upi--2020-05-08--Judge declines to dismiss Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli's college admissions case

May 8 ( UPI ) -- A federal judge on Friday declined to dismiss charges filed against Lori Loughlin and @ @ @ @ @ college admissions case based in Massachusetts .
U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton refused the defendants @ @ @ @ @ case on grounds that investigators mishandled the investigation .
The motion also accused the government @ @ @ @ @ evidence in the form of notes made by alleged scandal mastermind Rick Singer .
Among @ @ @ @ @ the case dismissal was Loughlin 's husband , fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli .
They 're @ @ @ @ @ $ 500,000 in bribes to secure their daughters ' admissions to college as part of @ @ @ @ @ .
The scheme allegedly involved some 50 parents , athletic coaches and others accused of @ @ @ @ @ into prestigious universities .
Both Loughlin and Giannuli face multiple charges , including conspiracy to @ @ @ @ @ services mail fraud , and have each pleaded not guilty on all counts .
They @ @ @ @ @ prison and millions of dollars in fines if found guilty .

Actress Lori Loughlin and 14 others sought to have their cases dropped, saying the government mishandled the investigation into the college admissions scandal. File Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday declined to dismiss charges filed against Lori Loughlin and 13 others in a national college admissions case based in Massachusetts. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton refused the defendants' motion to drop the case on grounds that investigators mishandled the investigation. The motion also accused the government of failing to turn over evidence in the form of notes made by alleged scandal mastermind Rick Singer. Advertisement
Among the 14 parents who sought the case dismissal was Loughlin's husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.
They're accused of paying more than $500,000 in bribes to secure their daughters' admissions to college as part of the so-called Varsity Blues scandal. The scheme allegedly involved some 50 parents, athletic coaches and others accused of orchestrating bribes to ensure admissions into prestigious universities.
Both Loughlin and Giannuli face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, and have each pleaded not guilty on all counts.
They each face 50 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines if found guilty.
Gorton scheduled their trial to start Oct. 5.
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upi--2020-05-08--Measles vaccinations in U.S. children fall up to 60 percent since pandemic, CDC says

May 8 ( UPI ) -- Pediatric vaccination against measles has declined by as much as 60 percent nationally since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak , according to data released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The reduced number of vaccine doses ordered and administered under the agency 's pediatric vaccines program could leave young people vulnerable to measles after coronavirus-caused social distancing restrictions are lifted , CDC said in the report .
Currently , the CDC recommends that children receive two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella , or MMR , vaccine , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months old and the second at ages 4 to 6 .
Teens and adults also should be current on their MMR vaccination , the agency said .
The CDC 's Vaccines for Children program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines to about half of U.S. children .
Since it started in 1994 , the program has prevented an estimated 419 million infections in them , CDC said .
Typically , about 40 million children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine in a given year .
However , those numbers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the new CDC figures .
Since the beginning of the year through April 19 , healthcare providers in the vaccine program have ordered 400,000 fewer MMR doses compared with the same period a year ago .
The decrease has been particularly significant since the Trump administration declared a national emergency because of COVID-19 on March 13 , the agency said .
Providers also have administered substantially fewer doses of the vaccine since that date , the CDC said .
Daily doses dispensed to children 2 years old and younger dropped from approximately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,000 in late April , agency figures indicate .
Those given to young people between ages 2 and 18 fell from roughly 2,200 to fewer than 500 .

May 8 (UPI) -- Pediatric vaccination against measles has declined by as much as 60 percent nationally since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The reduced number of vaccine doses ordered and administered under the agency's pediatric vaccines program could leave young people vulnerable to measles after coronavirus-caused social distancing restrictions are lifted, CDC said in the report.
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Currently, the CDC recommends that children receive two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine, with the first dose given at 12 to 15 months old and the second at ages 4 to 6. Teens and adults also should be current on their MMR vaccination, the agency said.
The CDC's Vaccines for Children program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines to about half of U.S. children. Since it started in 1994, the program has prevented an estimated 419 million infections in them, CDC said.
Typically, about 40 million children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine in a given year. However, those numbers are likely to drop for 2020, based on the new CDC figures.
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Since the beginning of the year through April 19, healthcare providers in the vaccine program have ordered 400,000 fewer MMR doses compared with the same period a year ago.
The decrease has been particularly significant since the Trump administration declared a national emergency because of COVID-19 on March 13, the agency said.
Providers also have administered substantially fewer doses of the vaccine since that date, the CDC said.
Daily doses dispensed to children 2 years old and younger dropped from approximately 2,000 in early March to just over 1,000 in late April, agency figures indicate. Those given to young people between ages 2 and 18 fell from roughly 2,200 to fewer than 500.


upi--2020-05-08--New Orleans Saints release Pro Bowl OL Larry Warford

May 8 ( UPI ) -- The New Orleans Saints released Pro Bowl offensive lineman Larry Warford after three seasons , the team announced Friday .
The Saints saved more than $ 7 million in salary-cap space with Warford 's release .
The team 's decision to part ways with the veteran guard paves the way for 2020 first-round pick Cesar Ruiz to earn a starting job on the offensive line .
Warford , who turns 29 in June , was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons with the Saints after the franchise signed him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to Spotrac , Warford was scheduled to earn a base salary of $ 7.65 million in the final year of his contract .
He received a $ 750,000 roster bonus earlier this off-season and was due a $ 100,000 workout bonus .
His contract will still count as $ 5.13 million in dead money against the cap .
The Detroit Lions selected Warford in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Kentucky .
He became an immediate starter and spent four seasons in Detroit before joining the Saints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his career , including 44 contests over the past three seasons in New Orleans .
He also started five postseason games for the Saints .

May 8 (UPI) -- The New Orleans Saints released Pro Bowl offensive lineman Larry Warford after three seasons, the team announced Friday.
The Saints saved more than $7 million in salary-cap space with Warford's release. The team's decision to part ways with the veteran guard paves the way for 2020 first-round pick Cesar Ruiz to earn a starting job on the offensive line.
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Warford, who turns 29 in June, was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons with the Saints after the franchise signed him away from the Detroit Lions in 2017.
According to Spotrac, Warford was scheduled to earn a base salary of $7.65 million in the final year of his contract. He received a $750,000 roster bonus earlier this off-season and was due a $100,000 workout bonus. His contract will still count as $5.13 million in dead money against the cap.
Saints terminate contract of guard Larry Warford Story: https://t.co/lyMpfTnoOh pic.twitter.com/sZCEqKnIwl— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 8, 2020
The Detroit Lions selected Warford in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Kentucky. He became an immediate starter and spent four seasons in Detroit before joining the Saints.
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Warford has started 101 regular-season games in his career, including 44 contests over the past three seasons in New Orleans. He also started five postseason games for the Saints.


upi--2020-05-08--Combination of HIV, hepatitis C, MS drugs might resolve COVID-19 infection

May 8 ( UPI ) -- A three-drug combination treatment appears to improve symptoms and shorten hospital stays for people with mild to moderate COVID-19 , while making them less likely to pass the virus to others , a small study published Friday by The Lancet has found .
The research , performed in Hong Kong , involved 127 adults with the disease who received a combination of interferon beta-1b plus lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin .
Historically , ribavirin has been used to treat hepatitis C , while lopinavir-ritonavir was developed for the management of HIV , and interferon beta-1b initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our trial demonstrates that early treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 with a triple combination of antiviral drugs may rapidly suppress the amount of virus in a patient 's body , relieve symptoms and reduce the risk to healthcare workers , '' study co-author Dr. Kwok-Yung Yuen , of the University of Hong Kong , said in a statement .
The findings also suggest that the regimen `` reduces the duration and quantity of viral shedding '' -- or the period during which the virus is detectable and transmissible -- and is `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .
The drugs are among several older prescription medications being evaluated to treat COVID-19 .
Others include the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antiviral remdesivir .
Earlier research found that a combination of oral lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin significantly reduced respiratory failure and death in patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome , or SARS , during the 2003 outbreak .
Interferon beta-1b has been shown to reduce viral load and improve lung problems in animal studies of Middle East respiratory syndrome , or MERS , which also is a coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yuen and his colleagues administered 8 million IUs of injectible interferon beta-1b , plus 400/100 milligrams of lopinavir-ritonavir and 400 mg. of ribavirin to 86 adults with the virus within seven hours of their first showing symptoms .
The patients continued to receive the regimen every 12 hours for 14 days .
Results in these study participants were compared to those achieved in 41 adults who received only lopinavir-ritonavir .
In addition , all patients received standard care for COVID-19 , which includes ventilation support , dialysis support , antibiotics and corticosteroids .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the triple drug combination had no detectable SARS-CoV-2 in samples taken from the nose or throat within an average of seven days of starting the regimen .
Complete alleviation of symptoms occurred within an average of four days , and the patients were discharged from the hospital within an average of nine days .
In addition , researchers observed that 52 patients who started the combination treatment fewer than seven days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms experienced better results than the 24 participants in the control group who received their treatment at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who were treated seven days or more after showing symptoms , there was no difference in results between the combination treatment and control groups .
Those on lopinavir-ritonavir , meanwhile , had detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 up to an average of 12 days of starting treatment .
Symptoms took an average of eight days to resolve , and the patients remained hospitalized for an average of roughly 15 days .
No difference in side effects between the two treatment groups was noted , and none of the side effects in the combination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- was severe .
None of the study participants died during the research .
`` These findings suggest that interferon beta 1-b may be a key component of the combination treatment and is worth further investigation for the treatment of COVID-19 , '' co-author Dr. Jenny Lo , of Ruttonjee Hospital in Hong Kong said .
`` Interferons are naturally occurring proteins , produced in response to viral infection , and the hope is that interferon beta-1b will boost the body 's ability to fight SARS-CoV-2 . ''
None of the study participants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that larger trials are needed to examine the effectiveness of the triple combination in critically ill patients .
`` Despite these encouraging findings , we must confirm ... that interferon beta-1b alone or in combination with other drugs is effective in patients with more severe illness in whom the virus has had more time to replicate , '' Yuen said .

