UrbanLifeStyleReport

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea reached another daily record of COVID-19 deaths on Thursday as health officials reported more than 621,000 new infections, underscoring a huge omikron wave that was worse than expected and threatening to block an over-expanded hospital system. .

The 429 deaths reported in the last 24 hours are about 140 more than the previous one-day record set on Tuesday. The death toll could rise further in the coming weeks, considering the gap between infection, hospitalization and death.

The 621,266 new coronavirus cases diagnosed by health workers are also a record daily jump, breaking the previous high of 400,624 on Wednesday. It has added more than 7.4 million cases since the beginning of February, pushing the national caseload above 8.2 million.

Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during this time. Officials have sought to allay public fears amid concerns about a weaker epidemic response, saying Omicron is no more deadly than seasonal influenza for vaccinated people and less dangerous than the delta strain that hit the country in December and early January.

Covid-19 still has a much lower mortality rate in South Korea than the size of the population compared to the United States or many European countries, with officials blaming high vaccinations for more than 68% of the population receiving booster shots.

However, some experts say that health officials have clearly underestimated how large levels of the outbreak will put pressure on dilapidated hospital staff who have just emerged from the delta wave. They criticize the government for sending the wrong message to the public by easing restrictions on social distance and effectively communicating that Omicron is light.

The transition was probably exacerbated by an intense presidential campaign leading up to last week’s election, which appeared to have eroded political power to sustain a harsh viral response.

Lee Sang-on, a senior official with Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said in a briefing that health authorities were “apologizing” for the outbreak of Omicron cases larger than they expected. He said the new cases reported on Thursday included about 70,000 infections that were mistakenly dropped from Wednesday’s list and that the actual daily increase would be about 550,000.

Lee said the country’s recently revised testing system, now centered around rapid antigen testing to preserve laboratory tests for high-risk groups, is contributing to the daily growth by casting an extensive net to detect infections in the population.

He added that a highly transmissible Omicron subvariate known as BA.2 also appears to be driving the infection. About 26% of recent cases in the country have been linked to BA.2, up from about 17% last month, Lee said.

Omicron has forced South Korea to abandon a strict COVID-19 response based on mass laboratory testing, detection of aggressive contact and segregation, to focus on limited medical resources in priority groups, including those 60 years and older and pre-existing medical conditions. There are.

Health officials have recently significantly relaxed quarantine restrictions and border controls, eliminating the need for adults to show vaccine or negative test evidence when entering potentially crowded places, such as restaurants, so that more people and health workers can respond quickly to expanding treatment at home.

About 2 million virus carriers with mild or moderate symptoms have been asked to be isolated at home to save hospital space.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a historic, virtual speech to Congress on Wednesday, calling on the United States to help stop Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and naming President Joe Biden in English, saying “being a world leader means being a leader. Peace.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the President of Ukraine and led the members with the slogan “Slava Ukraine” or “Pride of Ukraine”.

“The glory of the heroes,” Zelensky replied. “Thank you very much, Madame Speaker, members of Congress, ladies and gentlemen, Americans, friends, I am proud to congratulate you from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, a city that is under constant Russian military missile and air strikes every day, but leave it at that. No – and we didn’t even think about it for a second, “he said.

In an emotional plea, Zelensky reminded Americans to wear Ukrainian shoes, remembering Pearl Harbor, “when your skies turned black from the planes that attacked you,” and recalled the 9/11 attacks, saying “Ukraine has seen death every day for three weeks now.”

“Remember September 11th, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities, independent territories into battlefields, when innocent people were attacked from the sky. Yes, just like no one else expected, you could not stop it.” “Our country feels the same thing every day, at the moment, every night for three weeks now, in different cities of Ukraine – Mariupol and Kharkiv – Russia has turned the skies of Ukraine into a source of thousands of deaths,” he said.

He also called on American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. to deliver a “one-of-a-kind” speech on behalf of the American audience.

“‘I have a dream.’ These words are known to all of you. Today I can say, ‘I have a need’ – I need to protect the sky, “he said. “I make your decision, I need your help, which means exactly the same thing. When you hear this saying, ‘I have a dream,’ you feel the same way.”

Zelensky described the horrors at home as a terror not seen in Europe for 80 years and went on to run a three-minute video of the violence and bloodshed in Ukraine over the past three weeks, including pictures of dead children, with the message “Close Ukraine’s sky.”

“Is it too much to ask for a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save lives? Is it too much to ask?” Zelensky says. “Humanitarian no-fly zone, something like Ukraine, that Russia will not be able to terrorize our free cities.”

“If it is asked too much, we offer an alternative. You know what kind of defense we need, the S-300 and other systems,” he said, referring to the Soviet-era surface-to-air missile system, the cruise missile. And protect from air strikes.

Jelensky spoke directly to Biden and closed his short but unusual address – in English.

