🇬🇧 UK-born guitarist Mark Knopfler says 3 COVID infections have affected his health and guitar skills, prompting him to switch from picks to finger-picking, but he’s confident he’ll recover. Source:

GuitarPlayer

Mark Knopfler says three bouts of COVID have stunted his abilities – but he

“You develop lazy techniques. I’m forever doing that. It wouldn’t make a teacher very happy.” Mark Knopfler on Brothers In ...

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"What do we know about the Covid-19 virus 5 years on?" "The growing body of research suggesting that for several months after a Covid infection, people become more vulnerable to other infections and there can be lingering effects on the heart, cardiovascular system and the brain." Source:

the Guardian

What do we know about the Covid-19 virus five years on?

As the virus continues to evolve, experts assess its latest variants, seasonal prevalence and levels of vaccine uptake

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🇺🇸 USA: 3 dead and at least 67 sick from growing Legionnaires' disease cluster in New York City. "The cases are clustered in 5 ZIP codes in central Harlem" People in the area with flu-like symptoms—cough, fever, chills, aches, or breathing issues—should contact a health care provider immediately. Source:

ABC News

3 dead and at least 67 sick from growing Legionnaires' disease cluster in New York City

Three people have died and at least 67 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in a cluster that broke out in New York City last week.

🇺🇸 USA: Study finds removing school mask mandates contributed to almost 22,000 U.S. COVID deaths in a year. Issue Date: May 2025 Source:

NBER

Spillovers from Public Health Policies in Schools: Evidence from COVID Mask Mandates

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating resear...

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Queensland Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 29 July to 4 August 2025 Reported cases: 🔹COVID: 1,120 (-0.1%) 🔹Influenza: 3,938 (+0.9%) 🔹RSV: 901 (-1.0%) Hospitalisations: 🔸COVID: 107 (-8.5%) 🔸Influenza: 235 (+2.6%) 🔸RSV: 57 (+9.6%) Source: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/surveillance/reports/flu @npub15gr4...ztdn

Scottish Oasis fans hit with Covid 'superspreader' warning ahead of Murrayfield dates. "Oasis fans told they are at risk of becoming 'Champagne Superspreaders' thanks to the new Stratus strain going around at reunion tour gigs" "New strands of Covid can infect thousands within metres of one another, so wear a mask if concerned, be safe and enjoy the return of Oasis." Source: https://archive.md/QakSG @npub15gr4...ztdn

COVID and Flu may awaken dormant cancer cells, new study finds. "Common respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu may be able to awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs and promote the development of new metastatic tumors, researchers suggested." "He and his team tested this hypothesis by using a unique mouse model of metastatic breast cancer, which included dormant DCCs in the lungs, and then exposing the mice to SARS-CoV-2 or influenza." "And the results were really dramatic," DeGregori said. "We saw a massive awakening -- a 100- to a 1,000-fold increase in the burden of these cancer cells in the mice after infection over a few-week period." Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09332-0 Source: https://archive.md/by2ob @npub15gr4...ztdn

🇮🇳 India: SB43154 drug shows promise against COVID. "Indian scientists have found out that a drug used in cancer studies has the potential to provide substantial protection against the coronavirus infection in preclinical studies." "Remarkably, even after more than 50 consecutive generations exposed to the drug, the virus was unable to develop resistance." "SB431542 fights the virus in three fronts. It first blocks the virus from entering human cells by targeting the TGF-ß/Smad pathway. Secondly, it disrupts the ability of the virus to assemble inside cells by interfering with ORF3a-related lysosomal dysfunction. Finally, it prevents the virus from killing the infected cell (a process called apoptosis), which helps stop the virus from escaping and spreading to other cells." Source: https://nagalandpost.com/sb43154-drug-shows-promise-against-covid-scientists/ @npub15gr4...ztdn

'Disabling' Chronic Illness in Children Not Taken Seriously. “It was found that... 15%, who had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified as likely having long COVID... Suggesting it has become one of the most common chronic illnesses in children.” "People operate under the false assumption that if you are young and healthy, like kids, COVID is an inconsequential nothingburger and we should not worry about it... Of course, this is not accurate at all, Dr Ziyad Al-Aly added. Long COVID in children always demanded more attention and seriousness." Source: https://archive.md/XewA8 @npub15gr4...ztdn

Queensland Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 22 July to 28 July 2025 Reported cases: 🔹COVID: 1,122 (-6.1%) 🔹Influenza: 3,902 (+6.9%) 🔹RSV: 911 (-1.0%) Hospitalisations: 🔸COVID: 117 (-20.4%) 🔸Influenza: 229 (+17.4%) 🔸RSV: 52 (+0.0%) Source: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/surveillance/reports/flu @npub15gr4...ztdn