All Signs Point to a New Wave

by Jonathan Spira

If you are noticing more people donning face masks recently, there’s good reason: As regular readers of this space and the Morning News Brief know, cases are on the rise and we believe this points to a late-summer wave of SARS-CoV-2.
The increase comes as the new omicron subvariant EG.5 became dominant in the United States, although there’s no clear connection that shows that the subvariant is directly responsible for the …

Hooray! There’s Yet Another New Long Covid Symptom

by Jonathan Spira

As many readers of this space know, I don’t just write about Covid and Long Covid. Rather, I am a Long Covid patient, now director of research at the Center for Long Covid Research, and I have been exploring and analyzing my way back to a semblance of health.
It is with mixed emotions that I announce that a new study just revealed a previously unknown symptom of Long Covid.
The study, …

Photo Essay: Maui Before the Wildfires Came

by Kurt Stolz

Hawaii just experienced the deadliest wildfires to occur in the United States in over a century on the island of Maui.
Maui is the second largest of the islands that comprise the state of Hawaii and its diverse landscapes are the result of a unique combination of geology, topography, and climate.
Polynesians from Tahiti were the first to inhabit Maui but modern Hawaiʻian history began in the mid-18th century when Kameheamecha I, …

EG.5 is Here: We Can Breathe Easier Now… Or Can We?

by Jonathan Spira

Cases of SARS-CoV-2 are trending upward in many countries across the globe and concerns are rising over the new omicron sublineage that is driving the increase, EG.5.
Last week it became the dominant variant in the United Kingdom and this week it did the same in the United States.
Moreover, the World Health Organization just classified EG.5 as a “variant of interest,” which means that EG.5 has genetic changes that give it …

Good Night, Mrs. Tenpenny, Wherever You Are.

by Jonathan Spira

The doctor who contended that vaccinated people become magnetized is now, perhaps not unsurprisingly, no longer a doctor in terms of being able to practice medicine.
The State Medical Board of Ohio indefinitely suspended the license of  Sherri Tenpenny.  Tenpenny had her 15 minutes of fame after testifying to state lawmakers in June 2021 that coronavirus vaccinations made people magnetic.
When I read her testimony, I had to check that I was …

How Could Anyone Think Buying a Nutritional Supplement Called ‘Space Dust’ With Zero Labeling at a Gas Station Is a Good Idea?

by Anna Breuer

The use and abuse of kratom has risen in the United States in recent years.
For the uninitiated, kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia.  It contains the alkaloid mitragynine, which can produce stimulant effects in low doses and some opioid-like effects at higher doses.
Some studies have suggested there is the potential for both dependency and abuse with kratom.
Of some significance is the fact that the Food and Drug Administration …

Zooming Back to the Office: The Company That Supported Remote Work at the Start of the Pandemic Wants Its Employees Back at Their Desks

by Paul Riegler

Without even a hint of irony, Zoom has told its employees to return to the office for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The video communications tool saw a boom during the dramatic shift to remote work revolution amidst the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
While the company’s stock skyrocketed at the start of the pandemic, it has taken a nose dive since employees started trickling back to the …