A combination of drugs used in HIV, hepatitis C and MS may help some with COVID-19. File photo by Colin/Flickr
May 8 (UPI) -- A three-drug combination treatment appears to improve symptoms and shorten hospital stays for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, while making them less likely to pass the virus to others, a small study published Friday by The Lancet has found. The research, performed in Hong Kong, involved 127 adults with the disease who received a combination of interferon beta-1b plus lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin. Advertisement
Historically, ribavirin has been used to treat hepatitis C, while lopinavir-ritonavir was developed for the management of HIV, and interferon beta-1b initially was approved for multiple sclerosis.
"Our trial demonstrates that early treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 with a triple combination of antiviral drugs may rapidly suppress the amount of virus in a patient's body, relieve symptoms and reduce the risk to healthcare workers," study co-author Dr. Kwok-Yung Yuen, of the University of Hong Kong, said in a statement.
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The findings also suggest that the regimen "reduces the duration and quantity of viral shedding" -- or the period during which the virus is detectable and transmissible -- and is "safe and well tolerated by patients," he said.
The drugs are among several older prescription medications being evaluated to treat COVID-19. Others include the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antiviral remdesivir.
Earlier research found that a combination of oral lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin significantly reduced respiratory failure and death in patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, during the 2003 outbreak.
Interferon beta-1b has been shown to reduce viral load and improve lung problems in animal studies of Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, which also is a coronavirus infection.
For The Lancet study, Yuen and his colleagues administered 8 million IUs of injectible interferon beta-1b, plus 400/100 milligrams of lopinavir-ritonavir and 400 mg. of ribavirin to 86 adults with the virus within seven hours of their first showing symptoms. The patients continued to receive the regimen every 12 hours for 14 days.
Results in these study participants were compared to those achieved in 41 adults who received only lopinavir-ritonavir. In addition, all patients received standard care for COVID-19, which includes ventilation support, dialysis support, antibiotics and corticosteroids.
Advertisement
The researchers found study participants treated with the triple drug combination had no detectable SARS-CoV-2 in samples taken from the nose or throat within an average of seven days of starting the regimen.
Complete alleviation of symptoms occurred within an average of four days, and the patients were discharged from the hospital within an average of nine days.
In addition, researchers observed that 52 patients who started the combination treatment fewer than seven days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms experienced better results than the 24 participants in the control group who received their treatment at the same time.
However, among those who were treated seven days or more after showing symptoms, there was no difference in results between the combination treatment and control groups.
Those on lopinavir-ritonavir, meanwhile, had detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 up to an average of 12 days of starting treatment. Symptoms took an average of eight days to resolve, and the patients remained hospitalized for an average of roughly 15 days.
No difference in side effects between the two treatment groups was noted, and none of the side effects in the combination group -- diarrhea, fever and nausea -- was severe. None of the study participants died during the research.
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"These findings suggest that interferon beta 1-b may be a key component of the combination treatment and is worth further investigation for the treatment of COVID-19," co-author Dr. Jenny Lo, of Ruttonjee Hospital in Hong Kong said.
"Interferons are naturally occurring proteins, produced in response to viral infection, and the hope is that interferon beta-1b will boost the body's ability to fight SARS-CoV-2."
None of the study participants had severe COVID-19, the researchers noted, adding that larger trials are needed to examine the effectiveness of the triple combination in critically ill patients.
"Despite these encouraging findings, we must confirm ... that interferon beta-1b alone or in combination with other drugs is effective in patients with more severe illness in whom the virus has had more time to replicate," Yuen said.


upi--2020-05-08--California to send mail-in ballots to all voters

May 8 ( UPI ) -- California Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Friday signed an executive order requiring mail-in ballots be sent to all eligible voters for the November election .
The measure is meant to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus at polling places .
`` Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy , '' Newsom said .
`` No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote .
`` Mail-in ballots are n't a perfect solution for every person , and I look forward to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of state 's and the Legislature 's continued partnership to create safer in-person opportunities for Californians who are n't able to vote by mail . ''
He said in-person voting places will still be available for those who need it , including people with disabilities , those who speak languages other than English and those who are homeless .
It will be up to the individual county 's elections officials to send out the ballots and arrange for in-person voting opportunities .
There 's been a growing push by some politicians to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of COVID-19 .
Some states allow only those physically unable to vote in person -- the disabled and elderly -- to vote by mail .
A Gallup poll released last month indicated that 70 percent of Americans favor allowing all registered voters to vote by mail .
Meanwhile , a study spearheaded by New York University 's Brennan Center for Justice found that though the federal government provided $ 400 million in grants to help states run their elections , the amount is n't enough to adjust for the increased costs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we become the first state in the nation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by mailing every registered voter a ballot .
We are meeting our obligation to provide an accessible , secure , and safe election this November .
Sending every registered voter a ballot by mail is smart policy and absolutely the right thing to do during this COVID-19 pandemic , '' California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Friday .

In-person polling opportunities will still be available for voters who need them, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed an executive order requiring mail-in ballots be sent to all eligible voters for the November election. The measure is meant to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus at polling places. Advertisement
"Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy," Newsom said. "No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote.
"Mail-in ballots aren't a perfect solution for every person, and I look forward to our public health experts and the secretary of state's and the Legislature's continued partnership to create safer in-person opportunities for Californians who aren't able to vote by mail."
He said in-person voting places will still be available for those who need it, including people with disabilities, those who speak languages other than English and those who are homeless.
It will be up to the individual county's elections officials to send out the ballots and arrange for in-person voting opportunities.
There's been a growing push by some politicians to allow vote-by-mail to encourage continued social distancing during the spread of COVID-19. Some states allow only those physically unable to vote in person -- the disabled and elderly -- to vote by mail.
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A Gallup poll released last month indicated that 70 percent of Americans favor allowing all registered voters to vote by mail.
Meanwhile, a study spearheaded by New York University's Brennan Center for Justice found that though the federal government provided $400 million in grants to help states run their elections, the amount isn't enough to adjust for the increased costs associated with the pandemic.
"Today we become the first state in the nation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by mailing every registered voter a ballot. We are meeting our obligation to provide an accessible, secure, and safe election this November. Sending every registered voter a ballot by mail is smart policy and absolutely the right thing to do during this COVID-19 pandemic," California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Friday.


upi--2020-05-08--Navy adapts maintenance procedures, strategies for containing COVID-19

May 8 ( UPI ) -- The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility successfully completed a maintenance availability for USS Ronald Reagan this week -- a project that took 98,000 man-hours and five months to complete , according to the Navy .
The Navy has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic , with an outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt causing a political firestorm that led to the ouster of its captain and the resignation of the Navy 's acting secretary -- and is now working to contain an outbreak aboard the USS Kidd .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in port and deployed , including work by the Reagan 's maintenance teams and ship 's crew making repairs to the ship 's electrical , mechanical and fluid systems and modernized combat systems and aviation structures onboard the carrier .
Work continued as the novel coronavirus spread globally , requiring crews to quickly implement public health measures like social distancing , the use of masks , increased cleaning of work areas and the use of flexible or alternative work schedules .
`` Our primary concern in finishing this availability was to ensure everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Project Superintendent Monte Levin said in a Navy statement .
`` When Ronald Reagan arrived at Berth 12 for the start of its availability last December [ 2019 ] , the world looked very different .
Words like social distancing and quarantine were unfamiliar to most of us .
Navy officials say the service has rapidly adapted strategies for containing outbreaks of the virus aboard ships , including the USS Kidd , which reported an outbreak in April .
Vice Adm. Richard Brown , the commander of Naval Surface Forces and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News leadership immediately shut down gyms and other common areas , switched the galley to self-serve and ported the vessel as soon as possible to `` create a virus-free bubble '' on the Kidd .
`` If it gets on , it 's on the ship .
And you can slow and arrest the spread , but at some point , you start losing the battle , and that 's when you have to take more urgent and decisive action , and that 's what we did with Kidd , '' Brown said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out there , I would say at some point the entire crew would have been infected in a number of weeks . ''
Also this week , the U.S. Pacific Fleet 's senior leaders returned from visiting Guam , where the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been docked since the end of March due to a COVID-19 outbreak on board .
Both leaders are self-quarantining in Hawaii , and said they were impressed by the crew 's commitment to cleaning and containing the outbreak as they prepare to return to sea -- appreciative of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor and people of Guam .
Sailors have received support in the form of care packages in the form of personal items , snacks and comfort items , as well as Wi-Fi , phones for Sailors to call family back home , laundry services and transportation .
`` After being able to get to Guam and seeing the operation in action , Fleet Master Chief James Honea and I were enormously impressed , having watched the Sailors fight through this adversary to get back on their ship , '' Fleet Commander Adm. John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hawaii , said in a statement .
`` I 'm more proud than ever having seen firsthand what our Sailors have had to do . ''

