(NEW YORK) — Nearly 1 in 5 American adults who have had COVID-19 are still suffering from long-haul symptoms, according to new data collected by the Census Bureau and Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
The data, collected from June 1 to June 13, 2022, showed that more than 40% of adults in the United States reported having been infected with COVID-19 in the past, with 19% reporting that they are currently still experiencing symptoms of “long COVID.”
Overall, approximately 1 in 13 adults in the U.S. — or 7.5% — have long COVID-19 symptoms, which the groups define as symptoms that were not experienced by individuals prior to their COVID-19 infection, and these symptoms have lasted three or more months after first contracting the virus.
The new data showed that older Americans are less likely to suffer from long COVID-19, as compared to younger adults. Nearly three times as many individuals, in the 50-59 category, currently have long COVID, as compared to their counterparts, who are 80 years and older.
Women were also more likely than men to have long COVID-19, with 9.4% of women currently reporting long-haul symptoms, as compared to 5.5% of men.
Nearly 9% of Hispanic adults reported that they currently have long COVID, a percentage that is higher than non-Hispanic white (7.5%), Black (6.8%) and non-Hispanic Asian adults (3.7%).
Bisexual adults and transgender adults were also found to be more likely to suffer long COVID-19 symptoms as compared to adults of other sexual orientations and gender identities. An estimated 15% of transgender adults were reported to have long COVID-19 symptoms, compared to 5% of cisgender male adults and 9% of cisgender female adults.
MORE: COVID-19 nurse reflects on 1 million American virus deaths: ‘We are still mourning losses’
Further explanation as to why some groups may have had higher rates of long COVID-19 was not specified.
Kentucky (12.7%), Alabama (12.1%), Tennessee and South Dakota (11.6%) were found to have the highest percentage of adults who currently have long COVID-19 symptoms.
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(WASHINGTON) — John Wood, a Republican lawyer and former federal prosecutor who has helped lead the House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation, is leaving his role with the panel this week amid calls for him to instead enter the Missouri Senate race as an independent candidate.
Wood, whose last day with the committee is Friday — though hearings will continue into July — is expected to explore a bid for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.
Previously a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri and a chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security in the second Bush administration, Wood also worked as an aide to former Missouri Sen. John Danforth earlier in his career.
The contest to succeed Blunt is attracting notable names, with former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and state Attorney General Eric Schmitt among the contenders for the Republican nod and Lucas Kunce vying for the Democratic nomination. (Absentee voting in the party primaries is already underway.)
Most recently Wood has led the House select committee’s investigative “gold” team, which zeroed in on the role former President Donald Trump played in the Capitol riot. Alongside Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., Wood questioned witnesses in the panel’s hearing last week focused on the pressure campaign against former Vice President Mike Pence.
Danforth told ABC News that his super PAC planned to support an independent in the Missouri Senate election — and he hoped Wood entered the race.
“I’ve known John for decades and I’ve certainly talked to him about running for Senate,” Danforth said, noting that their last conversation was in the spring and he learned of Wood’s departure from the House committee in the press.
“He has a lot of experience in government,” Danforth said.
Danforth, who said that after the Jan. 6 insurrection he “regrets” backing his former protégé Josh Hawley in the 2018 Senate race against Democrat Claire McCaskill, told ABC News that he believes many Missourians think the country “is too polarized” and that both major parties do not represent them.
Those hoping for a Wood candidacy see him as an antidote.
“We deserve leaders who believe that our democracy must be held together – not torn apart by partisan politics that have divided our country for too long. John Wood embodies this principle,” a spokesman for the John Wood for Missouri Committee said. “We are encouraged by John’s decision to leave the select committee on Friday as an important next step in providing Missourians a principled, common-sense choice this November.”
According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, an independent candidate must file a petition with at least 10,000 signatures by Aug. 1 to enter the Senate race.
(UVALDE, Texas) — The embattled police chief of the Texas school district where 19 children and two teachers were killed in a school shooting has been placed on administrative leave, the superintendent announced.
