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<title>31 January, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Human Amylin in the Presence of SARS-COV-2 Protein Fragments</strong> -
<div>
Covid-19 can lead to the onset of type-II diabetes which is associated with aggregation of islet amyloid polypeptides, also called amylin. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate how the equilibrium, between amylin monomers in its functional form and fibrils associated with diabetes, is altered in presence of SARS-COV-2 protein fragments. For this purpose, we study the interaction between the fragment SFYVYSRVK of the Envelope protein or the fragment FKNIDGYFKI of the Spike protein with the monomer and two amylin fibril models. Our results are compared with earlier work studying such interactions for two different proteins.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.30.526275v1" target="_blank">Human Amylin in the Presence of SARS-COV-2 Protein Fragments</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A dual diffusion model enables 3D binding bioactive molecule generation and lead optimization given target pockets</strong> -
<div>
Structure-based generative chemistry aims to explore much bigger chemical space to design a ligand with high binding affinity to the target proteins; it is a critical step in de novo computer-aided drug discovery. Traditional in silico methods suffer from calculation inefficiency and the performances of existing machine learning methods could be bottlenecked by the auto-regressive sampling strategy. To address these concerns, we herein have developed a novel conditional deep generative model, PMDM, for 3D molecule generation fitting specified target proteins. PMDM incorporates a dual equivariant diffusion model framework to leverage the local and global molecular dynamics to generate 3D molecules in a one-shot fashion. By considering the conditioned protein semantic information and spatial information, PMDM is able to generate chemically and conformationally valid molecules which suitably fit pocket holes. We have conducted comprehensive experiments to demonstrate that PMDM can generate drug-like, synthesis-accessible, novel, and high-binding affinity molecules targeting specific proteins, outperforming the state-of-the-art (SOTA) models in terms of multiple evaluation metrics. In addition, we perform chemical space analysis for generated molecules and lead compound optimization for SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) by only utilizing three atoms as the seed fragment. The experimental results implicate that the structures of generated molecules are rational compared to the reference molecules, and PMDM can generate massive bioactive molecules highly binding to the targeted proteins which are not included in the training set.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.28.526011v1" target="_blank">A dual diffusion model enables 3D binding bioactive molecule generation and lead optimization given target pockets</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Machine learning models for predicting severe COVID-19 outcomes in hospitals</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives The aim of this observational retrospective study is to improve early risk stratification of hospitalized Covid-19 patients by predicting in-hospital mortality, transfer to intensive care unit (ICU) and mechanical ventilation from electronic health record data of the first 24 hours after admission. Methods and Results Our machine learning model predicts in-hospital mortality (AUC=0.918), transfer to ICU (AUC=0.821) and the need for mechanical ventilation (AUC=0.654) from a few laboratory data of the first 24 hours after admission. Models based on dichotomous features indicating whether a laboratory values exceeds or falls below a threshold perform nearly as good as models based on numerical features. Conclusions We devise completely data-driven and interpretable machine-learning models for the prediction of in-hospital mortality, transfer to ICU and mechanical ventilation for hospitalized Covid-19 patients within 24 hours after admission. Numerical values of CRP and blood sugar and dichotomous indicators for increased partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) are amongst the best predictors.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.28.22281646v2" target="_blank">Machine learning models for predicting severe COVID-19 outcomes in hospitals</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Demographic and Viral-Genetic Analyses of COVID-19 Severity in Bahrain Identify Local Risk Factors and a Protective Effect of Polymerase Mutations</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A multitude of demographic, health, and genetic factors are associated with the risk of developing severe COVID-19 following infection by the SARS-CoV-2. There is a need to perform studies across human societies and to investigate the full spectrum of genetic variation of the virus. Using data from 869 COVID-19 patients in Bahrain between March 2020 and March 2021, we analyzed paired viral sequencing and non-genetic host data to understand host and viral determinants of severe COVID-19. We estimated the effects of demographic variables specific to the Bahrain population and found that the impact of health factors are largely consistent with other populations. To extend beyond the common variants of concern in the Spike protein analyzed by previous studies, we used a viral burden approach and detected a protective effect of low-frequency missense viral mutations in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (Pol) gene on disease severity. Our results contribute to the survey of severe COVID-19 in diverse populations and highlight the benefits of studying rare viral mutations.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.13.22278740v2" target="_blank">Demographic and Viral-Genetic Analyses of COVID-19 Severity in Bahrain Identify Local Risk Factors and a Protective Effect of Polymerase Mutations</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Long-term changes in human mobility responses to COVID-19-related information in Japan</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How human behaviour has changed over the long term in response to COVID-19-related information, such as the number of COVID-19-infected cases and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), is under-researched. It is also unclear how the increasing vaccination rates have affected human mobility. We estimate human mobility responses to such COVID-19-related information via the interactive effects model, which controls unobservable human mobility factors, using publicly available daily data on 9human mobility for retail and recreation9 and 9residential spent time9 in each Japanese prefecture. The results show that Japanese citizens were generally fearful of an unknown virus in the first wave of infection; however, they gradually habituated themselves to similar infection information in the subsequent waves. Nevertheless, the level of habituation decreased in view of information regarding new variants that differed from the previous ones. In contrast, as for NPIs, it is more plausible to consider human mobility responses to varying requests rather than habituation. We also find that rapid vaccination promotion motivates people to go out. Furthermore, we are the first to identify spatial interaction of infection information and heterogeneous responses during increasing and decreasing phases of infection. The long-term analysis is crucial for evidence-based policymaking during the long-term pandemic and future pandemics.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.15.22278703v4" target="_blank">Long-term changes in human mobility responses to COVID-19-related information in Japan</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Optimality of Maximal-Effort Vaccination</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It is widely acknowledged that vaccinating at maximal effort in the face of an ongoing epidemic is the best strategy to minimise infections and deaths from the disease. Despite this, no one has proved that this is guaranteed to be true if the disease follows multi-group SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) dynamics. This paper provides a novel proof of this principle for the existing SIR framework, showing that the total number of deaths or infections from an epidemic is decreasing in vaccination effort. Furthermore, it presents a novel model for vaccination which assumes that vaccines are distributed randomly to the unvaccinated population and suggests, using COVID-19 data, that this more accurately captures vaccination dynamics than the model commonly found in the literature. However, as the novel model provides a strictly larger set of possible vaccination policies, the results presented in this paper hold for both models.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.12.22275015v2" target="_blank">Optimality of Maximal-Effort Vaccination</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Could Attitudes Toward COVID-19 in Spain Render Men More Vulnerable Than Women?</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-1 pandemic affects the whole world. Spain is 3rd in the world and 2nd in Europe with largest number of diagnosed cases. Spanish citizens’ attitudes are important in controlling the pandemic. This research assessed key attitudes of the Spanish people toward COVID-19. One study (n =64) was conducted in a shopping center in Madrid and another (n= 640) online. The results of both studies suggest that women in Spain have a ‘more responsible’ attitude toward the COVID-19 than men. Young adults (18-25 years) appear to perceive less threatening the epidemic than older adults. Spanish people’s personal concern about COVID-19 is less than their perceived social alarm about it. Compliance is the strongest predictor of the approval to stay at home, which is the highest rated preventive measure by the Spanish people. These results might help policy makers in targeting public attitudes which could play an important role in the exponentially rising cases of COVID-19.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/dyxqn/" target="_blank">Could Attitudes Toward COVID-19 in Spain Render Men More Vulnerable Than Women?</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Unrealistic optimism and HEXACO traits as predictors of risk perception and compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures during the first wave of pandemic</strong> -
<div>