The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan cruises during Talisman Sabre 2019. Photo by Kaila V. Peters/U.S. Navy
May 8 (UPI) -- The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility successfully completed a maintenance availability for USS Ronald Reagan this week -- a project that took 98,000 man-hours and five months to complete, according to the Navy. The Navy has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with an outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt causing a political firestorm that led to the ouster of its captain and the resignation of the Navy's acting secretary -- and is now working to contain an outbreak aboard the USS Kidd. Advertisement
The complications have added to work on vessels in port and deployed, including work by the Reagan's maintenance teams and ship's crew making repairs to the ship's electrical, mechanical and fluid systems and modernized combat systems and aviation structures onboard the carrier.
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Work continued as the novel coronavirus spread globally, requiring crews to quickly implement public health measures like social distancing, the use of masks, increased cleaning of work areas and the use of flexible or alternative work schedules.
"Our primary concern in finishing this availability was to ensure everyone's safety while still accomplishing our mission," Project Superintendent Monte Levin said in a Navy statement. "When Ronald Reagan arrived at Berth 12 for the start of its availability last December [2019], the world looked very different. Words like social distancing and quarantine were unfamiliar to most of us.
Navy officials say the service has rapidly adapted strategies for containing outbreaks of the virus aboard ships, including the USS Kidd, which reported an outbreak in April.
Vice Adm. Richard Brown, the commander of Naval Surface Forces and Naval Surface Force Pacific, told USNI News leadership immediately shut down gyms and other common areas, switched the galley to self-serve and ported the vessel as soon as possible to "create a virus-free bubble" on the Kidd.
"If it gets on, it's on the ship. And you can slow and arrest the spread, but at some point, you start losing the battle, and that's when you have to take more urgent and decisive action, and that's what we did with Kidd," Brown said. "If we had left her out there, I would say at some point the entire crew would have been infected in a number of weeks."
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Also this week, the U.S. Pacific Fleet's senior leaders returned from visiting Guam, where the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been docked since the end of March due to a COVID-19 outbreak on board.
Both leaders are self-quarantining in Hawaii, and said they were impressed by the crew's commitment to cleaning and containing the outbreak as they prepare to return to sea -- appreciative of the support sailors of received from the governor and people of Guam.
Sailors have received support in the form of care packages in the form of personal items, snacks and comfort items, as well as Wi-Fi, phones for Sailors to call family back home, laundry services and transportation.
"After being able to get to Guam and seeing the operation in action, Fleet Master Chief James Honea and I were enormously impressed, having watched the Sailors fight through this adversary to get back on their ship," Fleet Commander Adm. John C. Aquilino, who is self-quarantining in Hawaii, said in a statement. "I'm more proud than ever having seen firsthand what our Sailors have had to do."


upi--2020-05-08--Disabled flies sleep more as they learn to adapt

May 8 ( UPI ) -- Some people need to psyche themselves up to meet challenges head on .
For flies , tough times call for a little shuteye .
New research suggests flies that are unable to fly sleep more as they learn to adapt to their disability .
The research -- published Friday in the journal Science Advances -- could offer insights into the evolutionary origins of sleep , as well as the role sleep plays in human health and development .
The sleep patterns of fruit flies are quite similar to those of humans .
Young flies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the need for sleep diminishing as a fly ages .
Flies that are kept up all night catch up on sleep the next day .
Caffeine keeps flies up , while antihistamines make them drowsy .
In humans , sleep is important for learning and neural development , and the latest research suggests flies rely on sleep for the same reasons .
After emerging from their pupal cases , newborn flies have a half-hour to spread their wings .
If they do n't , their development will be stunted .
For the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tiny containers , preventing the insects from opening their wings .
Researchers also genetically modified fruit flies to prevent the expansion of their wings .
In both instances , the flies were left flightless .
Scientists also deformed the wings of older flies , rendering them flightless .
Having been robbed of their flight , all of the flies slept more than usual .
During followup experiments , scientists confirmed that the same neural pathway responsible for communicating problems with a fly 's wings sends signals for the fly to sleep more .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were activated when we cut or glued the wings of adult flies , they turned out to be the same neurons involved in the normal developmental process of wing expansion after emergence , '' Krishna Melnattur , researcher at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis , said in a news release .
Infants , children and adolescents need more sleep than adults because their brains are growing and rapidly acquiring new information .
The same is true for young flies .
Sleep is essential as their wings develop and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around them .
The challenge of being flightless appears to turn back the clock for flies and their sleep patterns .
`` The whole circuit can get reactivated later in life when something happens that forces a fly to adapt to a new normal , '' said Paul Shaw , professor of neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine .
`` Suddenly , its brain needs to be as flexible as when it was young .
It can no longer fly , but it still needs to get food , it needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avoid dying .
We think that sleep amplifies the brain plasticity the fly needs to survive . ''
Shaw and his research partners plan to conduct followup experiments to determine whether the added sleep actually pays dividends by allowing the disabled flies to develop new survival strategies .
The ongoing research could also help scientists understand why some people sleep more than others , as well as pinpoint the origins of sleep disorders in humans .
`` There 's huge variation in sleep time among people , '' Shaw said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; some need nine .
Sleep is an ancient process , and we 've evolved mechanisms to change our sleep-wake balance to help us meet our needs . ''
`` If these mechanisms get inappropriately activated , say by a traumatic event that triggers post-traumatic stress disorder , it can create a situation in which you 're sleeping too much or too little and it 's no longer matching up with your needs , and then you have a sleep disorder , '' Shaw added .

May 8 (UPI) -- Some people need to psyche themselves up to meet challenges head on. For flies, tough times call for a little shuteye.
New research suggests flies that are unable to fly sleep more as they learn to adapt to their disability.
Advertisement
The research -- published Friday in the journal Science Advances -- could offer insights into the evolutionary origins of sleep, as well as the role sleep plays in human health and development.
The sleep patterns of fruit flies are quite similar to those of humans. Young flies sleep more than older flies, with the need for sleep diminishing as a fly ages. Flies that are kept up all night catch up on sleep the next day. Caffeine keeps flies up, while antihistamines make them drowsy.
In humans, sleep is important for learning and neural development, and the latest research suggests flies rely on sleep for the same reasons.
Advertisement
After emerging from their pupal cases, newborn flies have a half-hour to spread their wings. If they don't, their development will be stunted.
For the new study, scientists placed baby flies in tiny containers, preventing the insects from opening their wings. Researchers also genetically modified fruit flies to prevent the expansion of their wings. In both instances, the flies were left flightless. Scientists also deformed the wings of older flies, rendering them flightless.
Having been robbed of their flight, all of the flies slept more than usual. During followup experiments, scientists confirmed that the same neural pathway responsible for communicating problems with a fly's wings sends signals for the fly to sleep more.
"When we identified the neurons that were activated when we cut or glued the wings of adult flies, they turned out to be the same neurons involved in the normal developmental process of wing expansion after emergence," Krishna Melnattur, researcher at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a news release.
Infants, children and adolescents need more sleep than adults because their brains are growing and rapidly acquiring new information. The same is true for young flies. Sleep is essential as their wings develop and they learn to fly and navigate the world around them.
Advertisement
The challenge of being flightless appears to turn back the clock for flies and their sleep patterns.
"The whole circuit can get reactivated later in life when something happens that forces a fly to adapt to a new normal," said Paul Shaw, professor of neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine. "Suddenly, its brain needs to be as flexible as when it was young. It can no longer fly, but it still needs to get food, it needs to compete for mates, it needs to avoid dying. We think that sleep amplifies the brain plasticity the fly needs to survive."
Shaw and his research partners plan to conduct followup experiments to determine whether the added sleep actually pays dividends by allowing the disabled flies to develop new survival strategies. The ongoing research could also help scientists understand why some people sleep more than others, as well as pinpoint the origins of sleep disorders in humans.
"There's huge variation in sleep time among people," Shaw said. "Some people need five hours a night; some need nine. Sleep is an ancient process, and we've evolved mechanisms to change our sleep-wake balance to help us meet our needs."
"If these mechanisms get inappropriately activated, say by a traumatic event that triggers post-traumatic stress disorder, it can create a situation in which you're sleeping too much or too little and it's no longer matching up with your needs, and then you have a sleep disorder," Shaw added.


