agency responsible for helping strengthen jurisdictions' public health infrastructure to aid emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to report on the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report (1) describes CDC awards to support jurisdictions' public health infrastructure for preparedness, and (2) examines challenges selected jurisdictions and stakeholder groups identified to building and maintaining such infrastructure.

GAO analyzed CDC's data on awards provided to jurisdictions using annual appropriations and certain supplemental appropriations made in response to the pandemic. Specifically, GAO analyzed annual award data from fiscal year 2018 (the year GAO last reported on award data) through 2022 (most recent data available at the time of GAO's review). GAO also analyzed data on awards using appropriations from the most recently enacted COVID-19 relief lawthe American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

GAO interviewed officials from a nongeneralizable sample of 12 jurisdictionsselected based on governance structure, funding received, and rurality. GAO also interviewed representatives from 10 stakeholder groups representing public health professionals and policy organizations, among others.

GAO provided a draft of this report to HHS for review and comment. HHS provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.

For more information, contact Mary Denigan-Macauley at (202) 512-7114 or deniganmacauleym@gao.gov.

Link:

Public Health Preparedness: Building and Maintaining Infrastructure ... - Government Accountability Office

Nov. 2, 2023 -- Adults over 50 lost brain strength during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of infection, a new study inThe Lancet says.

Researchers in Great Britain had more than 3,000 people complete annual questionnaires and online cognitive tests that measure memory and other brain functions.

Study researchers created the PROTECT study to learn how brains age and why people develop dementia. They used brain-training games for memory skill and reasoning. The questionnaire examined risk factors.

Results showed a cognitive decline, with stress, loneliness, and alcohol use possibly explaining some findings, theBBC reported.

Memory decline continued in the second year. People who already had memory issues before COVID-19 began had the worst decline.

Coping with Covid fears, worries and uncertainties and disruption to routines may have had a real, lasting impact on brain health, they say, the BBC wrote. The rate of the drop in cognitive function was accelerated during the first year of the pandemic, when lockdowns occurred, the study found.

Social isolation can also have negative effects on brain health, said Susan Mitchell of Alzheimers Research UK.

"Sadly, there's no sure-fire way to prevent dementia yet, but meanwhile, taking care of our brains can at least help stack the odds in our favour, she said. It's never too early or too late to think about adopting healthy habits, which includes looking after your heart health, keeping connected and staying sharp."

Read the original post:

Study Says People Over 50 Lost Brain Power in Pandemic - WebMD

Opinion

The absence of national planning for the pandemic and Boris Johnsons shameful leadership are in the spotlight

Lady Hallett has been holding hearings of the UK Covid-19 inquiry for much of the past two months. It is only this week, however, that the hearings have forced their way to the top of the news. There is no mystery about the reason. The evidence to the inquiry by senior civil servants, government advisers and health chiefs this week has been extraordinary and shocking.

For most of us, the shock has been the graphic reminders from those at the heart of government of how poorly the UK state was prepared for the Covid pandemic, of how indecisively the government responded, and of the bitter rivalries between some of those taking life-and-death decisions at the top. Among the multiple serious issues that have been aired in the past four days, two in particular stand out: the absence of any national planning for the pandemic and the inadequacy of Boris Johnsons leadership.

Others, however, are reacting very differently to the inquiry. On the right, indignation is focused on the inquiry itself, not the pandemic incompetence. The proceedings are being mocked as a circus or as a blame-fest. Lady Hallett is derided as presiding over an exercise in confirmation bias and of having no interest in science. Above all, she is accused of not embracing questions that are now dogma in parts of the rightwing press and the Tory party: whether lockdowns worked at all, whether masks did any good and whether testing and tracing was in fact a waste of time and money.

Part of the answer to all this is that the critics should be more patient. This week has focused on a single module in the inquirys programme, devoted to core UK decision-making and political governance. This is just one module among six announced so far others are preparedness, impact on healthcare, vaccines, procurement and the care sector. Other modules will follow. Since this weeks focus is political decision-making, it is hardly surprising that politics was under the microscope. Like all ideologues, the inquirys critics have already made up their minds. Fortunately, the inquiry has not.

