I love biting into a buttery, toasted roll filled with a fresh shrimp salad. It’s a summer treat. Instead of buying cooked shrimp, this recipe has a two-minute foolproof way to cook your own. It keeps the shrimp juicy and flavorful. You can make the shrimp filling a day ahead and simply toast the rolls when you’re ready to serve the shrimp rolls.
I like to buy frozen shrimp to have on hand. It’s easy to remove what you need. They take only a few minutes to defrost in a bowl of cold water.
Helpful Hints:
— Buy shelled shrimp.
— You can use any type of pickles.
Countdown:
— Prepare ingredients.
— Cook shrimp and make salad.
— Toast rolls.
Shopping List:
To buy: 3/4 pound large shrimp, 1 bunch celery, 1 bunch scallions, 1 bunch fresh chives, 1 lemon, 1 small head lettuce, 1 bottle reduced fat mayonnaise, 4 whole wheat hot dog buns, 1 bottle bread and butter pickles.
Staples: butter, salt and black peppercorns.
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SHRIMP ROLL
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
3/4 pound large shrimp, shell and tail removed
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced scallions
3 tablespoons chopped chives, divided use
1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 whole wheat hot dog buns
1/2 tablespoon butter
4 large lettuce leaves
12 bread and butter pickle slices
Place shrimp in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat the water until it starts to simmer with little bubbles just appearing around the edge of the pot and the water starts to turn white. Remove from heat. Drain shrimp into a colander or sieve and rinse with cold water. Cut shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix celery, scallion, half the chives and all the mayonnaise together in a medium size bowl. Add the lemon juice. Add the shrimp to the bowl and mix well. Spread the cut sides of the hot dog buns with butter and place in a toaster oven or under the broiler for a minute or until they start to turn golden. Fill each bun with a lettuce leaf. Spoon the shrimp salad into the buns. Sprinkle the remaining chives on top. Serve 2 buns per person. Serve the pickle slices on the side.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 568 calories (41% from fat), 25.8 g fat (5.2 g saturated, 5.9 g monounsaturated), 284 mg cholesterol, 39.7g protein, 41.1 g carbohydrates, 5.1 g fiber, 1,155 mg sodium.
(Linda Gassenheimer is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including her newest, “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook.” Listen to Linda on www.WDNA.org and all major podcast sites. Email her at [email protected].)
Outdoor air pollution may raise the risk for non-lung cancer in older adults, with even low levels of air pollution exposure increasing the chances for prostate, colorectal, breast, and endometrial cancers.
That’s according to a new Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study of millions of Medicare beneficiaries. The researchers found that chronic exposures to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over a 10-year period increased the risk of developing cancer.
While air pollution in the past has been established as a risk factor for lung cancer — and a link to breast cancer risk has been emerging — few studies have looked at its effects on prostate, colorectal, and endometrial cancer risk.
“Our findings uncover the biological plausibility of air pollution as a crucial risk factor in the development of specific cancers, bringing us one step closer to understanding the impact of air pollution on human health,” said Yaguang Wei, research fellow in Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health.
“To ensure equitable access to clean air for all populations, we must fully define the effects of air pollution and then work towards reducing it,” Wei added.
Researchers in the study looked at data from Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older, collected from 2000 to 2016. All subjects were cancer-free for at least the initial 10 years of the study period.
The researchers created separate cohorts for each type of cancer — breast, colorectal, endometrial, and prostate — with between 2.2 million and 6.5 million subjects in each cohort.
The scientists were then able to create a predictive map of PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations across the country. This was then linked to beneficiaries’ ZIP codes, so the researchers could estimate individual exposures over a 10-year period.
The researchers found that chronic PM2.5 and NO2 exposures increased the risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers.
For breast cancer, NO2 exposure was tied to a lower risk, while the association for PM2.5 was inconclusive. In regions where air pollution levels were significantly below national standards and the composition of PM2.5 remained stable, their effect on breast cancer risk was more pronounced.
Also, stronger links between pollutant exposures and endometrial cancer risk were found at lower pollution levels.
The researchers noted that even communities with seemingly clean air were not immune to cancer risk. They found substantial associations between exposure to the two pollutants and the risks of all four cancers even at pollution levels below newly updated World Health Organization guidelines.