upi--2020-05-08--15-minute COVID-19 test proves accurate at confirming infection

May 8 ( UPI ) -- A new , point-of-care testing kit for COVID-19 that can deliver results in 15 minutes accurately diagnoses people more than 80 percent of time , according to an analysis published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine .
The test , called Respi-Strip , was designed for use in doctor 's offices and health clinics by the Belgium-based Coris BioConcept .
It is a type of immunochromatographic assay , or lateral flow test , which detects the presence or absence of a particular substance -- similar to the function of a pregnancy test .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by researchers at the Free University of Brussels , University of Leipzig , Karolinska Institute , KU Leuven , UZ Leuven , University of Liege , Luigi Sacco Hospital and University College London .
`` The detection of viral infections in patients attending primary care centers would allow healthcare workers to rapidly identify new outbreak and define quarantine measures for ... suspect patients to limit the spread of the epidemic , '' researchers wrote in the study .
To date , the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved one testing platform for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinics , the Cepheid for the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test .
That test also promises results in about 15 minutes .
Both the Xpert Xpress and the newer Respi-Strip test samples taken from the nose and back of the throat for the virus , just like the testing kits developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Problems in the manufacturing and distribution of the CDC testing kits , which use a method called PCR assays to identify the virus based on its genetic material , have been blamed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 pandemic .
The CDC testing kits are designed to be more accurate than so-called point-of-care tests like Respi-Strip , but they require analysis at diagnostic labs and can take two to three days to process and yield results .
For COVID-19 , the Respi-Strip uses a sample collected by a nasal and throat swab , which looks like a long , flexible Q-tip .
The swab enters through one nostril and extends down the nasal passage close to a person 's outer ear .
Once the sample is collected , the test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of SARS-CoV-2 .
If it finds the proteins , that means the virus is present .
The test is based in part on a similar one developed for SARS-CoV-1 , which caused the 2002-03 SARS epidemic , according to Coris BioConcept .
The Respi-Strip is not intended to be a stand-alone test , but rather used as part of a broader testing strategy , the authors wrote .
The two-phase Frontiers in Medicine study assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the Respi-Strip test during its development stage in the lab and later on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients who had COVID-19 .
Researchers found the test 's overall accuracy was 82 percent in these 300 patients , with an overall sensitivity -- or how often a test correctly generates a positive result -- of 58 percent and an overall specificity -- or how often a test correctly generates a negative result -- of 99.5 percent .
In other words , the test was able to correctly detect COVID-19 in roughly six of 10 people , and it was nearly perfect in determining when an infection was not present .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher viral loads , positively identifying an infection in roughly seven out of 10 people .
These findings indicate the test might be useful as part of a broader triage strategy for slowing down the pandemic by screening patients during peak periods , the authors said .
Eventually , it could also be useful for screening higher-risk populations like healthcare workers , and could reduce the number of laboratory tests using PCR assays by more than 13 percent , they said .
The researchers said Respi-Strip could be especially useful `` in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assays are available in very few laboratories , mainly only in capital cities . ''

A new, fast COVID-19 test is found to be accurate at confirming disease in a new study. File photo by Twana Atkinson/U.S. Army/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) -- A new, point-of-care testing kit for COVID-19 that can deliver results in 15 minutes accurately diagnoses people more than 80 percent of time, according to an analysis published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine. The test, called Respi-Strip, was designed for use in doctor's offices and health clinics by the Belgium-based Coris BioConcept. It is a type of immunochromatographic assay, or lateral flow test, which detects the presence or absence of a particular substance -- similar to the function of a pregnancy test. Advertisement
Analysis of the testing kit was conducted by researchers at the Free University of Brussels, University of Leipzig, Karolinska Institute, KU Leuven, UZ Leuven, University of Liege, Luigi Sacco Hospital and University College London.
"The detection of viral infections in patients attending primary care centers would allow healthcare workers to rapidly identify new outbreak and define quarantine measures for ... suspect patients to limit the spread of the epidemic," researchers wrote in the study.
Advertisement
To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved one testing platform for use in doctor's offices and health clinics, the Cepheid for the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test. That test also promises results in about 15 minutes.
Both the Xpert Xpress and the newer Respi-Strip test samples taken from the nose and back of the throat for the virus, just like the testing kits developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Problems in the manufacturing and distribution of the CDC testing kits, which use a method called PCR assays to identify the virus based on its genetic material, have been blamed for hindering the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CDC testing kits are designed to be more accurate than so-called point-of-care tests like Respi-Strip, but they require analysis at diagnostic labs and can take two to three days to process and yield results.
For COVID-19, the Respi-Strip uses a sample collected by a nasal and throat swab, which looks like a long, flexible Q-tip. The swab enters through one nostril and extends down the nasal passage close to a person's outer ear.
Once the sample is collected, the test looks for proteins found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2. If it finds the proteins, that means the virus is present.
Advertisement
The test is based in part on a similar one developed for SARS-CoV-1, which caused the 2002-03 SARS epidemic, according to Coris BioConcept. The Respi-Strip is not intended to be a stand-alone test, but rather used as part of a broader testing strategy, the authors wrote.
The two-phase Frontiers in Medicine study assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the Respi-Strip test during its development stage in the lab and later on real-world biological samples from more than 300 patients who had COVID-19.
Researchers found the test's overall accuracy was 82 percent in these 300 patients, with an overall sensitivity -- or how often a test correctly generates a positive result -- of 58 percent and an overall specificity -- or how often a test correctly generates a negative result -- of 99.5 percent.
In other words, the test was able to correctly detect COVID-19 in roughly six of 10 people, and it was nearly perfect in determining when an infection was not present. The test was more sensitive in patients with higher viral loads, positively identifying an infection in roughly seven out of 10 people.
These findings indicate the test might be useful as part of a broader triage strategy for slowing down the pandemic by screening patients during peak periods, the authors said.
Advertisement
Eventually, it could also be useful for screening higher-risk populations like healthcare workers, and could reduce the number of laboratory tests using PCR assays by more than 13 percent, they said.
The researchers said Respi-Strip could be especially useful "in the low- and middle-income countries, where molecular assays are available in very few laboratories, mainly only in capital cities."


upi--2020-05-08--Andrew Cuomo says N.Y. has COVID-19 'on the run'; Mike Pence aide tests positive

1/5
The daily death toll in New York has been slowing for weeks. On Friday it was slightly over 21,000 out of 328,000 cases in the state. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) -- Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary tested positive for the coronavirus disease, the White House said Friday, a day after reporting a personal valet to President Donald Trump had been diagnosed. Katie Miller confirmed the news in a statement to NBC News, saying she's asymptomatic. She's married to Stephen Miller, Trump's senior adviser on immigration. Advertisement
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced the positive case as Pence was preparing to fly to Iowa for a meeting to discuss the effect of the pandemic on churches and the food supply.
Pence's departure from Andrews Air Force Base was delayed for an hour and took off after two staffers left the aircraft.
Trump addressed the news during a meeting with Republican lawmakers at the White House.
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"She's a wonderful young woman, Katie," he told reporters. "She tested very good for a long period of time, and then all of a sudden today she tested positive. She hasn't come into contact with me, spent some time with the vice president. So she tested positive out of the blue."
Trump said after the valet's diagnosis on Thursday that he and Pence would begin taking daily tests. They have tested negative.
In New York on Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he feels for the first time the state is finally ahead of the virus.
"We have the beast on the run, there's no doubt about that," he said. "We haven't killed the beast, but we're ahead of it."
The daily death toll in New York has been slowing for weeks. On Friday it was slightly over 21,000 out of 328,000 cases in the state.
"We would have hoped to see a steady sharp decline in those numbers," Cuomo said. "We went up very quickly. That's not what's happening... it's more flattening out."
The governor also said dozens of New York children have come down with a mysterious illness connected to COVID-19, with symptoms similar to those of Kawaski disease and toxic shock syndrome. A 5-year-old New York City boy has died.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio praised residents for cooperating with restrictions and said it helped stem the virus' spread.
"The trends are clear, the hard work is paying off," he said, adding that the number of new hospital admissions are way down from March.
"Now it's time to go on the offensive," he said, announcing the "Test and Trace Corps," an effort by the city's public hospitals to increase testing to 50,000 per day in the coming months.
The goal, de Blasio said, is to marshal 2,500 "foot soldiers" by next month to carry out an unprecedented campaign of case investigation, contact tracing and data management.
In Florida, Democratic lawmakers raised "grave concerns" with Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to reopen the state and urged him to prioritize residents' health and safety "above all else."
In a letter to DeSantis signed by nine of Florida's 13 House Democrats, they questioned the governor's "troubling pattern" of delaying or resisting precautionary measures during the health crisis. Florida was one of the last states to impose a stay-home order in March.
The first phase of DeSantis' reopening plan began Monday, under which restaurants and retail shops can operate at 25 percent capacity. Business in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, however, has not yet been allowed to resume.
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Delta Air Lines said Friday it's begun using electrostatic sprayers to sanitize all planes. The carrier started using the sprayers in February on U.S.-bound flights from Asia and the practice has since been expanded to international flights.
"Our customers can fly with confidence knowing that, on every Delta flight, the cabin has been sanitized top to bottom, interior surfaces and common areas have been thoroughly cleaned and Delta team members have confirmed the aircraft meets our cleanliness standards before boarding ever begins," said Delta Senior Vice President Eric Phillips.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday he's hopeful beaches along the popular Jersey Shore will reopen by Memorial Day weekend. The state has the second-most number of cases nationally.
Murphy said previous reopenings of golf courses and parks are being used to "war game" whether the New Jersey's extensive beaches can open.
In Philadelphia, protesters planned to rally at City Hall on Friday against stay-home orders, which have been extended to June 4.
Mayor Jim Kenney urged protesters to wear masks and said he won't "sacrifice people's lives" to reopen the city.
"You can't set a timeline," Kenney said this week. "The timeline is what the virus dictates. We certainly have target things we'd like to see happen, but unless the data indicates that it's safe, then it's not safe."
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U.S. copes with COVID-19 pandemic