The other part of the answer is that this weeks evidence matters. It matters that the prime minister could not make up his mind, was not on top of the detail and that he was on holiday when he should have been gripping the response. It matters that his advisers were constantly abusing one another and that they were mostly white middle-class males, giving little thought to issues of class, gender and ethnicity. It matters that ministers made statements that they must have known were untrue. Together, they let the country down, and with fateful consequences.

Yet a lot of this would have remained hidden if it was not for the inquiry. Because the inquiry has teeth, it has the power to dig deep. Without it, for example, would we have ever known what the former NHS England boss Simon Stevens revealed on Thursday that someone as ill-equipped as the then health secretary Matt Hancock wanted the power to decide which patients should live and which should die if Englands hospitals became overloaded during the pandemic?

It is true that Lady Halletts work is proceeding at a stately pace. Her final report is not expected before 2026. But she is inquiring into the biggest nationwide trauma and the states most significant domestic policy blunder of modern times. When the public needed us most, the government failed, said Dominic Cummings in 2021. It should be this eras epitaph. It is important that Lady Hallett should get the story right, in all its complexity, taking every argument into account and learning every lesson, however embarrassing they may be to those in power who let Britain down so badly.

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The Guardian view on the Covid-19 inquiry: a week that has probed deep - The Guardian

(NewsNation) Chicago Police Detective Sergeant Joaquin Mendoza says he knew he wanted to be an officer from the moment one came to speak to his class.

When I got home that day, first thing my mom asks me is, Hey, so what do you want to be when you grow up, for your career? Im like, I want to be a big Irish cop, Det. Sgt. Mendoza told NewsNation. And my mom said, Well, the Irish aint happening, because you know me and your dad, were Mexican. The big, thats probably not going to happen either, because neither one of us are big people. But if you study hard, and you do well in school, and youre a good kid, then maybe youll get the chance to be a police officer. So I lucked out and got my dream job.

Over his 22 years on the police force, he worked on some of the grisliest crimes, helping to solve the murder of Leticia Barrera. The pregnant mother of three was shot and killed in front of her house on Halloween day, while holding her little girls hand.

When we got the convictions, if I only did one thing in my entire life, it was to put this guy in the joint, said Mendoza. The little kids just hugged us and thanked us for getting the bad guy that made my entire career. Getting hugs from that little girl.

When the pandemic hit, the city went on lockdown. First responders pulled long hours to keep the country running, and vaccines were still a long way off.

Yes, everybody was getting sick at the time, said Mendoza. We lost several officers.

At the end of a 17-day stretch and a 16-hour day, he wasnt feeling well. He went home and took a nap.

I thought I only slept a couple hours, he said.

He slept for 48 hours straight. He was rushed to the hospital, where he waged a war with COVID-19 for 72 days. He suffered five strokes, lost function in both kidneys and the use of his left arm.

A bunch of my partners ended up passing away from it. I think I got it pretty bad, but Im lucky Im still here, he said.

Mendozas life was forever changed. He now undergoes dialysis three times a week, and will for the rest of his life. He uses a cane, and his balance and mobility are severely compromised. He suffers from debilitating neurological issues and a shortened life expectancy. He can no longer live independently.

When he went before the Policemens Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago for his act-of-duty disability pension, he was denied, because he couldnt point to a particular act of duty during which he contracted the virus.

This decision came despite the fact that he got sick after working a 17-day stretch during the lockdown, and the only place he went other than work was home, where he lived alone.

The denial meant he would receive 50% of his salary for five years, and importantly, have no health coverage.

Panic, said Mendoza, recalling the denial. All the years that you sacrificed and gave, and the benefits that youve actually earned, are going to be denied. Thats a tough pill to swallow.

He says another Chicago police officer who was denied disability ended his life.

In my mind, I was going through the checklist of whats going to keep me from eating my gun, he said. I knew I had my sister, my mom, my nephew, my immediate family, my partners. Those are the things that kept me from killing myself.