Pete Arredondo, the police chief for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, has been criticized for his handling of the shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24 that killed 19 third and fourth graders and two teachers, and the decision to delay police entry into the classrooms where the gunman carried out the attack. Arredondo served as the incident commander on the scene of the shooting.
The leave will take effect immediately, the school district said in a statement Wednesday. Lt. Mike Hernandez will assume the duties of the Chief of Police, said Dr. Hal Harrell, superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.
“From the beginning of this horrible event, I shared that the district would wait until the investigation was complete before making personnel decisions,” Harrell said. “Today, I am still without details of the investigations being conducted by various agencies. Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date.”
Arredondo was the lone witness at the hearing on the shooting held during an executive session by the Texas state House of Representatives on Tuesday. Later that night, the Uvalde City Council unanimously denied Arredondo’s request for a leave of absence from future meetings. Arredondo had been sworn in as a city council member at the end of May.
During a state Senate hearing Tuesday on school safety, police training and social media in the wake of the shooting, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw read aloud from a transcript of police radio communications, revealing that nearly an hour after the gunman entered the school, an officer told the police chief, “People are going to ask why we’re taking so long.”
“We’re trying to preserve life,” Arredondo replied, per the transcript.
Parents and community members called for Arredondo’s resignation on Monday, with several arguing that law enforcement should be held partly accountable for the tragedy due to what was described as inadequate decision-making.
Earlier this month, Arredondo told The Texas Tribune he did not consider himself the commanding officer on the scene on the day of the shooting and that no one told him about the 911 calls that came in during the 77 minutes before the gunman was taken down.
“We responded to the information that we had and had to adjust to whatever we faced,” he said. “Our objective was to save as many lives as we could, and the extraction of the students from the classrooms by all that were involved saved over 500 of our Uvalde students and teachers before we gained access to the shooter and eliminated the threat.”
State investigators, according to a preliminary assessment, believe the decision to delay police entry into the classroom was made in order to allow time for protective gear to arrive on scene, an official briefed on a closed-door presentation by the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety told ABC News earlier this month.
However, waiting for protective gear contradicts active shooter protocols that have been adopted by law enforcement agencies across the country in the last 20 years.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Bonnie Mclean contributed to this report.
Bad Company and Free singer Paul Rodgers has lent his vocal talents to a new song called “Red Harvest” by veteran singer/keyboardist Richard T. Bear, aka T Bear.
A music video for the melancholy tune, which T Bear was inspired to write while watching footage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has premiered on the Quarto Valley Records’ official YouTube channel.
The clip features live performance footage, along with images of Ukraine, a brief cameo by Rodgers, and scenes of T Bear singing on a beach dressed in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“I watched as the missiles and bombs rained down upon the civilians; people trying to flee the death and destruction,” explains T Bear. “I walked over to my piano and in less than 30 minutes I had the idea of ‘Red Harvest.'”
The track also features former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, acclaimed session bassist Lee Sklar and veteran session drummer Tony Braunagel, who produced the song with help from Juber.
All of the artists who participated in the recording did so free of charge.
“T Bear was truly inspired when he wrote ‘Red Harvest,'” Rodgers says. “I think we are all shocked at what is happening in Ukraine. Such a feeling of helplessness. We all do what we can.”
T Bear has posted a video on his Facebook page in which he reveals he’s working on a new studio album he expects to release in January.
During his career, T Bear has recorded with many well-known artists, including Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Blues Brothers, Billy Squier and Cher, as well as for KISS members Gene Simmons‘ and Peter Criss‘ solo projects.
(PACIFIC GROVE, Calif.) — A person was attacked by a shark at a California beach Wednesday, sustaining “significant” injuries from the bite, Pacific Grove police said.
Following the shark attack at Lovers Point Beach, the swimmer was transported to Natividad Hospital, the Pacific Grove Police Department said. The man’s condition is unknown at this time.
Police said people at the beach reported that a shark was in the water around the time of the attack. Several people went into the water to help the person who was attacked, police said.