“The key message here is that U.S. air pollution standards are inadequate in protecting public health,” said senior author Joel Schwartz, professor of environmental epidemiology. “The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed stricter standards for PM2.5, but their proposal doesn’t go far enough in regulating this pollutant.
“Current NO2 standards are also woefully inadequate,” Schwartz added. “Unless all of these standards become much, much stricter, air pollution will continue to result in thousands of unnecessary cases of multiple cancers each year.”
NEW KENT — New Kent County Public Schools want to push for improved sports facilities as the school division looks at its future capital needs, including a shift from grass to artificial turf on some fields.
Superintendent Brian Nichols Nichols recently highlighted the pressures on school fields as he signaled his desire to replace grass playing surfaces with artificial turf, which would be in line with many neighboring school divisions.
Nichols made his comments as the school board approved a well project for irrigation and upgrades to a concessions stand on July 31.
“We need a different solution for our fields. So we’re adding middle school field hockey. The number of teams that are now playing on those fields, we really need to look at a different solution, more of a long-term solution,” he said.
“Right now, outside of Smithfield, we are the only team in the Bay Rivers (District) not on turf. Bruton (in York County) now has their own turf field, Poquoson’s on their second turf field. When you look at soccer, and you look at field hockey, and middle school and high school football, they are all playing on the same field,” Nichols said. “That field cannot, even under the best conditions, stand up to that wear and tear.”
Nichols promised a “big push” in the fall as the division draws up its Capital Improvement Program .
“We’ve got to move forward on that. If we can’t do this well thing that gives us an even greater sense of urgency to these facilities,” he said.
“We are currently playing on grass across all of our high school fields,” Nichols said in an email Monday. “Almost all of the schools in our district have shifted to turf football/soccer/field hockey fields. We added middle school field hockey this year which adds an additional team on the field. A shift to turf would involve considerable collaboration and planning with the county.”
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jonathan Hochman outlined the well project at New Kent High School to the board on July 31. A well improvement costing $6,000 will be able to support irrigation for the stadium and baseball and softball fields. The other $4,000 would be for upgrades to the concessions stand at the stadium.
Hochman said the division would use an old well. “Currently we do not have irrigation … the well needs some work.” The initial $6,000 would entail taking the cap off the well, putting a camera inside, and cleaning a filter.
The board unanimously approved spending $10,000 on the well project and an improvement to the concessions stand.
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended July 22, which were reported on a confidential basis by vendors offering a wide range of general interest titles. Every week, thousands of diverse selling locations report their actual sales on hundreds of thousands of individual titles. The panel of reporting retailers is comprehensive and reflects sales in stores of all sizes and demographics across the United States.
An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales were barely distinguishable from those of the book above. A (b) indicates that some bookstores reported receiving bulk orders.
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PICTURE
Chronicle Books
New on the children’s list.
1. THE CRAYONS GO BACK TO SCHOOL, by Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. (Philomel) The crayons go back to school and can’t wait for art class. (Ages 4 to 8)
WEEKS ON LIST: 6
2. THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, by Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. (Philomel) Problems arise when Duncan’s crayons revolt. (Ages 3 to 7)
WEEKS ON LIST: 370
3. DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, by Adam Rubin. Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. (Dial) What to serve your dragon-guests. (Ages 3 to 5)
WEEKS ON LIST: 408
4. THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU WILL BE, by Emily Winfield Martin. (Random House) A celebration of possibilities. (Ages 3 to 7)
WEEKS ON LIST: 362
5. THE PIGEON HAS TO GO TO SCHOOL!, by Mo Willems. (Hyperion) Pigeon deals with the anxieties of going to school for the first time. (Ages 3 to 5)
WEEKS ON LIST: 50
6. HOW TO CATCH A MERMAID, by Adam Wallace. Illustrated by Andy Elkerton. (Sourcebooks Wonderland) A young girl tries to catch a mermaid and befriend her. (Ages 4 to 8)
WEEKS ON LIST: 17
7. TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK, by Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Jill McElmurry. (Clarion) Blue gives a friend a ride to school. (Ages 4 to 7)
WEEKS ON LIST: 30
8. INVISIBLE THINGS, by Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller. (Chronicle) A look at the invisible things that make up the human experience. (Ages 5 to 8)
WEEKS ON LIST: 1