Almost 800 miles away, Officer Omayra Feliciano served with the New York City Police Department for over 17 years.

My father, hes no longer with us, but he loved law enforcement, Feliciano said. I was third year in college, he was going through cancer and it was terminal. And at least before he passed, I was able to tell him, Hey, I got into the academy.

Feliciano served in the Special Victims Unit. During the pandemic, she worked long hours and was tasked with coming face to face with 40 to 50 sex offenders a day, until she fell ill.

I remember very clearly to this day, when I was sick, I was just coughing my lungs up. At the time, it was between day six and seven where people were really taking a turn for the worse and dying. Thats when you were seeing a lot of deaths. And I remember I was approaching that day, I was scared to death. I said, Ill know this weekend, if Im going to die or not.

Feliciano said she got the vaccine within four days of it becoming available to officers, but that she didnt know the virus was likely already in her body. She believed she contracted COVID from another officer who was confirmed to be sick in her unit.

The NYPD Medical Division gave her the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia, which was followed by unrelenting body pain, deep fatigue and the onset of an autoimmune disease.

She says that on some days, I cant get up. I cant get up out of either my couch or my bed. And its an excruciating pain that just doesnt go away. Whatever I do, its an inflammation that is just screaming in your body and you cant do anything about it. The person that I was before is never coming back. I will never be the same Omayra that I used to be.

Just last month, she was similarly denied duty disability.

The ultimate decision was that they said I didnt get COVID at work, she said. I proved everything I needed to prove, I provided everything I needed to provide. And they still said no.

Along with her lawyer, Feliciano is fighting the ruling, hoping to get it in front of a judge.

This should be an embarrassment to the city, its disgusting, said her lawyer, Tim McEnaney. Its a disgusting thing to do to a first responder whos put themselves on the line this way. Its not right. Its not fair. Its one of the reasons the NYPD cant keep their enrollment numbers up.

Feliciano never imagined her time on the force would end this way, but she says she still feels shes carrying on her fathers legacy with the fight ahead.

I know my dad will be very, very proud and happy that I have not quit. He would be extremely happy that I didnt give up on fighting for whats right, she said.

Officer Feliciano already has a victory to look to in Chicago, where Mendozas sister, Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, took up her brothers fight.

To see what hes gone through, a guy who would never take a day off work, seems like hes your Super Man, and then to see the struggles he goes through on a daily basis, its super emotional, its hard, said Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

They initially tried to fight his individual denial of benefits in court, but ultimately helped push through a change to Illinois legislation for all first responders in the state.

We appealed in the courts, like every normal person would do, and were denied for the same exact reason that the board stated, said Comptroller Mendoza. I wasnt going to wait for more appeals and thousands of dollars trying to have the courts do the right thing. So thats when I thought, Im a former legislator, its what Im really good at. Right? I love it. And when you see a problem, you have to fix it. And if no ones going to fix it for me, then Im going to fix it myself and use the power of the office that I have now to draw attention to this injustice.

The new legislation established a presumption: first responders who became disabled from COVID-19 during the pandemic before the availability of vaccines did so in the line of duty.

These are folks that are serving the public in a very, very dangerous position. And so no, they should not have to go out of their way to prove how they got it. If they got it, that is a factually provable thing. And that should be enough, they should have a rebuttable presumption that they contracted COVID while in the performance of an active duty, said Comptroller Mendoza. That is what our legislation changed to be the case now. Now, the board has to prove that that officer did not contract COVID while in the performance of an active duty.

The legislation passed unanimously and with bipartisan support, 54-0. Comptroller Mendoza wonders if it can be a framework for states like New York.

She recalls a conversation she had with her brother on a particularly hard day, after dialysis treatment: My brother said, Why did it have to hit me this hard? And then he said, Maybe it had to be this bad, because no one else has a sister who can change it, who can fix it, who can do something to make sure that it never happens again to any other officer. If it had to happen to me, so that none of my other guys have to go through this, then Id have it happen to me all over again.