The aims of this study were to examine possible differences and factors that contribute to risk perception and compliance with preventive measures at the beginning (T1) and the end (T2) of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 423 participants (M = 30.29, SD = 14.45; 69% female). Compliance, risk perception and trust in information were significantly higher in T1 than T2. For risk perception, significant predictors in both T1 and T2 were age, Emotionality (HEXACO-PI-R) and Unrealistic Optimism (NLE, Negative Life Events). Trust in information was a significant predictor in T1, while Unrealistic Optimism (Positive Life Events) was a signifi-cant predictor in T2. For compliance, significant predictors in T1 were gender and trust in information while in T2 were Emo-tionality, Extraversion, Conscientiousness (HEXACO-PI-R), NLE and trust in information, for both T1 and T2. In general, findings suggest a much more pronounced role of personality traits in adherence to protective measures at the end than at the beginning of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia. Also, the results indicate the role of unrealistic opti-mism regarding negative life events in lower compliance with protective measures.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/rt64j/" target="_blank">Unrealistic optimism and HEXACO traits as predictors of risk perception and compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures during the first wave of pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Migrant healthcare workers during COVID-19: bringing an intersectional health system-related approach into pandemic protection. A German case study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction. Migrant healthcare workers played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, but data are lacking especially for high-resourced European healthcare systems. This study aims to research migrant healthcare workers through an intersectional health system-related approach, using Germany as a case study. Methods. An intersectional research framework was created and a rapid scoping study performed. Secondary analysis of selected items taken from two COVID-19 surveys was undertaken to compare perceptions of national and foreign-born healthcare workers, using descriptive statistics. Results. Available research is focused on worst-case pandemic scenarios of Brazil and the United Kingdom, highlighting racialised discrimination and higher risks of migrant healthcare workers. The German data did not reveal significant differences between national-born and foreign-born healthcare workers for items related to health status including SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, and perception of infection risk, protective workplace measures, and government measures, but items related to social participation and work conditions with higher infection risk indicate a higher burden of migrant healthcare workers. Conclusions. COVID-19 pandemic policy must include migrant healthcare workers, but simply adding the migration status is not enough. We introduce an intersectional health systems-related approach to understand how pandemic policies create social inequalities and how the protection of migrant healthcare workers may be improved.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.28.23285135v1" target="_blank">Migrant healthcare workers during COVID-19: bringing an intersectional health system-related approach into pandemic protection. A German case study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 and postoperative outcomes</strong> -
<div>
Background Surgical decision making after SARS-CoV-2 infection is influenced by the presence of comorbidity, infection severity, and whether the surgical problem is time-sensitive. Contemporary surgical policy to delay surgery is informed by heterogenous guidance. We aimed to evaluate surgical provision during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess real-world practice and whether deferral remains necessary. Methods Using the OpenSAFELY platform, we adapted the COVIDSurg protocol for a service evaluation of surgical procedures that took place within the English NHS from 17 March 2018 to 17 March 2022. We evaluated whether hospitals within the English NHS adhered to guidance not to operate on patients with seven weeks of an indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additional outcomes were postoperative all-cause mortality (30-day, 6-month), and complications (pulmonary, cardiac, cerebrovascular). The exposure was the interval between the most-recent indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent surgery. Findings In any 6-month window, less than 3% of surgical procedures were conducted within seven weeks of an indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mortality for surgery conducted within two weeks of a positive test in the pandemic-with-vaccine era was 1·1%, declining to 0·3% by four weeks. Compared to the COVIDSurg study cohort, outcomes for patient in the English NHS cohort were better during the COVIDSurg data collection period and the pandemic-no-vaccine era. Interpretation Clinicians within the English NHS followed national guidance by operating on very few patients within seven weeks of a positive indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Surgical patients’ overall risk following an indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection was and is lower than previously thought. Funding Salaries were funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre. Data assets were funded by UK Research and Innovation. The OpenSAFELY Platform is supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, NIHR, and Health Data Research UK.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/wf2ce/" target="_blank">Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 and postoperative outcomes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>High number of SARS-CoV-2 persistent infections uncovered through genetic analysis of samples from a large community-based surveillance study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Persistent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections may act as viral reservoirs that could seed future outbreaks 1-5, give rise to highly divergent lineages 6-8, and contribute to cases with post-acute Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) sequelae (Long Covid) 9,10. However, the population prevalence of persistent infections, their viral load kinetics, and evolutionary dynamics over the course of infections remain largely unknown. We identified 381 infections lasting at least 30 days, of which 54 lasted at least 60 days. These persistently infected individuals had more than 50% higher odds of self-reporting Long Covid compared to the infected controls, and we estimate that 0.09-0.5% of SARS-CoV-2 infections can become persistent and last for at least 60 days. In nearly 70% of the persistent infections we identified, there were long periods during which there were no consensus changes in virus sequences, consistent with prolonged presence of non-replicating virus. Our findings also suggest reinfections with the same major lineage are rare and that many persistent infections are characterised by relapsing viral load dynamics. Furthermore, we found a strong signal for positive selection during persistent infections, with multiple amino acid substitutions in the Spike and ORF1ab genes emerging independently in different individuals, including mutations that are lineage-defining for SARS-CoV-2 variants, at target sites for several monoclonal antibodies, and commonly found in immunocompromised patients 11-14. This work has significant implications for understanding and characterising SARS-CoV-2 infection, epidemiology, and evolution.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.29.23285160v1" target="_blank">High number of SARS-CoV-2 persistent infections uncovered through genetic analysis of samples from a large community-based surveillance study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Ethical Issues in Residency Education Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Inquiry Study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Amidst the pandemic, residency programs were faced with new challenges to provide care and educate junior doctors (resident physicians). We sought to understand both the positive and negative experiences of first-year residents during COVID-19, as well as to describe potential ethical issues from their stories. Method: We used narrative inquiry (NI) methodology and applied a semi-structured interview guide that included questions pertaining to ethical principles as well as both positive and negative aspects of the pandemic. Sampling was purposive. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Three members of the research team coded transcripts in duplicate to elicit themes. A composite story with threads was constructed. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion to attain consensus. Results: Eleven residents participated from Internal Medicine (n=2), Family Medicine (n=2), Ophthalmology (n=1), General Surgery (n=1), Pediatrics (n=1), Diagnostic Radiology (n=1), Public Health (n=1), Psychiatry (n=1), Emergency Medicine (n=1). Resident stories had three common themes in which ethical issues were described: 1) Intersecting healthcare and medical education systems, 2) Public health and the public good, 3) Health systems planning/healthcare delivery. Discussion: The pandemic exacerbated the lack of autonomy experienced by resident physicians. The notion of public health and the public good at times eclipsed individual wellbeing for residents and patients alike. Conclusion: Efforts to understand how resident physicians can be engaged in their own education as well as how they can navigate public health crises with respect to ethical principles could benefit both residency education and healthcare delivery.