Philippine schools ordered to reopen after virus lockdowns MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Millions of students trooped back to public schools across the Philippines on Wednesday as the government enforced the mandatory resumption of in-person classes after more than two years of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. AP NEWS

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Nearly 29 million students enrolled for the school year, including in privately owned schools, which can decide whether to resume in-person classes or maintain a mix of face-to-face or online classes each week.

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High blood pressure went up even more early in the pandemic, study finds | CNN People in the US with high blood pressure saw their levels rise during the first eight months of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study says. Jen Christensen CNN

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The US National Institutes of Health, which helped fund the study, said it is one of the most extensive looks at blood pressure trends from the beginning of the pandemic.

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More than a quarter of Floridians who know they've had COVID say they've also experienced the often disabling aftereffects known as long COVID, according to recent CDC data.

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Florida lacks an adequate number of long COVID treatment options to meet the need, Survivor Corps, an advocacy group for COVID care and research, told Axios.

• The group has identified only four active long COVID clinics in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

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Ex-lawmaker pleads guilty in theft of $1.2M in COVID-19 aid HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A former Connecticut state representative pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with the theft of more than $1.2 million in federal coronavirus relief funds from the city of West Haven, using some of the money for gambling at a casino, according to prosecutors. AP NEWS

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CDC wants to change 'antiquated' rules that hamper agency's ability to fight Covid, polio and other diseases | CNN Despite having a multibillion-dollar budget, the CDC doesn't have authority from Congress to hire consultants in a timely way when an urgent situation arises. Elizabeth Cohen,Justin Lape CNN

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The Pandemic Uncovered Ways to Speed Up Science There doesn't have to be a trade-off between good research and fast research. Saloni Dattani WIRED

The pandemic highlighted broad problems in research: that many studies were hyped, error-ridden, or even fraudulent, and that misinformation could spread rapidly. But it also demonstrated what was possible.

Let’s Declare a Pandemic Amnesty We need to forgive one another for what we did and said when we were in the dark about COVID. Emily Oster The Atlantic

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WHO says monkeypox remains global health emergency The monkeypox outbreak continues to represent a global health emergency, which is the World Health Organization's highest level of alert, the UN agency's Emergency Committee said on Tuesday. Reuters Reuters

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Antibody treatment tested as new tool against malaria Research in Africa found a one-time dose of an experimental drug protected adults against malaria for at least six months, the latest approach in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease. Malaria killed more than 620,000 people in 2020 and sickened 241 million, mainly children under 5 in Africa. AP NEWS

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https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797782

Prevalence and Correlates of Long COVID Symptoms Among US AdultS

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Findings  In this cross-sectional study of more than 16 000 individuals, 15% of US adults with a prior positive COVID-19 test reported current symptoms of long COVID. Those who completed a primary vaccination series prior to infection were less likely to report long COVID symptoms.

...long COVID is prevalent and associated with female gender and older age...