Continue reading here:

Police officers severely disabled by COVID-19 denied benefits - NewsNation Now

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Cardiovascular Complications of COVID-19: A Scoping Review of Evidence - Cureus

David Hughes hopes the inquiry will correct the lurch towards a presidential style of government. Plus letters from Peter Slessenger, Michael Lavin, June Findlater and Susan Mahoney

Simon Jenkinss characterisation of the UK Covid-19 inquiry as a pantomime (This pantomime in Paddington is no way to right the wrongs of the Covid pandemic, 2 November) is as offensive as it is misguided. The inquiry seeks to understand and rectify the UKs governmental decision-making process, and this cannot be achieved by a purely scientific analysis, as MrJenkinssuggests.

One of the chief causes of the UKs governmental dysfunction during the pandemic was the use of special advisers, a cohort of political appointees who sidelined both cabinet members and the democratic oversight of parliament. From the beginning of his administration, Boris Johnson viewed himself not as a prime minister in a cabinet with collective responsibility, but as a president, thus possessing dictatorial powers. It was therefore no surprise that he illegally prorogued parliament, purged his party of dissenters and refused to bow to the democratic process of his removal from office.

If the Covid inquiry rectifies this lurch towards a presidential style of administration, by curbing thenumber and powers of politicalappointees, it will have achieved agreat deal. David Hughes Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Simon Jenkins is correct to criticise the Covid inquiry for looking for guilt rather than facts. The adversarial questioning and absence of any scientists on the panel means it is prone to distraction by personalities and discussions by the ministers, special advisers and civil servants.

Asking Dominic Cummings whether he thought he had contributed to the chaos in No 10 was as pointless as asking Boris Johnson whether he ever felt he was out of his depth, or Margaret Thatcher if she ever considered thatshe might be wrong. Peter Slessenger Reading, Berkshire

Simon Jenkins asserts that the aim of the Covid inquiry is to learn any lessons for the future and states that there should be no blame game. This is tantamount to letting the decision-makers off the hook. While its probably too late to rewrite the terms of reference ofthe inquiry, thousands of families who lost loved ones as adirect result of a dysfunctional prime minister and his government will be simply looking for what is sadly missing in Mr Jenkinss piece, namely accountability. Michael Lavin Marcq-en-Barul, France

As someone who lost a relative to Covid in 2020 and who is following the Covid inquiry, I want to know who will be held accountable for the multiple levels of harm done to children, to families, to vulnerable people, to businesses and to livelihoods. I want some faith restored in our democracy and integrity restored. Boris Johnson has no redeemable characteristics let this be the final proof of that, and what helps our society to heal. June Findlater Lanark

I spent a large part of my career investigating claims of harassment and sex discrimination as well as general mismanagement in workplaces. I never found an officewhere there was misogyny but everything else was fine. Iamnot surprised to read that therewas misogyny at No 10 andthat the handling of the Covidcrisis was a nightmare. Susan Mahoney Portland, Maine, US

Have an opinion on anything youve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

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The Covid inquiry must look at facts as well as guilt - The Guardian

Brain health deteriorated more rapidly for people 50 and older during the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the PROTECT study in England suggested.

Across the entire cohort of 3,100 people, both executive function (effect size 0.15) and working memory (effect size 0.51) worsened during the first year of the pandemic, according to Anne Corbett, PhD, of the University of Exeter in England, and colleagues.

These trends were echoed in people with mild cognitive impairment (effect sizes 0.13 and 0.40, respectively) and in people who had COVID-19 (effect sizes 0.24 and 0.46), the researchers reported in Lancet Healthy Longevity.

In the second year of the pandemic, worsening working memory was sustained across the entire cohort (effect size 0.47). Changes were associated with known dementia risk factors, including increased alcohol use and reduced exercise.

"Our findings suggest that lockdowns and other restrictions we experienced during the pandemic have had a real lasting impact on brain health in people aged 50 or over, even after the lockdowns ended," Corbett said in a statement.