“We want to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Good Samaritans that took immediate action and personal risk to assist the swimmer,” Pacfic Grove police said. “We thank our partners at the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. In addition, we thank our CERT [Community Emergency Response Team] members who responded to help with the beach closures to keep the community safe.”
“We send our prayers and thoughts to the swimmer and their family,” the department added.
Authorities launched a drone to find the shark but did not report additional sightings, police said.
The beach at Lovers Point and Sea Palm turnout has been closed and will reopen on Saturday, police said.
Located about 120 miles south of San Francisco, Pacific Grove is near Monterey and served as one of the filming locations for the hit HBO series “Big Little Lies.”
Can you remember back to 2012? Believe it or not, that was the last time that Matchbox Twenty released an album. Since then, front man Rob Thomas has put out three solo albums — including last year’s Something About Christmas Time — but now, it looks like Rob’s promises of new music are going to come true.
The band tweeted out a video that runs down their five previous albums, including their 2007 compilation Exile on Mainstream, plus the singles taken from each one. It’s captioned “Album #6…Stay Tuned.”
In September 2021, Rob told ABC Audio, “We’re actually working on some new songs right now. Maybe it’s an EP. I’m not going to sure what form that takes. But nowadays, it’s kind of open the way that we can present music. So we’re working on some new stuff right now that we’re really excited about.”
But in November 2021, Rob told ABC Audio that “doing a full album is probably folly” because he didn’t think the band had time in their personal lives to “make the kind of album that we would want to make.” But that was before Matchbox Twenty postponed their 2022 tour to 2023, so perhaps they managed to find the time.
When album #6 does arrive, it’ll be the follow-up to 2012’s North, which included the songs “She’s So Mean” and “Overjoyed.”
Even Justin Timberlake is unimpressed by the not-so-hot dance moves he busted during Washington D.C.’s Something in the Water music festival.
The hitmaker’s attempt at the Beat Ya Feet dance went viral for all the wrong reasons, with critics comparing his moves to that of a combination between Riverdance and “The Hokey Pokey.” Despite the relentless mocking, since the cringeworthy moves were made during his performance of “SexyBack,” it’s now become TikTok’s latest dance challenge.
On Tuesday, Justin broke his silence and shared a humorous mea culpa on his Instagram Stories in which he claims he berated his two left feet. “D.C., I wanna apologize to you for two reasons,” he announces before panning the camera down to his feet, shouting, “Here! And here!”
“I had a long talk with both of them. Individually. And said, ‘Don’t you ever do that to me again,'” the Grammy winner continued. He then offered a sarcastic explanation about why he flopped on the stage, joking, “Maybe it was the khakis. It was a real khaki vibe.”
Justin then promised fans, “I’m gonna make this up to you. I’m gonna focus on these two [feet] right here and get them right.”
The singer then shared some of his favorite versions of the Justin Timberlake dancing challenge that’s taken over TikTok, saying one impersonator “nailed” his moves.
Justin also shared a video of a young girl putting her own spin on his bad moves and agreed that she “did it better” than him.
According to TMZ, rapper Lil Tjay, born Tione Merritt, is out of emergency surgery after he was shot in New Jersey early Wednesday morning.
ABC affiliate WABC said police officers responded to a call at the Promenade in Edgewater at 12:08 a.m., where they found two men with gunshot wounds. At the time of the report, both men had been taken to the hospital to be treated for their wounds.
Authorities told WABC the shooting “does not appear to be [a] random act.”
Lil Tjay teased his new song “Stressed” earlier this month and was expected to go on tour starting June 25.
Brad Pitt got candid in an interview for the August issue of GQ.
The Oscar winner, 58, opened up about where he sees himself in his career, feelings of loneliness, and how he has put his health first by quitting smoking and attending Alcoholics Anonymous.
Pitt revealed he quit smoking during the pandemic, opting to give up cigarettes entirely because trying to cut back wasn’t working for him.
“I don’t have that ability to do just one or two a day,” he told the publication. “It’s not in my makeup. I’m all in. And I’m going to drive into the ground. I’ve lost my privileges.”
Another vice he overcame was giving up alcohol six years ago. He detailed his time attending AA over the course of a year and a half.