upi--2020-05-08--Hong Kong legislative council breaks out in scuffle

May 8 ( UPI ) -- Lawmakers in Hong Kong broke out in a scuffle Friday as they fought over who would take control of a committee .
The Guardian reported the fighting started at the conclusion of a meeting in which legislators on Hong Kong 's Legislative Council were unable to agree on who should be the new committee chair .
After the meeting was over , the incumbent chairwoman , Starry Lee , approached the chairperson 's seat , where she expected to sit for the new committee session as it was beginning to start .
Security guards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-Beijing DAB Party , as members of her own party and the pro-democracy Civic Party crowded in .
The Hong Kong Free Press said lawmaker Eddie Chu , a member of the pro-democracy Land Justice League attempted to climb over a wall to reach the chair .
Security officials physically carried him out of the Legislative Council 's meeting room .
Lee told pro-democracy lawmakers they were banished from the meeting place .
`` I am still the chairperson of the house committee , '' she said .
`` There is no such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power to chair the meeting . ''
Dennis Kwok , deputy chairman and member of the Civic Party , has presided over the House committee since October since Lee was running for re-election .
Beijing accused Kwok and other pro-democracy leaders of delaying the election of a new chairperson .

Starry Lee (C) speaks as she's surrounded by security guards while pro-democracy and pro-Beijing lawmakers scuffle during a House committee at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on Friday. Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA-EFE
May 8 (UPI) -- Lawmakers in Hong Kong broke out in a scuffle Friday as they fought over who would take control of a committee. The Guardian reported the fighting started at the conclusion of a meeting in which legislators on Hong Kong's Legislative Council were unable to agree on who should be the new committee chair. Advertisement
After the meeting was over, the incumbent chairwoman, Starry Lee, approached the chairperson's seat, where she expected to sit for the new committee session as it was beginning to start.
Security guards surrounded Lee, a member of the pro-Beijing DAB Party, as members of her own party and the pro-democracy Civic Party crowded in.
The Hong Kong Free Press said lawmaker Eddie Chu, a member of the pro-democracy Land Justice League attempted to climb over a wall to reach the chair. Security officials physically carried him out of the Legislative Council's meeting room.
Lee told pro-democracy lawmakers they were banished from the meeting place.
"I am still the chairperson of the house committee," she said. "There is no such [claim] that I have no power to chair the meeting."
Dennis Kwok, deputy chairman and member of the Civic Party, has presided over the House committee since October since Lee was running for re-election. Beijing accused Kwok and other pro-democracy leaders of delaying the election of a new chairperson.


upi--2020-05-08--Vitamin D may improve odds of survival from COVID-19

There 's been much speculation about whether vitamin D might prevent or help survival with COVID-19 , and two new studies appear to underscore the link .
In the first study -- published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research -- British researchers found that COVID-19 infections and deaths were higher in countries where people had low vitamin D levels , such as Italy and Spain , compared to northern European countries where average vitamin D levels were higher .
The researchers explained that people in southern Europe may have darker pigmentation , which reduces vitamin D synthesis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more cod liver oil and vitamin D supplements .
The second study appeared in the online journal medRxiv , but has not been peer-reviewed .
In it , a team from Northwestern University in Evanston , Ill. , analyzed data from 10 countries , including the United States .
Led by postdoctoral researcher Ali Daneshkhah , the study 's conclusion was the same : Low vitamin D levels were linked to a hyperactive immune system .
The so-called `` sunshine vitamin '' bolsters immunity and prevents an overactive immune response , the Northwestern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could explain several mysteries , including why kids are unlikely to die from COVID-19 .
But Dr. Mark Bolland , an associate professor of medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand who has investigated the effects of vitamin D on bone health , said neither study proves cause and effect .
`` There are numerous examples where low vitamin D levels have been associated with a condition , but raising the levels does not improve it , '' Bolland said .
He said the papers were both `` very speculative '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It is far too simplistic to say that because some countries have average lower vitamin D levels , that this is a likely reason for worse COVID statistics , '' Bolland said .
But William Grant , director of the Sunlight , Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco , had a different take .
To him , the findings add to results from other observational studies that found boosting vitamin D levels might help prevent COVID-19 or make it less severe .
Meanwhile , Dr. Frank Lau , an associate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University , said his research clearly shows that vitamin D can make a difference .
Patients whose levels are low have a weaker immune response to the novel coronavirus , he said .
Vitamin D strengthens it , allowing the body to develop antibodies to the virus and prevent it from spreading throughout the body , Lau said .
Clinical trials to see if vitamin D can help infected patients are getting started .
Lau 's own trial involves giving vitamin D to patients in the early stages of COVID-19 infection .
Meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether vitamin D will benefit people with severe infection , he said .
While Lau suspects vitamin D wo n't help once an infection is severe , he does believe boosting your vitamin D levels may help ward off COVID-19 .
But there 's a more effective way to do it than taking a supplement , he said .
`` The easiest way to get your daily dose of vitamin D is just to spend 10 to 15 minutes a day in the sun , '' Lau said .
`` It 's inexpensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get all the vitamin D you 'll need . ''
Vitamin D is also found in such foods as fatty fish , fortified dairy products and cereals , beef liver , cheese and egg yolks .
For more about COVID-19 , visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

A recent study found that COVID-19 infections and deaths were higher in countries where people had low vitamin D levels. Photo by frolicsomepl /Pixabay
There's been much speculation about whether vitamin D might prevent or help survival with COVID-19, and two new studies appear to underscore the link. In the first study -- published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research -- British researchers found that COVID-19 infections and deaths were higher in countries where people had low vitamin D levels, such as Italy and Spain, compared to northern European countries where average vitamin D levels were higher. The researchers explained that people in southern Europe may have darker pigmentation, which reduces vitamin D synthesis, while people in northern European countries consume more cod liver oil and vitamin D supplements. Advertisement
The second study appeared in the online journal medRxiv, but has not been peer-reviewed. In it, a team from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., analyzed data from 10 countries, including the United States. Led by postdoctoral researcher Ali Daneshkhah, the study's conclusion was the same: Low vitamin D levels were linked to a hyperactive immune system. The so-called "sunshine vitamin" bolsters immunity and prevents an overactive immune response, the Northwestern researchers said, adding that their finding could explain several mysteries, including why kids are unlikely to die from COVID-19.
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But Dr. Mark Bolland, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand who has investigated the effects of vitamin D on bone health, said neither study proves cause and effect. "There are numerous examples where low vitamin D levels have been associated with a condition, but raising the levels does not improve it," Bolland said.
He said the papers were both "very speculative" and based on the same fallacy.
"It is far too simplistic to say that because some countries have average lower vitamin D levels, that this is a likely reason for worse COVID statistics," Bolland said.
But William Grant, director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco, had a different take. To him, the findings add to results from other observational studies that found boosting vitamin D levels might help prevent COVID-19 or make it less severe.
Meanwhile, Dr. Frank Lau, an associate professor of clinical surgery at Louisiana State University, said his research clearly shows that vitamin D can make a difference.
Patients whose levels are low have a weaker immune response to the novel coronavirus, he said. Vitamin D strengthens it, allowing the body to develop antibodies to the virus and prevent it from spreading throughout the body, Lau said.
Advertisement
Clinical trials to see if vitamin D can help infected patients are getting started. Lau's own trial involves giving vitamin D to patients in the early stages of COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, a trial in France is investigating whether vitamin D will benefit people with severe infection, he said.
While Lau suspects vitamin D won't help once an infection is severe, he does believe boosting your vitamin D levels may help ward off COVID-19. But there's a more effective way to do it than taking a supplement, he said.
"The easiest way to get your daily dose of vitamin D is just to spend 10 to 15 minutes a day in the sun," Lau said. "It's inexpensive, it's free and you'll get all the vitamin D you'll need." Vitamin D is also found in such foods as fatty fish, fortified dairy products and cereals, beef liver, cheese and egg yolks.
More information
For more about COVID-19, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