9. KNIGHT OWL, by Christopher Denise. (Christy Ottaviano) A young owl must prove himself when an intruder comes to the castle. (Ages 4 to 8)
WEEKS ON LIST: 10
10. THE SKULL, by Jon Klassen. (Candlewick) After running away from home, Otilla discovers an old mansion whose only occupant is a talking skull. (Ages 6 to 9)
WEEKS ON LIST: 2
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MIDDLE GRADE HARDCOVER
1. THE SUN AND THE STAR, by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. (Disney Hyperion) The demigods Will and Nico embark on a dangerous journey to the Underworld to rescue an old friend. (Ages 10 to 14)
WEEKS ON LIST: 12
2. WONDER, by R.J. Palacio. (Knopf) A boy with a facial deformity starts school. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 406
3. REFUGEE, by Alan Gratz. (Scholastic) Three children in three conflicts look for safe haven. (Ages 9 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 230
4. ODDER, by Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Charles Santoso. (Feiwel & Friends) After a shark attack, Odder recuperates at the aquarium with the scientists who raised her. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 44
5. THE COMPLETE COOKBOOK FOR YOUNG CHEFS, by America’s Test Kitchen Kids. (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky) More than 100 kid-tested recipes from America’s Test Kitchen. (Ages 8 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 163
6. THE COMPLETE BAKING BOOK FOR YOUNG CHEFS, by America’s Test Kitchen Kids. (Sourcebooks Explore) More than 100 kid-tested baking recipes. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 55
7. WORST BROOMMATE EVER!, by Wanda Coven. Illustrated by Anna Abramskaya. (Simon Spotlight) Old rivals Heidi and Melanie find out they’re roommates at the Broomsfield Academy. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 7
8. THE SWIFTS, by Beth Lincoln. Illustrated by Claire Powell. (Dutton) Shenanigan Swift investigates murders during a family reunion treasure hunt. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 18
9. SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF, by A.F. Steadman. (Simon & Schuster) Skandar dreams of becoming a unicorn rider and competing in the Chaos Cup. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 26
10. GREENWILD, by Pari Thomson. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) While looking for her missing mother, Daisy discovers a world of botanical magic called Greenwild. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 3
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YOUNG ADULT HARDCOVER
1. DIVINE RIVALS, by Rebecca Ross. (Wednesday) Two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection. (Ages 13 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 5
2. FIVE SURVIVE, by Holly Jackson. (Delacorte) Six friends on a spring break road trip in an RV are the target of a sniper. (Ages 14 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 34
3. SOLITAIRE, by Alice Oseman. (Scholastic) Tori Spring is determined to find out who’s behind the blog called Solitaire, which has caused serious pranks at her school. (Ages 14 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 12
4. NICK AND CHARLIE, by Alice Oseman. (Scholastic) Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart when Nick leaves for university. (Ages 14 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 29
5. THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END, by Adam Silvera. (Quill Tree) In this prequel to “They Both Die at the End,” Orion and Valentino attend the premiere of Death-Cast in Times Square. (Ages 13 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 42
6. LIGHTLARK, by Alex Aster. (Amulet) Every 100 years the island of Lightlark appears and a deadly competition called the Centennial takes place. (Ages 13 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 48
7. THE STOLEN HEIR, by Holly Black. (Little, Brown) Runaway Queen Suren and Prince Oak embark on a deadly and dangerous mission to the north. (Ages 14 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 24
8. THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER, by Stephanie Garber. (Flatiron) After vowing never to trust the Prince of Hearts again, Evangeline finds that he may be the only one she can trust. (Ages 13 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 13
9. YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE TONIGHT, by Kalynn Bayron. (Bloomsbury) Charity, a counselor at a horror-simulation camp, finds herself in a real-life thriller. (Ages 14 to 17)
WEEKS ON LIST: 5
10. MILES MORALES SUSPENDED, by Jason Reynolds. Illustrated by Zeke Peña. (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy) Miles Morales encounters a termite with a secret that may destroy the world’s history – particularly Black and brown history. (Ages 12 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 4
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SERIES
1. THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY TRILOGY, by Jenny Han. (Simon & Schuster) A beach house, summer love and enduring friendships. (Ages 12 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 66
2. A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER, by Holly Jackson. (Delacorte) Pippa Fitz-Amobi solves murderous crimes. (Ages 14 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 95
3. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. (Amulet) The travails and challenges of adolescence. (Ages 9 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 749
4. HARRY POTTER, by J.K. Rowling. (Scholastic) A wizard hones his conjuring skills in the service of fighting evil. (Ages 10 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 748
5. THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic) In a dystopia, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up)
WEEKS ON LIST: 285
6. THE INHERITANCE GAMES, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. (Little, Brown) Avery Grambs tries to figure out why she received an inheritance from a stranger. (Ages 12 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 47
7. VILLAINS, by Serena Valentino. (Disney) The stories of Disney’s most feared characters. (Ages 10 to 14)
WEEKS ON LIST: 3
8. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion) A boy battles mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 682
9. CHRONICLES OF THE AVATAR, by F.C. Yee. (Amulet) The prequel to “Avatar: The Last Airbender” follows the adventures of Avatars Kyoshi and Yangchen. (Ages 13 to 18)
WEEKS ON LIST: 3
10. THE ONE AND ONLY, by Katherine Applegate. (HarperCollins) The stories of Ivan, Bob and Ruby. (Ages 8 to 12)
WEEKS ON LIST: 12
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The New York Times bestsellers are compiled and archived by the bestseller lists desk of The New York Times news department, and are separate from the culture, advertising and business sides of The New York Times Co. More information on rankings and methodology: nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/methodology.
VIRGINIA BEACH — A public hearing on the city’s plans to formally adopt a ward-based election system will be held Tuesday at City Hall.
Deputy City Attorney Christopher Boynton warned the City Council in July that the city could face renewed litigation in federal court if it chooses not to stick with the 10 single-member districts used in the November 2022 election.
The city was sued over its previous at-large voting system, which allowed all voters across the city to elect at-large and district representatives. A federal judge deemed it illegal because it diluted minority voting power.
The court imposed a 10-1 system for Virginia Beach while appointing a special master to draw new voting district maps. The ward-based system, in which only residents of a district are allowed to vote for that representative, was implemented by the court for the 2022 elections.
The city appealed, and the case was declared moot after the General Assembly approved legislation that bans localities from allowing at-large voting for representatives in wards that have a ward-based resident requirement. But it was too late to change the city’s voting system for the November election.
Boynton told council members last month Virginia Beach could face the possibility of not having City Council elections in 2024 if didn’t act soon. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit remanded the case to the trial judge to receive amended challenges or claims by the plaintiffs, if they feel the city is moving down a path that is inconsistent with the Voting Rights Act, Boynton said. He warned that the judge believed only the 10-1 system with three minority opportunity districts, where minority voters are the majority, would comply with the Voting Rights Act.
The public hearing will be held during the City Council formal session, which begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Building 1 at the Municipal Center, 2401 Courthouse Drive.
A vote on the matter will likely take place later this month.
Four hundred boats — including many from Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina — hit the water this week in pursuit of a record $10.3 million in total prize money at the 50th annual White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland.
The five-day event, billed as the World’s Largest Billfish tournament, began at 8 a.m. today, and each boat is permitted to fish any three of the five days until 3:30 p.m. Most boats head to the Gulf Stream about 75 miles off the Ocean City coast, and today’s forecast is expected to be the best of the week, according to a release on the tournament’s website.
More than half of the $10.3 million purse will go to white marlin anglers. The top three white marlin winner-take-all categories are worth $5.5 million, and other categories could push white marlin catches over $6.5 million.
The tournament awarded $8.6 million in prize money last year, including the top prize of $4.53 million to The Billfisher, an Ocean City boat that landed a white marlin weighing 77½ pounds.
Hometown boats have won the tournament’s most lucrative category in back to back years after Sushi, an Ocean City boat, won $3.2 million in 2021. Sushi’s victory knocked a Virginia Beach angler from first place in the closing minutes of the tournament.
The tournament has awarded more than $95 million since it began in 1974.
Meteorologists are monitoring an elevated risk for severe storms Monday, according to the National Weather Service at Wakefield. A heat advisory is also in effect for Hampton Roads.
There is more concern (3 out of 5, or “enhanced”) for the areas directly west of Hampton Roads, including the Williamsburg area and Surry and Sussex counties, while Hampton Roads is looking at a “slight” risk (2 out of 5).