"This raises the important question of whether people are at a potentially higher risk of cognitive decline which can lead to dementia," she noted.

"Our findings also highlight the need for policymakers to consider the wider health impacts of restrictions like lockdowns when planning for a future pandemic response," Corbett added.

Despite much progress in understanding the virology, transmission, and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, the long-term consequences of COVID-19 and pandemic restrictions are largely unknown, observed Dorina Cadar, PhD, of Brighton and Sussex Medical School in Brighton, England, in an accompanying editorial.

"Although initially thought to cause acute respiratory symptoms, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on other systems -- including the central and peripheral nervous system -- is becoming increasingly clear," Cadar wrote.

Evidence for pandemic-associated effects of isolation, loneliness, post-traumatic stress, depression, fear, anger, and confusion is "overwhelming," she added.

Corbett and colleagues assessed neuropsychology test data from 3,142 participants ages 50 and older in the U.K. PROTECT study. About half of the cohort (54%) were women, mean age was 67.5, and 98% were white. A total of 752 participants had SARS-CoV-2 infection during the course of the study and 147 had mild cognitive impairment.

Data were collected from the same people at three time points: before the pandemic (March 2019 through February 2020), and during its first (March 2020 through February 2021) and second (March 2021 through February 2022) years. Evaluations included logical reasoning and problem-solving tests to assess executive function and three working memory tests. Participants also reported lifestyle factors and underwent depression assessments annually.

Cognitive decline was significantly associated with reduced exercise (P=0.0049 for executive function) and increased alcohol use (P=0.049 for working memory) across the whole cohort. Declines in working memory were linked with depression (P=0.011) in those with a history of COVID-19, and with loneliness (P=0.0038) in those with mild cognitive impairment.

In the second year of the pandemic, reduced exercise continued to be linked with lower executive function across the whole cohort. Relationships were sustained between worsening working memory and reduced exercise, loneliness, and depression in those who had COVID, and increased alcohol use, loneliness, and depression in those with mild cognitive impairment.

"The sustained decline in cognition highlights the need for public health interventions to mitigate the risk of dementia -- particularly in people with mild cognitive impairment, in whom conversion to dementia within 5 years is a substantial risk," Corbett and colleagues noted. "Long-term intervention for people with a history of COVID-19 should be considered to support cognitive health."

The study has limitations, the researchers acknowledged. The PROTECT cohort is self-selected and is biased toward people with higher education levels, they noted. Subgroup analyses were exploratory and the number of people in the mild cognitive impairment group was relatively small. Importantly, causality cannot be assumed, they cautioned, and other confounding factors may have influenced results.

Judy George covers neurology and neuroscience news for MedPage Today, writing about brain aging, Alzheimers, dementia, MS, rare diseases, epilepsy, autism, headache, stroke, Parkinsons, ALS, concussion, CTE, sleep, pain, and more. Follow

Disclosures

This study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Corbett reported relationships with Synexus, reMYND, and Novo Nordisk.

Co-authors reported relationships with Future Cognition, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute on Aging, AB Science, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Alkahest, Alpha Cognition, ALZpath, Annovis Bio, AriBio, Artery Therapeutics, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Biosplice Therapeutics, Cassava Sciences, Cerevel Therapeutics, Clinilabs, Cortexyme, Diadem Biotherapeutics, EIP Pharma, Eisai, Gatehouse Bio, GemVax & KAEL, Genentech, Green Valley, Grifols, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Karuna Therapeutics, Lexeo Therapeutics, Lilly, Lundbeck, LSP Dementia, Merck, NervGen Pharma, Novo Nordisk, Oligomerix, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Pharmatrophix, PRODEO Institute, Prothena Biosciences, reMYND, Renew Pharmaceuticals, Resverlogix, Roche, Signant, Suven Life Sciences, Unlearn, AI, Vaxxinity, Vigil Neuro, Zai Lab, Synexus, reMYND, Tau Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson, Suven Life Sciences, Sunovion, Exciva, Roche, AbbVie, Orion Pharma, BioExcel, AARP, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Axome Therapeutics.