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.27.23285063v1" target="_blank">Ethical Issues in Residency Education Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Inquiry Study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Effects of Expectations and Worries on the Experience of COVID-19 Symptoms</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has been shown to have profound effects on both mental and physical health. Distress and widespread uncertainty about global events and personal risk are associated with increased worry and negative expectations that impact physical health. Thus, the current pandemic poses a possibility for the experience of nocebo effects. Objective: To evaluate the likelihood of nocebo-induced COVID-19 symptoms in a US sample. Methods: An online study on the mental health impact of COVID-19 asked participants to complete a set of biweekly surveys over a 6-month period between April 2020 and May 2021. We focus on responses from 3,027 individuals who reported never testing positive for COVID-19. We assessed the association between two types of worry and self-reported symptoms of COVID-19. We used multi-level models to examine variations across and within participants over time. We further investigated the effects of pre-existing health conditions and mental health status. Results: There was a positive association between symptoms and both general (b= 2.56, p&lt;0.01) and personal worry (b=2.77, p&lt;0.01). However, worry reported at one timepoint was not specifically associated with symptoms reported two weeks later (p = 0.63, p=0.56). We also found that a greater number of prior clinical comorbidities and greater mental health burden were significant predictors of symptom reporting. Conclusions: These results suggest that increased worries during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with greater symptoms. Further studies investigating worry and symptoms in populations with confirmed negative COVID-19 tests or isolated populations will be needed to isolate the occurrence of true nocebo effects during the pandemic.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.26.23284911v1" target="_blank">The Effects of Expectations and Worries on the Experience of COVID-19 Symptoms</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Short- and longer-term all-cause mortality among SARS-CoV-2- infected persons and the pull-forward phenomenon in Qatar</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Risk of short- and long-term all-cause mortality after a primary SARS-CoV-2 infection is inadequately understood. Methods: A national, matched, retrospective cohort study was conducted in Qatar to assess the risk of all-cause mortality in the national cohort of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with a reference national control cohort of uninfected persons. Associations were estimated using Cox proportional-hazards regression models. Results: Among unvaccinated persons, within 90 days after primary infection, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) comparing incidence of death in the primary-infection cohort with the infection-naive cohort was 1.19 (95% CI: 1.02-1.39). The aHR was 1.34 (95% CI: 1.11-1.63) in persons more clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19 and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.72-1.24) in those less clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19. In subsequent follow-up, the aHR was 0.50 (95% CI: 0.37-0.68). The aHR was 0.41 (95% CI: 0.28-0.58) in months 3-7 after the primary infection and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.46-1.26) in subsequent months. The aHR was 0.37 (95% CI: 0.25-0.54) in persons more clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19 and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.48-1.24) in those less clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19. Among vaccinated persons, no evidence was found for differences in incidence of death in the primary-infection versus infection-naive cohorts, even among persons more clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19. Conclusions: COVID-19 mortality in Qatar appears primarily driven by forward displacement of deaths of individuals with relatively short life expectancy and more clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19. Vaccination negated the mortality displacement by preventing early deaths.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.29.23285152v1" target="_blank">Short- and longer-term all-cause mortality among SARS-CoV-2- infected persons and the pull-forward phenomenon in Qatar</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A large-scale machine learning study of sociodemographic factors contributing to COVID-19 severity</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Understanding sociodemographic factors behind COVID-19 severity relates to significant methodological difficulties, such as differences in testing policies and epidemics phase, as well as a large number of predictors that can potentially contribute to severity. To account for these difficulties, we assemble 115 predictors for more than 3000 US counties and employ a well-defined COVID-19 severity measure derived from epidemiological dynamics modeling. We then use a number of advanced feature selection techniques from machine learning to determine which of these predictors significantly impact the disease severity. We obtain a surprisingly simple result, where only two variables are clearly and robustly selected - population density and proportion of African Americans. Possible causes behind this result are discussed. We argue that the approach may be useful whenever significant determinants of disease progression over diverse geographic regions should be selected from a large number of potentially important factors.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.27.23285043v1" target="_blank">A large-scale machine learning study of sociodemographic factors contributing to COVID-19 severity</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Plitidepsin Versus Control in Immunocompromised Adult Participants With Symptomatic COVID-19 Requiring Hospital Care</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Plitidepsin<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   PharmaMar<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Evaluation of Corfluvec Vaccine for the Prevention of COVID-19 in Healthy Volunteers</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Corfluvec component 1 low dose;   Biological: Corfluvec component 2 low dose;   Biological: Corfluvec component 1 high dose;   Biological: Corfluvec component 2 high dose;   Biological: Corfluvec low dose;   Biological: Corfluvec high dose;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Tatyana Zubkova;   MDP-CRO, LLC;   St. Petersburg State Pavlov Medical University<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Self-testing Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: SMARTest mobile app for COVID-19 self-testing<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Columbia University<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study of Efficacy and Safety of Azvudine vs. Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir in the Treatment of COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Azvudine;   Drug: Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Shandong Provincial Hospital;   Central hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University;   The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University;   The Affiliated Hospital Of Southwest Medical University;   Gansu Provincial Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Chatbot to Enhance COVID-19 Knowledge</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: chatbot;   Other: Printed educational booklet<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sun Yat-sen University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Radiation: Low-Dose Radiation Therapy<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Jiangsu Cancer Institute &amp; Hospital;   Nanjing Chest Hospital;   The Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University;   Central South University;   Zhongda Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tetrandrine Tablets Used in Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Tetrandrine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Peking University Third Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Phase 2 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of QLS1128 Orally in Symptomatic Participants With Mild to Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: QLS1128;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Efficacy of Megadose Vitamin C in Severe and Critical Ill COVID-19 Patients.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Vitamin C;   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Vitamin C;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Zhujiang Hospital<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Oropharyngeal Immunoprophylaxis With High Polyphenolic Olive Oil as Clinical Spectrum Mitigating Factor in COVID-19.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: High polyphenolic olive oil. (Early harvest olive oil).<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Hospital General Nuestra Señora del Prado<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Randomized, Phase I Study of DNA Vaccine OC-007 as a Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection;   COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reaction<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: DNA vaccine OC-007;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Matti Sällberg<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Multicenter Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Study to Investigate Azvudine in Symptomatic Adults With COVID-19 at Increased Risk of Progressing to Severe Illness</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Azvudine;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Peking Union Medical College Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>UC-MSCs in the Treatment of Severe and Critical COVID-19 Patients With Refractory Hypoxia</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Mesenchymal Stem Cell;   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: UC-MSCs treatment<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Shanghai East Hospital;   Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety and Efficacy of the Therapy With BREINMAX® for the Treatment of Patients With Asthenia After COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Asthenia;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ethyl methyl hydroxypyridine succinate + Meldonium;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Promomed, LLC<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Aerosolized Versus Intravenous Colistin-based Antimicrobial Regimens in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients With Bacterial Coinfection: A Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Secondary Bacterial Infection in COVID-19 Patients<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Colistin<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Beni-Suef