“I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe,” he said. “Because I’d seen things of other people who had been recorded while they were spilling their guts, and that’s just atrocious to me.”
Though many might expect him to be a social butterfly, Pitt shared, “I always felt very alone in my life, alone growing up as a kid, alone even out here, and it’s really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family.”
These days, the Hollywood heartthrob is spending more time behind the camera as a producer. That’s purposeful, he said, as he’s planning out what comes next for him in his career.
“I consider myself on my last leg, this last semester or trimester,” he noted. “What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?”
Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images, FILE
(WASHINGTON) — Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid has been hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19. The pills have shown to dramatically reduce the risk of being hospitalized or dying for people who are at high-risk of COVID-19.
But mounting evidence suggests Paxlovid may not benefit everyone equally. The company recently announced the results of a new study that found the drug did not meaningfully benefit people without underlying medical conditions or no previous infection of COVID.
This comes weeks after the Biden administration announced plans to purchase 20 million treatment courses of the drug as it focuses on the Test-to-Treat initiative as part of the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.
Some infectious disease experts interviewed by ABC News said the new study could influence the way doctors prescribe the drug, potentially declining to prescribe it to vaccinated, otherwise healthy patients.
But overall, demand for the drug is likely to remain high because 60% of Americans are living with a chronic disease that qualifies them for the drug under its current authorization.
“Paxlovid is something that is targeted towards high-risk individuals, so the fact that it doesn’t have a benefit to low-risk individuals isn’t surprising to me,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told ABC News.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided guidance that the drug is recommended for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 among people at high risk for severe disease.
“At this stage, the current recommendation under the EUA is for Paxlovid to be given to any high-risk patient who has symptomatic COVID, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, as long as it is within five days of the onset of symptoms,” Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of medicine and director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, told ABC News.
“If you’re older, particularly over age 65, if you have underlying illnesses, if you’re immunocompromised, those groups I think will continue to be targeted for Paxlovid,” Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told ABC News.
While the CDC has published a list of medical conditions that would put someone at high risk for severe illness, some experts argue there may be ambiguity.
“High-risk isn’t necessarily only objective criteria, like age, heart disease, etc. It’s also a situation, like socioeconomic status and some of those disparities that exist. When you add all that up, I think that a large swath of people do qualify for Paxlovid potentially as high-risk,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the drug would continue to be an important treatment option.
“With up to 40-50% of people around the world estimated to be high risk, we believe there remains a significant unmet need for treatment options to help combat this disease, and we will continue to prioritize efforts to advance the development of Paxlovid,” Bourla said in a press release.
Experts tried to compare that global context to the United States.
“When you look at the average body mass index (BMI) of men and women in the United States is 26, that puts you at a high-risk category and eligible for Paxlovid. So at least 50% of the country is eligible for Paxlovid that is infected with COVID,” Ellerin said.
The CDC defines overweight people as those with a BMI of 25-30 and obese as those with a BMI over 30.
Doctors said there are serious considerations to weigh before prescribing Paxlovid. Drug-drug interactions may lead to serious or life-threatening drug toxicities, including medications such as cardiovascular agents and anticonvulsants. Meanwhile, Paxlovid carries a low risk of something called “COVID-19 rebound,” where individuals experience a recurrence of symptoms or a new positive viral test after having tested negative, according to the CDC.
“When it comes to Paxlovid, at the individual level, there may not be so much downside, but we don’t want to be inappropriately giving drugs to people where there would be no benefit and potentially some downside,” said Dr. John Brownstein, Chief Innovation Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.
A recent, small study estimated that less than 1% of patients experience a rebound of symptoms.
Brownstein remains optimistic that further research will clarify guidance on how best to prescribe the drug.
“I think there is a lot that needs to be understood, we have a lot of real-world data and so I think it is reasonable to understand how well it’s working and because it is so widely available, this will not be a hard drug to study like many others. So, we should have a lot of evidence to support a very specific recommendation,” Brownstein said.
Youri Benadjaoud is an MPH candidate at Brown University and a contributor to the ABC Medical Unit.