upi--2020-05-08--Death rate of COVID-19 in U.S. is 1.3%, study shows

Among detected cases of COVID-19 in the United States , 1.3 percent of patients will die from the illness , according to a new calculation .
But that rate could increase if current precautions and healthcare capacities change , the study 's author said .
The 1.3 percent rate calculation is based on cumulative deaths and detected cases across the United States , but it does not account for undetected cases , where a person is infected but shows few or no symptoms , according to researcher Anirban Basu .
If those cases were added into the equation , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 percent , Basu said .
He directs the department of pharmacy at the University of Washington in Seattle .
Basu stressed that the current estimates apply `` under the assumption that the current supply [ as of April 20 ] of healthcare services , including hospital beds , ventilators , and access to healthcare providers , would continue in the future . ''
Declines in the availability of healthcare services could increase COVID-19 death rates .
Most crucially , social distancing and other preventive measures will help keep the U.S. COVID-19 death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , recent White House COVID-19 Taskforce projections of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths this year from COVID-19 are made with assumptions about the effectiveness of measures that are currently in place , he said .
Many states are already moving to relax restrictions on `` shelter in place '' rules , with businesses , beaches and parks reopening .
The estimated COVID-19 death rate of 1.3 percent is still much higher than the U.S. death rate for seasonal flu for 2018-2019 , which was just 0.1 percent of cases , according to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the other hand , the new estimate is much lower than prior death rate calculations .
For example , China 's COVID-19 death rate was initially reported to be 5.6 percent , falling to 3.8 percent by Feb. 20 .
But that could be due to timing : As in China , U.S. rates were much higher in the early stages of the pandemic , Basu noted .
The new study 's findings are based on 40,835 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,620 confirmed deaths in 116 counties across 33 states through April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locales , with some counties recording a death rate of just 0.5 percent while others went as high as 3.6 percent .
According to Basu , determining the COVID-19 death rate is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic .
`` When used with other estimating approaches , our model and our estimates can help disease and policy modelers to obtain more accurate predictions for the epidemiology of the disease and the impact of alternative policy levers to contain this pandemic , '' he wrote in the report published online May 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports a significant variation in fatality rates by age groups .
Further work is required on this front , '' Basu added in a journal news release .
The estimate of the U.S. COVID-19 death rate is `` not outside the ballpark '' of estimated rates available from other countries , but lower , he concluded .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 .

A patient is moved out of nursing facility in California on April 9. A new study estimated the U.S. death rate for COVID-19 to be 1.3 percent of detected cases. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
Among detected cases of COVID-19 in the United States, 1.3 percent of patients will die from the illness, according to a new calculation. But that rate could increase if current precautions and healthcare capacities change, the study's author said. The 1.3 percent rate calculation is based on cumulative deaths and detected cases across the United States, but it does not account for undetected cases, where a person is infected but shows few or no symptoms, according to researcher Anirban Basu. Advertisement
If those cases were added into the equation, the overall death rate might drop closer to 1 percent, Basu said.
He directs the department of pharmacy at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Basu stressed that the current estimates apply "under the assumption that the current supply [as of April 20] of healthcare services, including hospital beds, ventilators, and access to healthcare providers, would continue in the future." Declines in the availability of healthcare services could increase COVID-19 death rates.
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Most crucially, social distancing and other preventive measures will help keep the U.S. COVID-19 death rate down, Basu said. Accordingly, recent White House COVID-19 Taskforce projections of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths this year from COVID-19 are made with assumptions about the effectiveness of measures that are currently in place, he said.
Many states are already moving to relax restrictions on "shelter in place" rules, with businesses, beaches and parks reopening.
The estimated COVID-19 death rate of 1.3 percent is still much higher than the U.S. death rate for seasonal flu for 2018-2019, which was just 0.1 percent of cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On the other hand, the new estimate is much lower than prior death rate calculations. For example, China's COVID-19 death rate was initially reported to be 5.6 percent, falling to 3.8 percent by Feb. 20. But that could be due to timing: As in China, U.S. rates were much higher in the early stages of the pandemic, Basu noted.
The new study's findings are based on 40,835 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,620 confirmed deaths in 116 counties across 33 states through April 20. Death rates varied widely across locales, with some counties recording a death rate of just 0.5 percent while others went as high as 3.6 percent.
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According to Basu, determining the COVID-19 death rate is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
"When used with other estimating approaches, our model and our estimates can help disease and policy modelers to obtain more accurate predictions for the epidemiology of the disease and the impact of alternative policy levers to contain this pandemic," he wrote in the report published online May 7 in Health Affairs.
"The CDC reports a significant variation in fatality rates by age groups. Further work is required on this front," Basu added in a journal news release.
The estimate of the U.S. COVID-19 death rate is "not outside the ballpark" of estimated rates available from other countries, but lower, he concluded.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


upi--2020-05-08--Poverty, poorer health make some in the Bronx more vulnerable to COVID-19

May 8 ( UPI ) -- New York City has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States , with immigrant populations in areas such as the Bronx `` disproportionately '' affected , say authors of a commentary published Friday by JAMA Internal Medicine .
They say that what they 've seen as front-line healthcare workers affiliated with the borough 's largest hospital , Montefiore Medical Center , should serve as a cautionary tale for other large cities across the country with significant immigrant populations who live in poverty .
`` Our experiences as clinicians in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made it clear to us that immigrants in the Bronx and throughout the U.S. have disproportionately been affected by COVID-19 , '' co-author Dr. Jonathan Ross , an internist at Montefiore , told UPI .
`` This is a direct result of long-standing social inequities that have put them at higher risk for exposure and that have made it harder for them to obtain care , '' said Ross , who also is assistant professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine .
The Bronx is the second-smallest of New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 1.4 million people , but it has reported nearly 40,000 of the city 's 174,000-plus confirmed cases of COVID-19 -- a total second only to Brooklyn -- according to the New York City Department of Health .
As a result , the Bronx has by far the highest number of cases per capita , with nearly 3 percent of its population infected .
This is likely due to a number of factors unique to its population , Ross and his colleagues wrote .
First , the borough is by far the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below $ 21,000 and more than 27 percent of the population in poverty , according to figures from the 2010 U.S. census .
Perhaps not surprisingly , as many as 20 percent of Bronx residents lack health insurance , which makes accessing care for COVID-19 -- or any other health condition -- out of reach financially .
The census also considers the area to be the `` most diverse '' in the United States .
In 2013 , 55 percent of Bronx residents were Hispanic or Latino , while 43 percent were black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More than one-third of those living in the borough were immigrants to the United States .
Historically , immigrant communities in the United States have faced challenges in accessing healthcare , including language barriers , lack of health insurance and fear of accessing medical services because of immigration enforcement fears , Ross and his colleagues noted .
These problems have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic , they said .
`` Limited English proficiency makes accessing accurate information about COVID-19 more challenging , '' Ross said .
`` And , infection control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly all hospitals , which may particularly affect immigrants whose families often serve as cultural mediators . ''
And these challenges are `` not unique '' to the Bronx , said Steffie Woolhandler , a professor of public health at New York City 's Hunter College , who was not among the authors of the JAMA Internal Medicine commentary .
`` Immigrants in other communities also suffer high rates of the illness [ with COVID-19 ] , '' she told UPI .
`` For instance , Chelsea , Mass .
-- a town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community -- is among the most intense hot spots outside of New York , '' Woolhandler said .
`` My Boston-area colleagues tell me their ICUs are seeing a disproportionate number of younger Latinx patients with COVID-19 . ''
This may be because members of immigrant communities also are at higher risk for exposure to the virus because they are `` disproportionately represented '' in New York City 's essential workforce as healthcare workers , subway and bus drivers , and grocery clerks , among others , according to Ross and his colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 , due to increased likelihood of exposure to those who are infected , either on the job or when using mass transit to commute .
And like most poorer regions across the country , the Bronx has higher rates of many chronic diseases , according to the New York City Department of Health .
Some 15 percent of adults living in the borough have asthma , and a similar percentage have diabetes .
In addition , more than 30 percent of its residents have high blood pressure .
These health conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease from COVID-19 , especially those who lack legal citizenship or residency status , have limited access to services , have fear of accessing care or social services because of public charge , Ross said .
`` Some of the most emotional experiences we have had relate to seeing patients who are already vulnerable in so many ways , '' Ross noted , `` finding themselves in the extremely vulnerable place of facing their illness alone in an unfamiliar hospital . ''