University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Series of Adenosine Analogs as the First Efficacious Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Drugs against the B.1.1.529.4 Lineage: A Preclinical Repurposing Research Study</strong> - Given the rapid progression of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an ultrafast response was urgently required to handle this major public crisis. To contain the pandemic, investments are required to develop diagnostic tests, prophylactic vaccines, and novel therapies. Lately, nucleoside analog (NA) antivirals topped the scene as top options for the treatment of COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Meanwhile, the continuous…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The impact of loneliness on compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines</strong> - Many individuals have been reluctant to follow the COVID-19 prevention guidelines (e.g., wearing a mask, physical distancing, and vigilant handwashing) set forth by the U.S. Center for Disease Control to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In this research, we use reciprocal altruism theory to investigate the role of loneliness and its impact on compliance with these guidelines. Our findings indicate that lonely individuals are less willing to comply with COVID-19 prevention guidelines than…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>B cell response after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in people living with HIV</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 elicits humoral and B cell responses quantitatively similar between PLWHIV and HCs, but there are important differences in terms of antibody functionality and phenotypes of memory B cells, reinforcing the notion that tailored vaccination policies should be considered for these patients.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Design, synthesis, docking, and biochemical characterization of non-nucleoside SARS-CoV-2 RdRp inhibitors</strong> - The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a worldwide pandemic. The identification of effective antiviral drugs remains an urgent medical need. In this context, here we report 17 new 1,4-benzopyrone derivatives, which have been designed, synthesized, and characterized for their ability to block the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) enzyme, a promising target for antiviral drug discovery. This compound series represents a good starting point for developing…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Broadly neutralizing aptamers to SARS-CoV-2: a diverse panel of modified DNA antiviral agents</strong> - Since its discovery COVID-19 has rapidly spread across the globe with a massive toll on human health with infection mortality rates as high as 10% and a crippling impact on the world economy. Despite numerous advances there remains an urgent need for accurate and rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, and better therapeutic treatment options. To contribute chemically distinct, non-protein-based affinity reagents, we report here the identification of modified DNA-based aptamers that selectively…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Functional nucleic acids as potent therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a severe threat to human life and the global economy. Although conventional treatments, including vaccines, antibodies, and small-molecule inhibitors, have been broadly developed, they usually fall behind the constant mutation of SARS-CoV-2, due to the long screening process and high production cost. Functional nucleic acid (FNA)-based therapeutics are a newly emerging promising means against COVID-19, considering their timely adaption to different mutants and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Protein post-translational modification in SARS-CoV-2 and host interaction</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 can cause lung diseases, such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multi-system dysfunction. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) related to SARS-CoV-2 are conservative and pathogenic, and the common PTMs are glycosylation, phosphorylation, and acylation. The glycosylation of SARS-CoV-2 mainly occurs on spike (S) protein, which mediates the entry of the virus into cells through interaction with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. SARS-CoV-2 utilizes glycans to…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inhibitory effect of phytochemicals towards SARS-CoV-2 papain like protease (PLpro) proteolytic and deubiquitinase activity</strong> - Recent studies have shown that RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), and papain-like protease (PLpro) are necessary for SARS-CoV-2 replication. Among these three enzymes, PLpro exhibits both proteolytic and deubiquitinase (DUB) activity and is responsible for disrupting the host’s innate immune response against SARS-CoV-2. Because of this unique property of PLpro, we investigated the inhibitory effects of phytochemicals on the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro enzyme. Our…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Quercetin as a possible complementary agent for early-stage COVID-19: Concluding results of a randomized clinical trial</strong> - Background: Quercetin, a natural polyphenol with demonstrated broad-spectrum antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, has been proposed as an adjuvant for early-stage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Objective: To explore the possible therapeutic effect of quercetin in outpatients with early-stage mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. Methods: This was an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at the department of medicine, King Edward Medical…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Selective SARS-CoV-2 Host-Directed Antiviral Targeting Stress Response to Reactive Oxygen Species</strong> - The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) catalyzed the development of vaccines and antivirals. Clinically approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2 target the virus directly, which makes them susceptible to viral mutations, which in turn can attenuate their antiviral activity. Here we report a host-directed antiviral (HDA), piperlongumine (PL), which exhibits robust antiviral activity as a result of selective induction of reactive oxygen species in infected cells by…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Robust Covalent Aptamer Strategy Enables Sensitive Detection and Enhanced Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Proteins</strong> - Aptamer-based detection and therapy have made substantial progress with cost control and easy modification. However, the conformation lability of an aptamer typically causes the dissociation of aptamer-target complexes during harsh washes and other environmental stresses, resulting in only moderate detection sensitivity and a decreasing therapeutic effect. Herein, we report a robust covalent aptamer strategy to sensitively detect nucleocapsid protein and potently neutralize spike protein…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Targeting an evolutionarily conserved “E-L-L” motif in spike protein to identify a small molecule fusion inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - As newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to pose major threats to global human health and economy, identifying novel druggable antiviral targets is the key toward sustenance. Here, we identify an evolutionarily conserved “Ex(3)Lx(6)L” (“E-L-L”) motif present within the HR2 domain of all human and nonhuman coronavirus spike (S) proteins that play a crucial role in stabilizing its postfusion six-helix bundle (6-HB) structure and thus, fusion-mediated viral entry. Mutations within this motif reduce…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Broad-spectrum antiviral inhibitors targeting pandemic potential RNA viruses</strong> - RNA viruses continue to remain a clear and present threat for potential pandemics due to their rapid evolution. To mitigate their impact, we urgently require antiviral agents that can inhibit multiple families of disease-causing viruses, such as arthropod-borne and respiratory pathogens. Potentiating host antiviral pathways can prevent or limit viral infections before escalating into a major outbreak. Therefore, it is critical to identify broad-spectrum antiviral agents. We have tested a small…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Systematic Survey of Reversibly Covalent Dipeptidyl Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 is the coronavirus pathogen of the currently prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. It relies on its main protease (M ^(Pro) ) for replication and pathogenesis. M ^(Pro) is a demonstrated target for the development of antivirals for SARS-CoV-2. Past studies have systematically explored tripeptidyl inhibitors such as nirmatrelvir as M ^(Pro) inhibitors. However, dipeptidyl inhibitors especially those with a spiro residue at their P2 position have not been systematically investigated. In this…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Extremely potent pan-sarbecovirus neutralizing antibodies generated by immunization of macaques with an AS03-adjuvanted monovalent subunit vaccine against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - The rapid emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants that evade immunity to vaccination has placed a global health imperative on the development of therapeutic countermeasures that provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses. Here, we identified extremely potent pan-sarbecovirus antibodies from non-human primates vaccinated with an AS03 adjuvanted subunit vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 that recognize conserved epitopes in the receptor binding domain (RBD) with femtomolar affinities….</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Police Folklore That Helped Kill Tyre Nichols</strong> - A 1992 study claims that officers who show weakness are more likely to be killed. Law-enforcement culture has never recovered. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-police-folklore-that-helped-kill-tyre-nichols">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ron DeSantis Battles the African American A.P. Course—and History</strong> - The state’s intent seems to be to provide white Floridians, from a young age, with a version of history that they can be comfortable with, regardless of whether it’s true. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/06/ron-desantis-battles-the-african-american-ap-course-and-history">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pope Francis Speaks Out on Homosexuality—and Further Angers Traditionalists</strong> - Since the death of Benedict XVI, it’s been open season at the Vatican. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/pope-francis-speaks-out-on-homosexuality-and-further-angers-traditionalists">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Israel’s Anti-Democratic Practices Against Palestinians Are Infecting Its Political System</strong> - Rising violence is drawing new attention to the alliance that Benjamin Netanyahu struck with the far right to return to power. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/deaths-in-jenin-and-east-jerusalem-draw-new-attention-to-netanyahu">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Strikes and Protests in France Look to the Future and the Past</strong> - Emmanuel Macron challenges the welfare state, and Charles de Gaulle makes a surprise return. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-strikes-and-protests-in-france-look-to-the-future-and-the-past">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Vintage Contemporaries is a warm-hearted novel that walks in the footsteps of Laurie Colwin</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ultHXvCTnlWcdOX_LQnAERGajWA=/0x1215:1800x2565/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71924538/VintageContemporaries_hc_c.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois | HarperCollins
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
In his debut novel, Dan Kois vividly conjures the lost New York of 1991.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zi1dch">
Early on in <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=66960X1516588&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fp%2Fbooks%2Fvintage-contemporaries-dan-kois%2F18727238%3Fean%3D9780063162419&amp;xcust=Vox013023"><em>Vintage Contemporaries</em></a>, an exceptionally warm-hearted new novel by Slate columnist Dan Kois, two women who are both named Emily start to become friends.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xn5R8Z">
“If we were characters in a story,” says one of the Emilys, “it would be pretty confusing that we were both named Emily.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PBhz6A">
The other Emily, our point-of-view character, immediately volunteers to be Emmy. The first Emily renames her Em instead.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nsPNje">
In this tiny, quirky moment, Kois packs enormous amounts of information. There’s Em’s self-effacement, her eagerness to please, her willingness to reshape her identity around whatever seems stronger than she is. There’s Emily’s cool assertiveness, her sense of self, her willingness to take it as a matter of course that whichever Emily has to pick up a nickname, it’s certainly not going to be <em>her</em>. The breezy metafictional wink of <em>if we were characters in a story</em> establishes that this is a world of people who read, and who are going to think about how their lives resemble the lives they read about.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EfWHma">
Most importantly, the fact that the Emilys share a name points to the emotional core of this novel. Theirs is one of those friendships so deep and so intense that the lines between identities become porous, and one self bleeds into another. There are moments in <em>Vintage Contemporaries</em> where, despite their opposed personalities, you’re not exactly sure which Emily you’re reading about at any given moment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cSwMQA">
The two Emilys meet in the much-mythologized East Village of the early 1990s: the era of scrappy community squats in abandoned buildings, of the Act Up campaign, of starving artists who could still afford Manhattan rent. They’re both just out of college. Em has come to New York to become a writer and finds herself working at a literary agency, struggling to get her head around the realities of publishing. Em is developing a site-specific production of <em>Medea</em> on the Brooklyn Bridge, which she refers to,<em> fait accompli</em>, as her breakout piece.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zHKDzG">
In a breezy 316 pages, Kois follows the Emilys back and forth across time, from their early ’90s meet-cute through the slow dissolution of their friendship to their reunion as fully-fledged grownups in 2005. Lurking in the 14 years between the two sections is a gentle melancholy: for the relationships that fell apart with time, for the dreams that were never achieved, for the New York that was lost as those East Village rents skyrocketed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aWEsV0">
<em>Vintage Contemporaries</em> does not linger in its sadness. Part of the argument of this novel is that books about happiness are as worth celebrating as books about tragically beautiful people having tragically unhappy sex and all the other trendy topics du jour, and so while it mourns its lost city, it never wallows in grief. Instead, with uncool Em as our protagonist, it mounts a convincing case for such uncool causes as good taste over fashionable taste, editing as creative craft work, and smart novels where everything matters only as much as it ever matters in life.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ELp4a4">
In many ways, <em>Vintage Contemporaries</em> is a love letter to the ethos of Laurie Colwin, a writer of what she used to call “domestic sensualism:” books about basically decent people trying their best at life, often failing, and eating beautifully described food in the process. Colwin died in 1992, but she and her smart and elegant domestic novels (plus <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22791733/holiday-book-recommendations-2021-roundup">cultishly beloved food memoirs</a>) are enjoying <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/laurie-colwins-recipe-for-being-yourself-in-the-kitchen">a belated renaissance</a>, having been reissued in trendy new editions in 2021. <em>Vintage Contemporaries</em> makes it clear that the Colwinessaince is long overdue, and that it aspires to follow in her very human-scaled footsteps. In this, it mostly succeeds.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MhH58u">
That’s not to say there aren’t clumsy moments. A plotline about the office sexual politics of 2005 comes off as slightly clunky, an attempt to play with the gap between Em’s 2005 perspective and the reader’s presumed 2023 mores that works better in theory than in execution.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pXaUbY">
Much stronger is the story of Em’s great creative project, which turns out to be not writing her own book but helping someone else make hers better. As an agent’s assistant in 1991, Em stumbles across a Colwin-like writer of small, lovely, cheerful novels who has been consigned to the euphemistic marketing category of <em>women’s fiction</em> and there ignored. She’s at first bewildered by the books, considering them middlebrow and domestic and easy to ignore, but she finds herself compelled by them almost in spite of herself.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fRPARw">
In 2005, Em finds her writer friend experiencing an unexpected renaissance, having become the pet project of a highly fashionable literary young man. Everyone, it seems, now sees what Em had to work to see in 1991: that cheerful books about women’s domestic lives are worthy of sustained aesthetic attention. But it takes Em’s editorial eye to make those books as good as they can possibly be.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KWGrLc">
<em>Vintage Contemporaries</em> is, of course, biased when it comes to this argument. This is a lovely and mostly cheerful novel about women and their domestic and professional struggles: it is the kind of book its characters champion. In its sweetness and the delicacy of its approach, its shining array of well-chosen telling details, it more than makes its case.
</p></li>
<li><strong>What can the world learn from China’s “zero-Covid” lockdown?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="People in protective gear distribute bags of food from the back of a motorbike with storage." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2p5E-IgCo9_IoPRrpeGewGXSB9M=/200x0:3400x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71924456/GettyImages_1390422513.0.jpg"/>
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Volunteers deliver food supplies to residents at a gated community after Shanghai imposed a citywide lockdown to halt the spread of Covid-19 epidemic on April 8, 2022 in Shanghai, China. | Chen Chen/VCG via Getty Images
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Short-term lockdowns could be key to ending pandemics early.
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For the first time in three years, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-01-13/families-lovers-reunite-as-china-reopens?cmpid=BBD011323_CN&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_term=230113&amp;utm_campaign=china">millions</a> traveled within China earlier this month to reunite with loved ones for the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/2/8/10937800/chinese-new-year-2019">country’s most important holiday</a>, the Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, these celebrations coincided with — and are sure to exacerbate — a Covid-19 outbreak currently spreading throughout the country.
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This spike comes on the heels of China’s National Health Commission <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-rigid-zero-covid-19-policy-starts-thaw-2022-12-07/">ending many of its “zero-Covid” policies</a><strong> </strong>in December. These public health regulations had heavily restricted travel within and to the country, quarantined infected individuals in government-run facilities, and enforced city-wide lockdowns that required <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-china-beijing-xi-jinping-shanghai-631ee1b6a906bfc9ef7475ed6ed64406">millions</a> to stay indoors for months at a time. While the US threw the term “lockdown” around <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/11/975663437/march-11-2020-the-day-everything-changed">in the early stages of the pandemic</a>, China was one of the few countries that actually did lock down its population.