Cadar reported no relationships with industry.

Primary Source

The Lancet Healthy Longevity

Source Reference: Corbett A, et al "Cognitive decline in older adults in the UK during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of PROTECT study data" Lancet Healthy Longe 2023; DOI: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00187-3.

Secondary Source

The Lancet Healthy Longevity

Source Reference: Cadar, D "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cognitive decline" Lancet Healthy Longe 2023; DOI: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00216-7.

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Brain Health Took a Hit During the COVID Pandemic - Medpage Today

The era of lockdowns, mandatory mask wearing, and daily case number updates seems long gone, but COVID has not yet left our shores.

Case numbers have increased in every state and territory in the last reporting period, with health authorities saying it marks the beginning of a new wave of infections.

Here'sthe latest on COVID in Australia and how the government will be releasing figures from now on.

COVID-19 cases havebeen gradually increasing since mid to late August, according to the federal health department.

National data tracks cases on a rolling seven-day average which is calculated by dividing the week's figures by seven rather than reporting daily totals.

In the week ending October 24, 6,550 cases of COVID-19 were reported across Australia, an average of 936 cases aday.

This marked an increase of 23.6 per cent on the previous week.

Here's a rundown of the latest COVID advice.

The graph below shows a snapshot of what's happening right now with COVID case numbers in Australia.

Federal health figures show new case numbers taking a sharp dip at the end of September before bouncing back, with numbers rising throughout October.

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But, when you compare that to the graph below which reports the numbers from January 2022, it's clear to see the number of recorded cases are much lower than they werelast year.

However, it's also important to note that these graphs only chartconfirmed COVID-19 cases, which may be much lower than the actual number of cases due to a drop in mandatory reporting.

National COVID-related hospitalisations have also begun climbing since late August.

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In mid-October, health officials announcedCOVID-19 was no longer a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance (CDINS).

Shortly after the federal governmentdecided to end the country's COVID-19 emergency response, announcing nationalCOVID-19 reporting would shift from weekly to monthly.

"The removal of the CDINS declaration will not have any significant impact on the ongoing management of COVID-19 in Australia, given that most of the national coordination and response measures have already ended," Australia's chief medical officer Paul Kelly said.

The final weekly COVID update was from October 24.

In a statement, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee said "the availability and reliability of particular metrics, such as case information, has decreased".

Week-to-week changes in data "do not demonstrate clear trends" and a reduced reporting frequency would allow "more meaningful assessments" of disease transmission and impact over time.

New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria COVID updates are reported monthly via the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care website.

That depends on a few things:

The advice on boosters comes from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

In September, ATAGI recommended all adults aged 75 and over get another booster if they hadn't had one in the past six months.

It also advised the following groups to talk to their doctor about whether they needed a second booster for the year:

It said it didn't recommend another booster shot for younger people or older adults who'd already had a booster this year.

Before September, ATAGI put out a booster reminder in February.

Back then, it recommended all adults aged 65 or older get a booster dose if it had been six months since their last vaccine or infection.

The same advice was put out for adults aged 18 to 64 who had medical comorbidities that increase their risk of severe COVID-19, or disability with significant or complex health needs.

At the time, it only advised people in the following groups to consider a booster shot:

On October 26, Victoria's acting chief health officer Christian McGrath announced community transmission of COVID-19 had increased to levels not observed since May.

Dr McGrath has suggested all Melburnians consider donning masks again in public places.

According to NSW Health, Sydney could be facing a "COVID Christmas" for the third year in a row.

Data shows COVID is currently circulating at moderate levels across the state, but wastewater surveillance, emergency department presentations, and outbreaks in aged care facilities suggest the virus is on the rise again.

NSW Health's director of Communicable Diseases, Dr Christine Selvey, says modelling suggests a new wave of COVID will peak into December.

Dr Selvey only went as far as recommending face masksin public if symptomatic.