Higher levels of poverty and poorer health are among the factors that make the Bronx in New York City a hot spot for COVID-19, researchers say. Photo by PatternPictures/Pixabay
May 8 (UPI) -- New York City has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, with immigrant populations in areas such as the Bronx "disproportionately" affected, say authors of a commentary published Friday by JAMA Internal Medicine. They say that what they've seen as front-line healthcare workers affiliated with the borough's largest hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, should serve as a cautionary tale for other large cities across the country with significant immigrant populations who live in poverty. Advertisement
"Our experiences as clinicians in the epicenter of the global COVID-19 pandemic have made it clear to us that immigrants in the Bronx and throughout the U.S. have disproportionately been affected by COVID-19," co-author Dr. Jonathan Ross, an internist at Montefiore, told UPI.
"This is a direct result of long-standing social inequities that have put them at higher risk for exposure and that have made it harder for them to obtain care," said Ross, who also is assistant professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
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The Bronx is the second-smallest of New York City's five boroughs, with just over 1.4 million people, but it has reported nearly 40,000 of the city's 174,000-plus confirmed cases of COVID-19 -- a total second only to Brooklyn -- according to the New York City Department of Health.
As a result, the Bronx has by far the highest number of cases per capita, with nearly 3 percent of its population infected. This is likely due to a number of factors unique to its population, Ross and his colleagues wrote.
First, the borough is by far the city's poorest, with per capita income below $21,000 and more than 27 percent of the population in poverty, according to figures from the 2010 U.S. census.
Perhaps not surprisingly, as many as 20 percent of Bronx residents lack health insurance, which makes accessing care for COVID-19 -- or any other health condition -- out of reach financially.
The census also considers the area to be the "most diverse" in the United States. In 2013, 55 percent of Bronx residents were Hispanic or Latino, while 43 percent were black or African-American and 4 percent were Asian. More than one-third of those living in the borough were immigrants to the United States.
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Historically, immigrant communities in the United States have faced challenges in accessing healthcare, including language barriers, lack of health insurance and fear of accessing medical services because of immigration enforcement fears, Ross and his colleagues noted.
These problems have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, they said.
"Limited English proficiency makes accessing accurate information about COVID-19 more challenging," Ross said. "And, infection control policies have necessitated a no-visitor policy at nearly all hospitals, which may particularly affect immigrants whose families often serve as cultural mediators."
And these challenges are "not unique" to the Bronx, said Steffie Woolhandler, a professor of public health at New York City's Hunter College, who was not among the authors of the JAMA Internal Medicine commentary.
"Immigrants in other communities also suffer high rates of the illness [with COVID-19]," she told UPI.
"For instance, Chelsea, Mass. -- a town near downtown Boston with a large immigrant community -- is among the most intense hot spots outside of New York," Woolhandler said. "My Boston-area colleagues tell me their ICUs are seeing a disproportionate number of younger Latinx patients with COVID-19."
This may be because members of immigrant communities also are at higher risk for exposure to the virus because they are "disproportionately represented" in New York City's essential workforce as healthcare workers, subway and bus drivers, and grocery clerks, among others, according to Ross and his colleagues.
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This places them at higher risk for COVID-19, due to increased likelihood of exposure to those who are infected, either on the job or when using mass transit to commute.
And like most poorer regions across the country, the Bronx has higher rates of many chronic diseases, according to the New York City Department of Health. Some 15 percent of adults living in the borough have asthma, and a similar percentage have diabetes. In addition, more than 30 percent of its residents have high blood pressure.
These health conditions place them at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, especially those who lack legal citizenship or residency status, have limited access to services, have fear of accessing care or social services because of public charge, Ross said.
"Some of the most emotional experiences we have had relate to seeing patients who are already vulnerable in so many ways," Ross noted, "finding themselves in the extremely vulnerable place of facing their illness alone in an unfamiliar hospital."


upi--2020-05-08--Hundreds honor Ahmaud Arbery after two murder suspects are arrested

May 8 ( UPI ) -- Hundreds attended a rally Friday in support of Ahmaud Arbery , and officials said they will investigate the man who recorded a video of his shooting .
Aubry , who is African American , was shot to death while jogging in Brunswick , Ga. , on Feb. 23 .
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest Thursday of Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael , who are white .
They are charged with murder and aggravated assault .
GBI Director Vic Reynolds said a video shot by William `` Roddie '' Bryan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the case .
The video has appeared on numerous social media platforms .
Gregory McMichael told police they suspected that Arbery was a burglary suspect and chased him , adding that Arbery attacked them when he was confronted by the two armed men .
Bryan , with his cellphone camera , joined in the chase and produced the video .
Reynolds said Friday that additional arrests are possible .
On Friday , Arbery 's 26th birthday , gatherers mourned the loss of a fellow runner and friend .
`` We did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speakers at the event , Julie Jordan , told the crowd .
`` The community did n't give up .
We knew the truth and we were not going to be silenced .
Let 's all keep running with Ahmaud until justice is served . ''
The GBI said Wednesday that it would assist local law enforcement at the request of Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden , who has led an investigation of the shooting since April 14 .
Arrests were made within 36 hours of the GBI 's involvement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident occurred , said that police officers were prepared to arrest the father and son within days of the shooting , but were prevented by District Attorney Jackie Johnson .
`` The police at the scene went to her , saying they were ready to arrest both of them , said Commissioner Alan Booker .
`` These were the police at the scene who had done the investigation .
She shut them down to protect her friend McMichael . ''
The elder McMichael , now retired , formerly worked as an investigator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recused herself from the case within days of the shooting .
Commissioner Peter Murphy said Glynn County police told him that they had probable cause to make the arrest , but did not after contacting Johnson 's office .
`` They were told not to make the arrest , '' Murphy said .
In Georgia , GBI involvement must be requested by local authorities .
`` We 're investigating everyone involved in the case , including the individual who shot the video , '' Reynolds said Friday .
`` Probable cause was clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm very comfortable in telling you there 's more than sufficient probable cause in charging felony murder . ''

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People participate in a protest after the shooting death of unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery outside the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga., on Friday. Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE
May 8 (UPI) -- Hundreds attended a rally Friday in support of Ahmaud Arbery, and officials said they will investigate the man who recorded a video of his shooting. Aubry, who is African American, was shot to death while jogging in Brunswick, Ga., on Feb. 23. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest Thursday of Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael, who are white. They are charged with murder and aggravated assault. Advertisement
GBI Director Vic Reynolds said a video shot by William "Roddie" Bryan, is a key piece of evidence in the case. The video has appeared on numerous social media platforms. Gregory McMichael told police they suspected that Arbery was a burglary suspect and chased him, adding that Arbery attacked them when he was confronted by the two armed men. Bryan, with his cellphone camera, joined in the chase and produced the video.
Reynolds said Friday that additional arrests are possible.
On Friday, Arbery's 26th birthday, gatherers mourned the loss of a fellow runner and friend.
"We didn't give up," one of the speakers at the event, Julie Jordan, told the crowd. "The community didn't give up. We knew the truth and we were not going to be silenced. Let's all keep running with Ahmaud until justice is served."
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The GBI said Wednesday that it would assist local law enforcement at the request of Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden, who has led an investigation of the shooting since April 14. Arrests were made within 36 hours of the GBI's involvement.
Two commissioners of Glynn County, where the incident occurred, said that police officers were prepared to arrest the father and son within days of the shooting, but were prevented by District Attorney Jackie Johnson.
"The police at the scene went to her, saying they were ready to arrest both of them, said Commissioner Alan Booker. "These were the police at the scene who had done the investigation. She shut them down to protect her friend McMichael."
The elder McMichael, now retired, formerly worked as an investigator in Johnson's office. Johnson has recused herself from the case within days of the shooting.
Commissioner Peter Murphy said Glynn County police told him that they had probable cause to make the arrest, but did not after contacting Johnson's office.
"They were told not to make the arrest," Murphy said.
In Georgia, GBI involvement must be requested by local authorities.
"We're investigating everyone involved in the case, including the individual who shot the video," Reynolds said Friday. "Probable cause was clear to our agents pretty quickly. I'm very comfortable in telling you there's more than sufficient probable cause in charging felony murder."


upi--2020-05-08--U.S. stocks rise again on Wall Street despite job losses

May 8 ( UPI ) -- The United States ' bellwether stock index , the Dow Jones Industrial Average , @ @ @ @ @ , posting its first weekly gain in three weeks .
The Dow climbed 1.9 percent @ @ @ @ @ 2.5 percent climb in the past week .
The S & P 500 gained 1.6 @ @ @ @ @ for the week , while the Nasdaq Composite closed up 1.5 percent Friday and up @ @ @ @ @ .
The gains came even after the Labor Department said the domestic economy lost more @ @ @ @ @ April and unemployment rose to nearly 15 percent .
Experts say the indexes are performing @ @ @ @ @ job figures because some investors are betting on a swift recovery and some are more @ @ @ @ @ for business .

U.S. stocks made gains on Friday even after the Labor Department said the domestic economy lost more than 20 million jobs in April. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) -- The United States' bellwether stock index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, climbed another 455 points Friday, posting its first weekly gain in three weeks. The Dow climbed 1.9 percent Friday, good for a 2.5 percent climb in the past week. The S&P 500 gained 1.6 percent Friday and 3.5 percent for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite closed up 1.5 percent Friday and up 6 percent for the week. Advertisement
The gains came even after the Labor Department said the domestic economy lost more than 20 million jobs in April and unemployment rose to nearly 15 percent.
Experts say the indexes are performing well in spite of the job figures because some investors are betting on a swift recovery and some are more optimistic about more states reopening for business.


upi--2020-05-08--Neanderthals preferred bovine bones for leather-making tools

May 8 ( UPI ) -- When it came to selecting bones for leather-making tools , Neanderthals were surprisingly choosy .
New archaeological analysis shows Neanderthals preferentially selected bovine rib bones to make a tool called a lissoir .
Neanderthals used lissoirs , made from animal rib bones , to soften up animal hides and transform them into workable leather .
Most lissoirs are so worn smooth that it is impossible to tell what animal the rib bones were sourced from .
For the new study , published this week in the journal Scientific Reports , researchers used highly sensitive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ancient lissoirs .
The technique -- called ZooMS , short for zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry -- involves the breakup of fossil samples into tiny fragments .
By measuring the mass to charge ratio of each fragment , scientists can reconstruct their molecular origins .
Instead for drilling holes in fragile Neanderthal tools , scientists were able to collect tiny bone fragments from containers that were used to store lissoirs in museum collections .
The results of the novel analysis showed Neanderthals mostly made lissoirs from the ribs of animals belonging to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a wild relative of modern cattle that went extinct just a few hundred years ago .
The use of bovine bones is noteworthy because deer bones were much more plentiful .
Archaeological remains suggest Neanderthals more frequently killed deer for food .
The rib bones of cattle were heftier and more rigid .
`` I think this shows that Neandertals really knew what they were doing , '' lead study author Naomi Martisius , research associate in the department of anthropology at the University of California , Davis , said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picking up these larger ribs when they happened to come across these animals while hunting and they may have even kept these rib tools for a long time , like we would with a favorite wrench or screwdriver . ''
The latest findings add to the growing body of research that suggests Neanderthals were not the bumbling brutes they 're sometimes depicted to be .
Studies have shown Neanderthals developed burial traditions , harvested seafood , produced art and utilized a variety of primitive technologies .
They were also , apparently , exacting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a specific task , they needed a very particular tool , '' Martisius said .
`` They found what worked best and sought it out when it was available . ''