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These initiatives did <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-cases">prevent repeated surges</a> in Covid-19 cases. But it also led to inadequate responses to other <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/06/china-treatment-non-covid-illnesses-denied">health crises</a> and emergencies — including a November 2022 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-fires-6a1b6902e6ccf87e064f1232045a2848">building fire</a> in the Xinjiang region where virus-related blockades prevented an effective emergency response. <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/11/27/23480144/urumqi-xinjiang-apartment-fire-china-zero-covid-uyghur-xi-jinping-protest">Protests</a> over the last few months of 2022 bubbled across major cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Urumqi, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63771109?at_bbc_team=editorial&amp;at_campaign_type=owned&amp;at_link_origin=BBCWorld&amp;at_link_id=5CC89164-6E50-11ED-96C5-776596E8478F&amp;at_link_type=web_link&amp;at_medium=social&amp;at_ptr_name=twitter&amp;at_format=video&amp;at_campaign=Social_Flow">calling for an end</a> to lockdowns, censorship, and in <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/do-covid-protests-in-china-pose-a-threat-to-xi-jinping">some cases</a>, even Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s presidency.
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Beijing’s decision to end zero-Covid policies may have saved the nation from further <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/11/27/23480144/urumqi-xinjiang-apartment-fire-china-zero-covid-uyghur-xi-jinping-protest">social chaos</a>. But how it eased up resulted in a public health crisis, with an <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;facet=none&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Metric=Confirmed+cases&amp;Interval=Cumulative&amp;Relative+to+Population=false&amp;Color+by+test+positivity=false&amp;country=~CHN">estimated 2.02 million government-confirmed Covid-19 cases</a><strong> </strong>(though that’s <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/04/who-official-faults-china-undercounting-covid-deaths/">likely an undercount</a>) as of January 29, compared to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;facet=none&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Interval=Cumulative&amp;Relative+to+Population=false&amp;Color+by+test+positivity=false&amp;country=~CHN&amp;Metric=Confirmed+cases">119,836 cumulative cases</a> a year ago.
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Although a variety of zero-Covid strategies have been tried in different countries since the start of the pandemic, they have varied in intensity, length, goals, and outcomes. In some nations, lockdowns were used intermittently to control outbreaks and to give public health leaders time to develop and distribute vaccinations. China’s lockdowns were used as a primary prevention measure. Partially, China’s current outbreak stems from the country’s all-or-nothing mentality, experts told Vox. The country eased lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mass testing, all at once — and the virus came rushing in.
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Lockdowns aren’t a popular public health strategy when strung out for long periods of time. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be a useful option in the <a href="https://www.vox.com/23001426/pandemic-proof">pandemic playbook</a>. Lockdowns cannot contain a disease like Covid-19 indefinitely — especially more contagious variants — but they can mitigate the spread and give public health leaders time to prepare for other aspects of their pandemic response, such as vaccinations. The public health lessons learned from the end of China’s zero-Covid era might be some of the most important in preparing for future pandemics and learning how to live with diseases.
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“At the beginning [of a pandemic], if there’s no treatment, no vaccine, and we have very limited knowledge about this new phenomena, a lockdown is more acceptable,” said Jennifer Bouey, chair of the global health department at Georgetown University. “Once there are vaccines, once there’s treatment, once we understand the nature of the pathogen, then they should be switched to a combination of different things.”
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<h3 id="oTOs5P">
Lockdowns worked during SARS. China hoped they would work again.
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In January 2020, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-wuhan-china-coronavirus-pandemic-e6147ec0ff88affb99c811149424239d">only two days before</a> the Lunar New Year, China <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexandre-Figueiredo-3/publication/340482645_Impact_of_lockdown_on_COVID-19_incidence_and_mortality_in_China_an_interrupted_time_series_study/links/5e90c107299bf130798f9b4d/Impact-of-lockdown-on-COVID-19-incidence-and-mortality-in-China-an-interrupted-time-series-study.pdf%20%20https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.11.20022236v1.full-text">banned travel to and from</a> the 11 million-person city of Wuhan because of the newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 virus, soon known as Covid-19. In March, as the threat of the virus grew, other countries closed their borders, with the World Health Organization <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">declaring Covid-19 a pandemic</a>.
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Many countries, including China, adopted true lockdowns as a means to stamp out the Covid-19 virus. These measures quarantined infected and exposed individuals, and locked down entire buildings, cities, and regions.
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China had reason to believe this strategy would work again, given that during the outbreak of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/sars/index.html">SARS</a> — now called the SARS-CoV-1 virus —<strong> </strong>in the early 2000s, the nation used a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sars-lockdown-in-beijing/">citywide lockdown</a> of Beijing in 2003 to contain the disease. “People didn’t go out for six weeks, school was canceled, the streets were empty, and the epidemic ended,” said Elanah Uretsky, chair of international and global studies at Brandeis University, of China’s SARS response. “It ended because of those lockdowns and massive quarantine policies. And we learned to believe in them.”
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In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, little was known about how the virus spread, so public health guidance changed constantly. The application and length of lockdowns varied by country. In France, there were <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/en/europe/20200317-dos-don-ts-french-under-lockdown-from-walking-dog-to-helping-needy-coronavirus">clear guidelines</a> that allowed residents to travel outdoors for activities such as walking a pet. In contrast, in Wuhan, only one member of a household was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/chinas-coronavirus-lockdown-strategy-brutal-but-effective">permitted outside</a> every two days to buy necessary resources. New Zealand, an island country with a zero-Covid approach, prevented Covid cases and deaths early in the pandemic by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-newzealand-ban/new-zealand-shuts-border-to-all-foreigners-to-curb-spread-of-coronavirus-idUSKBN2160KX">closing its borders</a>.
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However, Covid-19 proved to be more “elusive” than SARS, said Uretsky. Covid can present <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8930171/">asymptomatically</a> — unlike SARS — and therefore it can evade some contact tracing protocols. While it isn’t as deadly as SARS, Covid is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7333991/#:~:text=The%20new%20coronavirus%20SARS%2DCoV,has%20passed%20500%20000%20deaths.">more transmissible</a>, meaning that one person infects multiple people at a higher rate.
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Meanwhile, it was difficult for countries with large populations and land masses, such as the US and China, to have the type of nationally coordinated response seen in smaller<strong> </strong>island nations like Singapore and New Zealand. Given its size and politics, the US was unable to nationally coordinate the country’s Covid response and instead relied on individual regions or states to dictate public health measures.
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Instead of zero-Covid, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22180261/covid-19-coronavirus-social-distancing-lockdowns-flatten-the-curve">US opted for a strategy</a> of “flattening the curve,” which entailed decelerating the rate of Covid-19 infection to ease the burden on hospitals. “I think China’s massive error, considering that their population is enormous, was not doing what many countries did, or strived to do, which was ‘flatten the curve,’” said Maureen Miller, an epidemiologist with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
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In mid-2021, even nations that had maintained low case numbers and death rates through lockdowns adjusted their policies, and instead focused on vaccination campaigns and ramping up contact tracing efforts. Wealthy nations with access to vaccines began immunizing their populations in December 2020, and by the end of August 2021, over 2 billion people were fully vaccinated. Over the last year and a half, many former zero-Covid countries prioritized administering booster vaccines and slowly phased out contact tracing protocols.