“I say to President Biden: You are the leader of the nation, your brave nation. I want you to be the leader of the world. To be the leader of the world is to be the leader of peace,” Zelensky said. . “Thank you. Slava Ukraine.”

On Tuesday, the White House said it would try to find Biden Zelensky’s address according to its schedule and would then provide an address of its own, detailing what the United States was doing for “Ukrainian security assistance.”

He made the remarks in a preliminary response to reporters’ comments on Tuesday when he signed a 1.5 trillion government funding bill, which includes 13 13.6 billion in supplementary aid to Ukraine.

“We are providing anti-armament – anti-tank, anti-aircraft capability, directly – directly to Ukrainian forces. And we are also facilitating significant shipments of security assistance to Ukraine from our allies,” Biden said. . “With this new security fund … we are urgently moving forward to increase the support of the brave people of Ukraine to defend their country.”

The United States has imposed economic and trade sanctions to isolate Putin, the Biden administration has explicitly and repeatedly rejected the no-fly zone, as well as provided any assistance to US troops fighting Russia in Ukraine and MiG-29 fighter jets to Poland. Wants to go to the Ukrainians. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

Request for a no-fly zone

Following Zelensky’s appeal, Saki was pressured on Tuesday over how the administration planned to deal with possible requests for measures such as closing airspace over Ukraine.

“I would say that without knowing what he is going to say tomorrow, we must know what the questions were. We have provided our own assessment which is meaningful and not meaningful,” Saki added. Biden signs financing agreement in Ukraine

Another reporter followed, “Is Zelensky wasting his time for these things tomorrow?”

“Because of President Zelensky’s passion, courage and bravery, there has been a historic support for military and security assistance and the acceleration of arms supplies that have helped him and his military fight the Russians,” Saki said. “And I would say that, yes, we acknowledge that there is a range of bilateral calls, but what we have to do here is to assess the impact on the United States and our own national security.”

Saki added that a no-fly zone “necessarily means we shoot down Russian planes, and they potentially shoot at us.”

On Tuesday, top Republicans called on Biden to reconsider his decision to provide more lethal aid to Ukraine quickly and not to allow the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland to Ukraine.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday accused the administration of “pulling its heels” in providing aid to Ukraine.

Asked how lawmakers could navigate to deny Jelensky some of the security measures they could request, McConnell indicated he would agree with what Zelensky was saying, in addition to imposing a no-fly zone.

“My guess is that we should do whatever he is going to request and so my personal response would be yes,” McConnell said. “The administration needs to get the message it needs to help the Ukrainians in every possible way, and we need to do it now – not just us, but our NATO allies – who seem more concerned than the administration about helping the Ukrainians.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the invitation to Zelensky to speak to Congress “one of the highest honors bestowed on a foreign head of state by the body.”

“We are all inspired by the courage of President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine. President Zelensky can be confident that his friends in Congress will always be ready to stand in his corner and listen, and we are honored to have him with us this weekend,” he said on the Senate floor on Monday. Said.

Outside the auditorium on Wednesday before the speech, members of Congress were seen handing out pins with Ukrainian and American flags crossed for members to wear inside.

As he continued his appeal to the West, Zelensky became the first foreign leader to address the House of Commons in Britain last week, echoing Winston Churchill’s famous June 1940 speech after the Allies stopped the “Dunkirk miracle”.

“We will not give up, we will not lose. We will fight to the end – at sea, in the sky, we will continue to fight for our land, whatever it is we will fight in the forest, in the fields, on the coast, in the streets,” he said Hall, standing with slogans.

ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel, Ben Gitlson, Penelope Lopez, Luis Martinez, Connor Finnegan, Sarah Kolinowski, Molly Nagel, Trish Turner and Alison Pecorin contributed to this report.

Lyft will add 55 cents fuel surcharge to each ride offered to offset rising petrol prices.

The company said earlier this week that it would follow DoorDash and Uber who announced the surcharge this week, and on Wednesday it revealed details of its plans.

The company said in a blog post that the surcharge would take effect next week, with all money going directly to its drivers. The measure will remain in place for at least the next 60 days, Lift said.

The surcharge does not apply to New York City because the minimum income for drivers has recently increased by 5.3%. The agency is also working to enforce the surcharge in Nevada, but says state regulatory requirements prevent an immediate rollout there.

Lyft drivers can also apply for a Lyft Direct debit card by June 30 to receive a 4% to 5% increased cash back on gas purchases. Lyft also has a partnership with GetUpside that was announced in January that could help most of its drivers get cash. Back to gas purchases.

The San Francisco company said: “We will keep an eye on gas prices, listen to how drivers are being affected, and find ways to support them as things evolve.”

Shares of the company rose 4% on Wednesday.