Though the bones of deer were more readily available, Neanderthals preferred to make leather-making tools with the rib bones of bison. Photo by Naomi Martisius/UC Davis
May 8 (UPI) -- When it came to selecting bones for leather-making tools, Neanderthals were surprisingly choosy. New archaeological analysis shows Neanderthals preferentially selected bovine rib bones to make a tool called a lissoir. Neanderthals used lissoirs, made from animal rib bones, to soften up animal hides and transform them into workable leather. Most lissoirs are so worn smooth that it is impossible to tell what animal the rib bones were sourced from. Advertisement
For the new study, published this week in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers used highly sensitive mass spectrometry to analyze collagen protein residues on ancient lissoirs.
The technique -- called ZooMS, short for zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry -- involves the breakup of fossil samples into tiny fragments. By measuring the mass to charge ratio of each fragment, scientists can reconstruct their molecular origins.
Instead for drilling holes in fragile Neanderthal tools, scientists were able to collect tiny bone fragments from containers that were used to store lissoirs in museum collections.
The results of the novel analysis showed Neanderthals mostly made lissoirs from the ribs of animals belonging to the cattle family, including bison or aurochs, a wild relative of modern cattle that went extinct just a few hundred years ago.
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The use of bovine bones is noteworthy because deer bones were much more plentiful. Archaeological remains suggest Neanderthals more frequently killed deer for food. The rib bones of cattle were heftier and more rigid.
"I think this shows that Neandertals really knew what they were doing," lead study author Naomi Martisius, research associate in the department of anthropology at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release. "They were deliberately picking up these larger ribs when they happened to come across these animals while hunting and they may have even kept these rib tools for a long time, like we would with a favorite wrench or screwdriver."
The latest findings add to the growing body of research that suggests Neanderthals were not the bumbling brutes they're sometimes depicted to be. Studies have shown Neanderthals developed burial traditions, harvested seafood, produced art and utilized a variety of primitive technologies. They were also, apparently, exacting tool makers.
"Neandertals knew that for a specific task, they needed a very particular tool," Martisius said. "They found what worked best and sought it out when it was available."


upi--2020-05-08--Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen animated series coming to HBO Max

May 8 ( UPI ) -- HBO Max announced Friday that it has ordered the animated series Santa Inc. Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen lead the voice cast and Rogen produces through his Point Grey Pictures .
Silverman will provide the voice of Candy Smalls , an elf hoping to take over for Santa Claus ( Rogen ) .
She gets the opportunity when Amazon poaches Santa 's expected successor .
Both Silverman and Rogen have worked in animation before .
Silverman was the voice of Vanellope von Schweetz in the Wreck-It Ralph movies and has guest voiced on The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-wrote and voiced characters in Sausage Party and also did a voice on The Simpsons .
Shrill co-creator Alexandra Rushfield wrote the series , which will be eight half hour episodes .
Santa Inc. is described as having a feminist bent by tackling Smalls ' goal to become the first female Santa Claus .
Executive Vice President of Original Comedy and Animation Suzanna Makkos promised Santa Inc. would be for HBO Max 's adult subscribers .
`` I have long dreamed of taking a beloved holiday tradition and adding a feminist agenda and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a press release .
HBO Max launches May 27 .
No release date has been given for Santa Inc .

Sarah Silverman provides the voice of a female elf hoping to become Santa Claus in HBO Max's adult animation series "Santa Inc." File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI | License Photo
May 8 (UPI) -- HBO Max announced Friday that it has ordered the animated series Santa Inc. Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen lead the voice cast and Rogen produces through his Point Grey Pictures. Silverman will provide the voice of Candy Smalls, an elf hoping to take over for Santa Claus (Rogen). She gets the opportunity when Amazon poaches Santa's expected successor. Advertisement
Both Silverman and Rogen have worked in animation before. Silverman was the voice of Vanellope von Schweetz in the Wreck-It Ralph movies and has guest voiced on The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers. Rogen co-wrote and voiced characters in Sausage Party and also did a voice on The Simpsons.
Shrill co-creator Alexandra Rushfield wrote the series, which will be eight half hour episodes. Santa Inc. is described as having a feminist bent by tackling Smalls' goal to become the first female Santa Claus.
Executive Vice President of Original Comedy and Animation Suzanna Makkos promised Santa Inc. would be for HBO Max's adult subscribers.
"I have long dreamed of taking a beloved holiday tradition and adding a feminist agenda and some R rated comedy," Makkos said in a press release.
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HBO Max launches May 27. No release date has been given for Santa Inc.


upi--2020-05-08--Man waiting to cash in $1,000 lottery ticket wins another $177,777

May 8 ( UPI ) -- A Virginia man waiting to cash in his $ 1,000 winning lottery ticket ended @ @ @ @ @ 177,777 before collecting his prize .
Jeff Melick of Newport News told Virginia Lottery officials @ @ @ @ @ lottery 's customer service centers reopened to cash in his $ 1,000 winning scratch-off ticket @ @ @ @ @ 7s Tripler ticket .
The ticket turned out to be a $ 177,777 top prize @ @ @ @ @ of went numb , '' Melick said .
`` I was doing good with the @ @ @ @ @ Melick said he plans to use some of his winnings to pay it forward by @ @ @ @ @ purchases at his local convenience store .

A Virginia man waiting for state lottery customer service centers to reopen so he could collect a $1,000 jackpot ended up winning another $177,777 from a second ticket. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe May 8 (UPI) -- A Virginia man waiting to cash in his $1,000 winning lottery ticket ended up winning an additional $177,777 before collecting his prize. Jeff Melick of Newport News told Virginia Lottery officials he was waiting until the lottery's customer service centers reopened to cash in his $1,000 winning scratch-off ticket when he purchased a Lucky 7s Tripler ticket. Advertisement
The ticket turned out to be a $177,777 top prize winner.
"I kind of went numb," Melick said. "I was doing good with the $1,000 winner."
Melick said he plans to use some of his winnings to pay it forward by taking care of strangers' purchases at his local convenience store.


upi--2020-05-08--Texas court stays execution of Randall Mays

May 8 ( UPI ) -- A Texas appeals court has issued a stay of execution for a death row inmate on grounds he is intellectually disabled .
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals sent the case of Randall Mays , 60 , to a lower trial court for review .
Mays was scheduled to be executed Wednesday .
His appeal also said his initial trial and death sentence was tainted by racial bias and prejudicial misconduct by the jury , and that he was improperly interrogated , violating his constitutional rights .
The appeals court chose not to address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to death in 2008 for fatally shooting two sheriff 's deputies in 2007 during a domestic violence call .
Mays ' execution is one of several stayed or rescheduled in recent weeks amid the novel coronavirus pandemic .
The Tennessee Supreme Court delayed the June execution of Oscar Smith on grounds that lawyers have been unable to conduct the investigations required in the months leading up his death date .
Texas has also put off the executions of John Hummel , Tracy Beatty , Fabian Hernandez , Billy Wardlow and Carlos Trevino .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Criminal Appeals denied the appeal of death row inmate Charles Don Flores , who said he was unconstitutionally convicted based on information obtained during hypnosis .
The court said he could n't contest his conviction based on the `` junk science law . ''

Randall Mays, 60, was convicted of killing two sheriff's deputies in 2007. File Photo courtesy of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
May 8 (UPI) -- A Texas appeals court has issued a stay of execution for a death row inmate on grounds he is intellectually disabled. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals sent the case of Randall Mays, 60, to a lower trial court for review. Advertisement
Mays was scheduled to be executed Wednesday.
His appeal also said his initial trial and death sentence was tainted by racial bias and prejudicial misconduct by the jury, and that he was improperly interrogated, violating his constitutional rights. The appeals court chose not to address these other claims.
Mays was sentenced to death in 2008 for fatally shooting two sheriff's deputies in 2007 during a domestic violence call.
Mays' execution is one of several stayed or rescheduled in recent weeks amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Tennessee Supreme Court delayed the June execution of Oscar Smith on grounds that lawyers have been unable to conduct the investigations required in the months leading up his death date. Texas has also put off the executions of John Hummel, Tracy Beatty, Fabian Hernandez, Billy Wardlow and Carlos Trevino.
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Earlier this week, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the appeal of death row inmate Charles Don Flores, who said he was unconstitutionally convicted based on information obtained during hypnosis. The court said he couldn't contest his conviction based on the "junk science law."