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<img alt="A photo of two rows of boxes with an aisle between them. The boxes have doors, some of which are open. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QiGGoVw1UD5GiNqRmil0lIYsveg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23343352/GettyImages_1385278271.jpg"/> <cite>Li Zhihua/China News Service via Getty Images</cite>
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Medical workers and Covid-19 patients are seen at the mainland-aided San Tin community isolation facility on March 14, 2022 in Hong Kong, China.
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Meanwhile, in China, the nation’s zero-Covid policies dragged on for two years. The nation was able to keep cases low, relative to its population, until <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/china">March 2022</a>. At that time, the omicron variant of the virus swept through the country, leading to a lockdown in the 25 million-person city of Shanghai for <a href="https://www.vox.com/23033466/shanghai-covid-zero-lockdown-interview">two months</a>. This extended lockdown sparked anger among residents and would add fuel to the growing anti-government sentiments that manifested via protests later that year.
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<h3 id="b3vydD">
Why China’s post-zero-Covid era is going so poorly
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After over <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63310524">150 partial and full<strong> </strong>city-wide lockdowns</a><strong> </strong>and months-long <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2022/11/30/timeline-key-dates-in-chinas-blank-placard-zero-covid-protests/">protests</a>,<strong> </strong>China released new Covid-19 guidelines in <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-11/these-are-the-20-measures-guiding-china-s-covid-easing-efforts?sref=qYiz2hd0">early November</a> and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-07/these-are-the-10-new-covid-rules-china-will-follow-on-path-to-reopening#xj4y7vzkg">early December</a> that softened or<strong> </strong>reversed earlier zero-Covid practices. In November, the guidelines cut down isolation time, removed mass testing sites, and increased resources to health care facilities. In December, health codes (proving lack of Covid exposure or a negative test result) to enter most public spaces were no longer required and infected individuals with mild or no symptoms could quarantine at home rather than at government-run facilities.
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However, China lifted these policies not because it was prepared to do so, but because of political pressure from the nationwide <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/11/27/23480144/urumqi-xinjiang-apartment-fire-china-zero-covid-uyghur-xi-jinping-protest">protests</a>, said Ha-Linh Quach, a research assistant at <a href="https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/directory/detail/Ha-Linh-Quach">Duke NUS medical school</a> in Singapore. Quach — who also previously worked with Vietnam’s National Committee of Covid-19 — said Vietnam followed China’s lead when attempting to manage the spread of the virus, but also found that mass quarantines were publicly unpopular. Instead, in 2021 the country began prioritizing social distancing, mask-wearing policies, and vaccine distribution.
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Unlike other countries — like Taiwan, South Korea, or Singapore — that used periods of strict lockdowns to prepare for their inevitable reopening, and the internal travel that it would spawn, China did no such thing, said Uretsky.
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Rather than reopening in stages, China lifted many of its most useful measures all at once — despite the fact that prior to easing these regulations, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/11/23/1138965636/surge-in-outbreaks-tests-chinas-easing-of-zero-covid-policy">Covid cases</a> were already on the rise. “Unfortunately for China, lack of preparation for the inevitable breach of an increasingly infectious pathogen results in exactly what we’re seeing,” said Miller.
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For example, alongside these eased regulations, China <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-ramp-up-covid-vaccinations-elderly-2022-11-29/">announced</a> it would ramp up its vaccination of the elderly, something the experts Vox spoke to say should have happened much earlier. When the restrictions were lifted, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/business/china-covid-vaccinations.html">only 40 percent</a> of Chinese residents above the age of 80 had received a Covid-19 booster shot, according to China’s National Health Commission.
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Other countries that exited periods of intense lockdowns, such as Vietnam, not only used vaccines to prepare, but also bolstered their social distancing policies and contact tracing programs as they transitioned, said Quach.
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As part of its zero-Covid policies, China used a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoyBLJqDOc0">digital health code system</a> that assigned users QR codes based on their exposure and testing status, and that were needed to enter public spaces. Now, these codes are no longer required to access many public areas or to travel in China.
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Yet Singapore, when the nation lifted many of its zero-Covid policies in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/world/singapore-will-ease-covid-rules-and-open-vaccinations-to-those-12-and-older-and-other-international-news.html">June 2021</a>, continued to use its version of these health codes for almost a year. These codes helped Singapore track down those who were exposed to someone with Covid-19 at an expedited rate. “It is not a breakthrough technology,” Quach said. “But it’s amazing to me how it is being used for public health.”
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That said, these codes, while effective in the small nation of Singapore, had limited success in China due to the country’s size and lack of data-sharing. “On paper, it can work, but it’s very difficult to implement in the real world, especially in such a large country,” said Bouey. “It turns out that every province is doing their own work, and they’re not integrated. So when people travel from one province to another, the code suddenly doesn’t work.”
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Lack of data and rampant misinformation have also exacerbated China’s<strong> </strong>post-lockdown problems. The current outbreak is thought to have begun in November 2022, and although the <a href="https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/cn">official number</a> of total<strong> </strong>Covid-19 deaths in China, as of January 30, is now over 110,000 — which would still be low<strong> </strong>relative to the nation’s 1.4 billion population — <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/14/covid-news-china-reports-huge-rise-in-deaths-after-who-criticized-data.html">the true figures</a> are thought to be much higher. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04502-w">One model from December</a> predicted that as many as 1 million people could die from Covid in China over the first few months of the year, but without transparent information from Beijing, these forecasts remain speculative.
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“In the absence of data, there is misinformation,” Miller said. “I think the seeds of the spread of Covid were already happening in China. But the information as to the extent of it and the location of it would have allowed people to make informed decisions. In the absence of that, people are making whatever decision they want to make.”
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<h3 id="qoIUG7">
What this teaches us for the next pandemic
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mLRT5o">
Assuming another unknown virus will spread across the globe again in our lifetimes, the Covid-19 pandemic has given public health leaders fresh insight into what policies can be most effective in mitigating the spread of diseases. And lockdowns, when used appropriately and swiftly, remain a useful tool in our arsenal for early pandemic days.
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Covid-19 was actually the “ideal candidate” for lockdowns, said Miller. This is because of the virus’s highly transmissible, airborne, and often asymptomatic nature. “Candidates for lockdown include pathogens that are novel to human populations, and therefore there is no innate immunity to them,” Miller said. “Highly infectious pathogens for which there are (currently) no vaccines or treatments are also candidates for lockdown.” In theory, the only type of diseases that lockdowns cannot mitigate are those that are not transmitted via human-to-human contact, such as water or foodborne illnesses, said Bouey.
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Lockdowns give leaders time to develop vaccination distribution campaigns, set up contact tracing programs, and learn more about the pandemic-causing disease, Miller added.
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This is why it’s important to distinguish between “short-term lockdowns with underlying goals” and “long-term lockdowns that hope to beat the odds and keep Covid out indefinitely,” said Miller. Brief lockdowns that helped “flatten the curve” were effective and helped keep hospitalizations and deaths down. But extended lockdowns, like the ones seen in China, failed to contain the virus and damaged the country’s economy and well-being.