Read more from the original source:

Another COVID-19 wave is coming. Here's how case numbers are trending and who needs a booster - ABC News

Dr Siouxsie Wiles. Photo / Arvid Eriksson

Covid-19 expert Dr Siouxsie Wiles is taking on the University of Auckland in the Employment Court this week.

The three-week hearing follows complaints to the Employment Relations Authority, claiming the university employer failed to respond adequately to safety concerns arising from harassment and threats from the public.

An earlier determination, in 2021, noted Sean Hendy (a professor at the university at that time) and Wiles (an associate professor) suffered vitriolic, unpleasant, and deeply personalised threats impacting their physical safety and mental health.

Wiles was the victim of doxxing - the act of publishing revealing personal details online - while Hendy was physically confronted at his university office. (Hendy is no longer part of proceedings. He resolved his differences with the university when he left for a new role with Toha NZ in October last year).

The university denies unjustifiably disadvantaging the academics or breaching its statutory obligations.

On top of determining the limits of the universitys obligation to respond adequately to safety concerns, the case spotlights academic freedom.

Academia is unlike most professions, which typically bind employees through sweeping dont mar our reputation policies.

Instead, the Education and Training Act 2020 says universities are required to accept a role as critic and conscience of society. Academic freedom is defined as the freedom to question the status quo and put forward new ideas and opinions, irrespective of controversy or popularity.

As a concept, academic freedom prescribes universities and academics with protections to question the status quo without fear of retribution or government persuasion.

In 1997, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation released its Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personel.

[The right to education, teaching and research can only be fully enjoyed in an atmosphere of academic freedom and autonomy for institutions of higher education and that the open communication of findings, hypotheses and opinions lies at the very heart of higher education and provides the strongest guarantee of the accuracy and objectivity of scholarship and research, the recommendation reads.

The leading case law stems from Rigg v University of Waikato in 1984. The case involved a dismissal linked to an article in the student magazine, Nexus, alleging the university failed to effectively oversee a laboratory, which possibly resulted in students dying of cancer. The article also claimed the university concealed the matter to safeguard its reputation.

The case clarified that academics could criticise universities, but could not do so willy-nilly.

Instead, academic freedom required elements of truth, sincerity or good faith, and consideration for others.

In 2006, Lally v The Vice-Chancellor Victoria University of Wellington involved an associate professor who was a support person during a disciplinary process. The academic later described the process as deficient in an email addressed to about 200 people.

The vice-chancellor didnt reply all, instead writing a response to the associate professor acknowledging the academics right to raise concerns but taking issue with the nature of the delivery.

You should be aware that if you breach this instruction then disciplinary action could follow, the letter read.

The group of about 200 people received another email, this time including the vice-chancellors instructions.

Disciplinary action followed, and the applicant issued a personal grievance. Although the vice-chancellors instruction was deemed unreasonable, the ERA found the academics conduct didnt constitute academic freedom as a disinterested observer could conclude the academics penchant to press send all wasnt constructive nor intended to improve understanding.

[T]his is a case in which I would have no hesitation in otherwise applying 100 per cent contributory fault, the determination read. Ouch.

These cases described what wasnt academic freedom in the context of keeping academics in line, giving no insight into its parameters. In contrast, this months hearing is quite the headache.

Here, the University of Auckland has argued academic freedom would not apply because Wiles and Hendys Covid-19 commentaries were done in a personal capacity.

The 2021 determination highlighted a letter from the university that asked the academics to keep their public commentary to a minimum and to take paid leave to minimise any social media comments at present. Activity outside of work hours could - in theory - potentially limit the extent of the universitys duty to address safety concerns.

The counterargument involves the possibility that Covid-19 was academic freedom in action and central to the academics work. Any suggestions to limit commentary could be seen as an attempt to stifle said freedoms, with the added insult of being harmed in the process.

What does this mean? The Employment Court has its work cut out for it.

Wellington-based freelancer Sasha Borissenko did a law degree at Otago University followed by a masters (hons) in journalism at Massey University.

See the original post here:

What's at stake as Siouxsie Wiles takes on Auckland Uni in the Employment Court this week - New Zealand Herald