Hail up to a quarter in size and wind gusts of 50 to 70 miles per hour are possible Monday afternoon into Monday evening. Flash flooding is possible, and there is also a limited risk for an isolated tornado in south-central Virginia, the weather service said.
However, damaging winds are the main threat and could result in significant tree and power line damage, according to the service.
The heat advisory for southern Virginia and northern North Carolina is in effect from noon to 7 p.m. Monday. High temperatures of 90 to 95 degrees, with a heat index of 105 to 108 degrees, are forecasted for the afternoon.
The weather service advised drinking plenty of water, avoiding strenuous outdoor activity, and staying weather-aware on Monday.
With changing times, Election Day has now become election month or more accurately 45 days during which our votes may be cast. This expanded time to vote ensures full opportunity for those who want to participate in the electoral process to do so. In recent elections, concerns over fraud have caused many to refrain from early voting. Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently endorsed early voting. Virginia’s early voting system is proven and is secure. I have now signed up for voting by absentee ballot (aka early voting) at elections.virginia.gov/absentee. Within several days of doing so, I received confirmation from the office of voter registration confirming that for all future elections in which I am eligible to vote, I will receive my ballot by mail 45 days prior to the relevant election. I encourage everyone who wants to ensure that his or her vote is cast to sign up for absentee voting. Be sure to check the box to receive ballots for all future elections when you do. If you still love to vote on Election Day, you can return your absentee ballot at the polls.
James M. Boyd, Esq., Virginia Beach
To the left
I frequently walk on streets with no sidewalks in Virginia Beach neighborhoods. I see lots of people walking on the right side of the road with traffic approaching from their rear. That is a very dangerous practice, putting the individual at risk of being struck by oncoming traffic. It would make sense to walk facing traffic on the left side of the street to allow the individual a chance to react should it be necessary to avoid being hit.
Virginia law states we should walk on the left side, facing traffic. Here is an excerpt from the Code of Virginia: “§ 46.2-928. Pedestrians not to use roadway except when necessary; keeping to left. Pedestrians shall not use the roadways for travel, except when necessary to do so because of the absence of sidewalks which are reasonably suitable and passable for their use. If they walk on the hard surface, or the main travelled portion of the roadway, they shall keep to the extreme left side or edge thereof, or where the shoulders of the highway are of sufficient width to permit, they may walk on either shoulder thereof.”
Alvin Owens, Virginia Beach
Homeless youth
Last year, the General Assembly passed HB717 allowing for unaccompanied homeless youths to be deemed adults to obtain housing. This bill established a work group to expand resources for homeless youth.
The Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness estimated a concerning total of 1.3 million homeless students in the U.S. Children experiencing trauma on the streets of Virginia are at risk for violence, trafficking, starvation, etc., causing extreme physical and mental challenges.
It is our responsibility as privileged community members of the commonwealth to stay educated regarding youth homelessness and advocate for those with a quiet voice. HB717 minimizes the barriers of this social problem; it is the commonwealth’s responsibility to make sure we continue to care for these children.
Heidie Jorgensen, Henrico
Beautiful
The birthday tribute for stillborn infant Antonio Mequel West Jr. was a beautiful tribute to a child who was “prayed for, wanted & very loved.” I hope that Antonio’s short life and his parent’s declaration of faith in God as creator and comforter, will influence others to respect the sanctity of life.
Early in the pandemic, we saw significant mobilization of the health care infrastructure across the world to determine how to prevent and treat COVID-19, leading to substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality. Conversely, the response to long COVID has been muted. In the rush to declare the pandemic over, the low quality of life experienced by millions with long COVID has apparently been deemed acceptable. It is not acceptable.
My firsthand knowledge of long COVID began in July 2020. Social distancing protocols were still in effect, masks were mandated in most of the country, and vaccines for the “novel coronavirus” were a distant hope. This was when I contracted COVID-19. I had the usual symptoms of fever, loss of taste and smell, and shortness of breath. But as my symptoms lingered even weeks later, I wondered when I would recover. Weeks turned into months. And months eventually turned into years.
Three years later, I have learned to manage long COVID — which in my case includes extreme fatigue, near-constant headaches and the relentless need to restrict activities of daily living to avoid exacerbating symptoms. Long COVID can include a wide variety of other debilitating effects, including cardiac dysfunction and memory loss. To put it in perspective: It leaves many with a quality of life worse than what people with advanced cancer experience.