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“As we have seen, these lockdowns are very disruptive, in terms of economic livelihood, as well as social life and even mental health,” said Bouey. “There is profound damage to the society and to the economy.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>What we know about the killing of Tyre Nichols</strong> -
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<img alt="People attend a candlelight vigil in memory of Tyre Nichols at the Tobey Skate Park on January 26, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FSC8_UU7FQbU73cDhc0q07WQyvg=/290x0:4925x3476/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71923150/GettyImages_1459866378.0.jpg"/>
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People attend a candlelight vigil in memory of Tyre Nichols at the Tobey Skate Park on January 26, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. | Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Tyre Nichols was killed after he was brutally beaten by Memphis police officers on the evening of January 7. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was pulled over for what police said was reckless driving. Three days later, he died from his injuries.
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It’s not the first time that police have turned <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/31/us/police-traffic-stops-killings.html">a traffic stop into a deadly altercation</a>. Five police officers, all of whom are Black, have been fired for their actions toward Nichols. They have each been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct, and one charge of official oppression. (A sixth police officer has been suspended in connection to the case.) If found guilty, the five former officers each face up to 60 years in prison for the murder charge alone.
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The city of Memphis released footage from police body cameras and street cameras that showed the officers repeatedly punching, kicking, and hitting Nichols with a baton — sometimes while he was restrained on the ground.
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The fatal beating has sparked nationwide protests and revived calls for <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/1/30/23578339/police-reform-tyre-nichols-congress">police reform in Congress</a>.
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Follow here for all of Vox’s coverage on the latest news, political analysis, reactions, and more.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Son Of A Gun, Coeur Delion and Wall Street show out</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Transfer News | Joao Cancelo could leave Manchester City amid link with Bayern Munich</strong> - Joao Cancelo has reportedly traveled to Bayern Munich ahead of a potential loan move to the German champions</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Usman Khawaja bags inaugural Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year award</strong> - Named in honour of the legendary Shane Warne, who passed away last year, Khawaja polled 22 votes ahead of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Farmers looking forward to law on MSP guarantee in Union Budget</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kundannur fireworks accident: Injured worker dies</strong> - Licencee and land owner arrested; Deputy collector to submit report on the accident</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My phones are being tapped, alleges YSRCP Venkatagiri MLA Anam Ramanarayana Reddy</strong> - The veteran leader, who had worked in the YSR Cabinet, also fears threat to his life as his movements are being ‘closely watched’; Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy too made phone tapping charges earlier</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ruckus at public hearing on Kalaignar Pen Memorial as activists raise concerns</strong> - S. Mugilan, an environmental rights activist, opposed the construction of the memorial and asked why the 383-page draft Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment was published only in English and not in Tamil</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Interesting findings of bird census</strong> -</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>French retirement age strike hits schools and trains</strong> - A new wave of protests begins across France against plans to lift the retirement age from 62 to 64.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Alfredo Cospito: Hunger-striking Italian anarchist moved amid protests</strong> - Alfredo Cospito has been refusing food for more than 100 days in protest at harsh prison conditions.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Joe Biden rules out sending F-16 fighter jets</strong> - Kyiv says it urgently needs further aid to help take control of the country’s airspace from Russia.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What impact has Brexit had on the UK economy?</strong> - It is three years since the UK left the EU and time to start looking at the evidence.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Home Office to resume control of tackling migrant Channel crossings</strong> - The Royal Navy cedes control, as the home secretary warns small boats could cost the Tories the election.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sony: Would-be PlayStation 5 buyers “should have a much easier time” now</strong> - “You should now have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1913480">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>GitHub says hackers cloned code-signing certificates in breached repository</strong> - It remains unclear how the threat actor compromised access token used in the breach. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1913534">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>MusicLM: Google AI generates music in various genres at 24 kHz</strong> - Your musical wish is MusicLM’s command, making audio from “rich captions.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1913289">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Man wanted for attempted murder is using dating apps while on the run, cops say</strong> - Anyone with information can call the Grants Pass Police tip line. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1913479">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Charter settles with family of murder victim, says insurance will cover it</strong> - Settlement under $262 million “shouldn’t cost Charter anything” due to insurance. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1913433">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man who’d just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The female blonde mortician asks the deceased’s wife how she would like the body dressed. She points out that the man looks good in the black suit he is already wearing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue and that she wants him in a blue suit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She gives the Blonde mortician a blank check and says, ‘I don’t care what it costs, but have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly…
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She says to the mortician, ‘Whatever this cost, I’m very satisfied… You did an excellent job and I’m very grateful. How much did you spend?’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
To her astonishment, the blonde mortician presents her with the blank check. ‘There’s no charge,’ she says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
‘No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!’ she says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
‘Honestly,’ the blonde says, ‘it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband’s size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
​
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
‘So I just switched the heads.’
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ThomasKatt"> /u/ThomasKatt </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10pq1yr/a_man_whod_just_died_is_delivered_to_a_local/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10pq1yr/a_man_whod_just_died_is_delivered_to_a_local/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A woman, cranky because her husband was late coming home again, decided to leave a note, saying, “I’ve had enough and have left you. Don’t bother coming after me.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Then she hid under the bed to see his reaction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a short while, the husband comes home and she could hear him in the kitchen before he comes into the bedroom.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She could see him walk towards the dresser and pick up the note.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a few minutes, he wrote something on it before picking up the phone and calling someone.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
"She’s finally gone…yeah I know, about bloody time, I’m coming to see you, put on that sexy French nightie.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I love you…can’t wait to see you…we’ll do all the naughty things you like."
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He hung up, grabbed his keys and left.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She heard the car drive off as she came out from under the bed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Seething with rage and with tears in her eyes she grabbed the note to see what he wrote…
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I can see your feet. We’re outta bread: be back in five minutes.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/GenesisWorlds"> /u/GenesisWorlds </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10oyyv5/a_woman_cranky_because_her_husband_was_late/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10oyyv5/a_woman_cranky_because_her_husband_was_late/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Swimming Cats</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
An English cat named “OneTwoThree” and a French cat named “UnDeuxTrois” decided to swim across the lake, but only one cat survived the journey. Which cat made it?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
OneTwoThree, because UnDeuxTrois cat sank
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/paramedic-tim"> /u/paramedic-tim </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10pn67y/swimming_cats/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10pn67y/swimming_cats/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Who would win in a street fight between Joe Biden and Donald Trump?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Everyone watching
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Three-Stanleys"> /u/Three-Stanleys </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10p99ab/who_would_win_in_a_street_fight_between_joe_biden/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10p99ab/who_would_win_in_a_street_fight_between_joe_biden/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man goes to a doctor ..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
To see about getting his penis enlarged. The doctor says “yes we can do that - there’s a new operation these days. We take the trunk of a baby elephant and graft it into your penis.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the man excitedly agrees and gets the operation. Six weeks later after it’s all healed he goes on a date with a woman. While sitting in the restaurant, suddenly his dick reaches up from under the table, grabs a bread roll, and disappears under the table with it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man has a mortified look in his face but his date was visibly impressed. “That’s amazing!” She says. Can you do that again?!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“We’ll I’d love to, but I don’t think I can fit another bread roll up my ass…”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Nervous_Cranberry196"> /u/Nervous_Cranberry196 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10p1o0w/a_man_goes_to_a_doctor/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/10p1o0w/a_man_goes_to_a_doctor/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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