There are at least 65 million people across the world and an estimated 6% of adults in the United States who live with long COVID, and new cases are added every day. It has left at least 4 million Americans unable to work. You can imagine why 20% of people with long COVID have difficulty paying for housing, including many whose disability claims are denied. Accompanying these devastating symptoms and lack of support is an increased suicide risk. If you think you don’t know anyone with long COVID, think again. Most people choose not to disclose it, even to close friends.
Three years into the pandemic, a modest number of clinical trials related to long COVID are underway or in the planning phases. Most of these trials have small sample sizes and therefore will be able to detect only large effects within their cohort. They are likely to miss more subtle and less common effects. Even worse, many use graded exercise therapy as an intervention. This is well documented to be harmful to the 80% of long COVID patients whose symptoms worsen following even minor exertion.
Without near-term treatment, those of us with long COVID are left to choose between doing nothing to alleviate our suffering and using anecdotes to make our own treatment decisions. We often resort to taking experimental medications or requesting drugs off label. Some researchers and physicians are unwilling to prescribe treatments without robust trials supporting their effectiveness.
Considering this mounting issue solely from an economic perspective, Congress should be incentivized to help people with long COVID improve their health and return to the workforce, which would improve economic productivity and reduce national healthcare costs. The estimated total economic cost of long COVID was $3.7 trillion as of July 2022. Funding a nationwide infrastructure to conduct better clinical trials would give patients real answers and would be significantly less expensive than letting us suffer — by hundreds of billions of dollars.
We need much more help for long COVID patients now. This help must come in many forms. First, the National Institutes of Health, philanthropy groups, the pharmaceutical industry and biotech companies can urgently dedicate funding to better clinical trials. Insurance companies and government programs could also provide adequate disability and medical coverage.
Honest public health communication is necessary as well to raise awareness about how debilitating this illness can be, so our society is cognizant of the ongoing risks that come with a COVID infection. And finally, members of the general public can provide support to the people in their lives who have long COVID, while joining efforts to advocate for change.
At a substantial personal cost, I have learned to accept my long COVID. But I am unwilling to accept the lack of action to help those with long COVID.
Julia Moore Vogel is a program director at Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. She wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
Dane Wleklinski, an offensive tackle from Dublin, Ohio, has committed to the University of Virginia, he announced Sunday on Twitter.
The 6-6, 280-pounder from Dublin Jerome High is a three-star recruit, according to 247sports.com, and becomes the third offensive line commitment in the 2024 class.
Wleklinski had also received offers from West Virginia, Indiana, Duke and Cincinnati.
BOXING
Ex-ODU women’s hoops player improves to 13-0 in ring
Former Old Dominion women’s basketball player Shadasia Green improved to 13-0 as a pro, defeating Olivia Curry of Chicago by unanimous decision in a 10-round super-middleweight fight. It was held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on the pay-per-view card featuring Jake Paul against Paul Diaz.
Green, 33, who grew up in New Jersey and played 106 games for coach Wendy Larry’s ODU team, endured her longest pro bout and stayed in line for a chance at a championship. As a heavy favorite, she won 99-91, 100-90 and 100-89 on the judges’ cards.
Green, who has 12 pro knockouts, landed numerous punches, even snapping back Curry’s head at times, but couldn’t get her to the canvas. Curry fell to 7-2 with two knockouts.
According to boxingscene.com, Curry is the World Boxing Council’s mandatory challenger to undisputed champion Savannah Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs).
BASEBALL
Pilots finish season at .500
The Peninsula Pilots ended their season with a victory, holding off Martinsville 8-7 Saturday night to delight one of the largest crowds in War Memorial Stadium history: 4,324.
The Pilots (24-24), who were eliminated from Coastal Plain League playoff contention Friday, bounced back after a dreadful start to go 15-9 in the season’s second half. They were the second-half runner-up to Morehead City in the East Division after being in the first-half cellar.
Hunter Cole drove in two runs and Cole Stanford hit a home run for the Pilots. Henry Garcia scored three runs and batted 1 for 2.
Eight Peninsula pitchers took the mound. Starter Michael Caldon was the only one to pitch more than one inning. Antonio Velasquez pitched a scoreless fifth for the victory.