DoorDash said on Tuesday that buying gas using the company’s debit card, DasherDirect, designed for drivers, would give drivers a 10% cash back. The company says it will start offering weekly bonuses for drivers who drive the most miles. And Uber has announced that it will start charging fuel fees from customers to offset the high costs for its delivery and ride-hauling drivers.

Russia’s escalating war in Ukraine has helped push up gas prices in the United States. The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has risen 79 cents over the past two weeks to a record-setting $ 4.43 per gallon (3.8 liters).

HOUMA, LA. – A black high school student has been charged with hate crime after being caught in a video throwing a cotton ball at him and whipping him with his belt, authorities said Wednesday.

A 15-year-old freshman from Hoover Vandebilt Catholic High School was arrested Tuesday on battery and hate crimes charges after authorities reviewed a recording showing what happened inside the cafeteria on March 9.

The video shows the white student walking behind a black student sitting in the crowded lunch room. He throws a handful of cotton balls at her, and then whips her repeatedly with his belt until the black student stands up and pushes him away, the news outlet reported.

“I’m glad the school is at the forefront of this,” Terebon Parish Sheriff Tim Sognet said in a statement.

“When we received the complaint, we immediately handed it over to our detectives. They worked over the weekend so we could get to this point, “Sognet said.” My officers did a good job of handling it and worked with the school to get the case to where it is now. “

News outlets reported that the victim was one of the few black students at the school. Authorities have not been able to identify the students, and it is unclear whether the arrested teenager has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.

The school does not tolerate bullying or racism, says Jeremy Gueldner, Vandebilt Catholic president. The Archdiocese statement said that “the actions of a few people are not in line with our school’s values ​​and mission.”

The parents of the targeted child thanked the people for their support.

“We will continue to pray for our school community as a whole so that we do not go through this together but we can each learn a valuable lesson from what happened,” the parents said in a statement to the Archdiocese.

Jerome Boykin, president of the Terebon Parish NAACP, also praised school officials and police for their swift response, saying the school and the sheriff’s office “sent a strong message to society that such crimes would not be tolerated.”

“The young man is only 15 years old and I hope he can learn from his mistakes,” Boykin added.

NEW YORK – About 400 bulletproof vests destined for Ukraine have been stolen from a non-profit organization in New York City that is leading efforts to collect and ship strategic gear to people on the battlefield, police said Wednesday.

Police say the used vests donated by local law enforcement agencies were taken from the offices of the Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America on Second Avenue in Manhattan.

NYPD Sergeant Edward Riley said police responded to the robbery call at 9:15 a.m. and were “informed that about 400 bullet-proof vests had been removed.”

A message seeking comment was left with the U.S. Ukrainian Congressional Committee.

Police in the New York City area have donated hundreds of closed bulletproof vests to charities supporting Ukrainian forces fighting Russian aggression.

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office on Long Island said it had worked with the U.S. Ukrainian congressional committee to donate 450 used, discarded vests, but could not confirm that the vests were stolen.

The sheriff’s office stopped using the vest after five years, but officials say they are strong enough to provide protection in the war.

Vicki Distefano, a spokesman for Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Tullon Jr., said: “It’s reprehensible for anyone to enter a building to steal supplies and materials intended to help victims of this humanitarian crisis.”

Andrej Dobryansky, a spokesman for the Ukrainian congressional committee, said last week that the plan was to ship the donated gears to Poland and then transport them to Ukraine.

Officials say the items were probably used by civilian security and medical teams, including civilians who have joined the fight against Russian military forces, not Ukrainian soldiers themselves, officials said.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday launched a high-risk effort to contain the worst inflation of the early 1980s, raising its benchmark short-term interest rates and signaling six additional rate hikes this year.

The Fed’s quarterly-point increase in key rates, which pinned it close to zero since the epidemic recession two years ago, triggered its efforts to control high inflation after recovering from the recession. Rate increases mean higher debt rates for many consumers and businesses.

Under Chair Jerome Powell, the Fed expects the rate hike to serve a tougher and narrower purpose: raising borrowing costs enough to slow growth and control high inflation, yet not so much as to push the economy into recession.

Speaking at a news conference, Powell emphasized his confidence that the economy was strong enough to withstand high interest rates. But he also made it clear that the Fed is focusing on doing what it needs to do to reduce inflation over time with its 2% annual target. Otherwise, Powell warned, the economy could not recover from the epidemic recession.

“We are acutely aware of the need to restore price stability,” the Fed chair said. “In fact, it is a prerequisite for achieving the kind of labor market we want. Without price stability you will not be able to get maximum employment for a permanent period.”

The Fed also released a set of quarterly economic forecasts on Wednesday, highlighting the possibility of rising interest rates in the coming months. The seven possible rates are expected to grow at a short-term rate of between 1.75% and 2% by the end of 2022.

This will be the highest level since March 2008. Borrowing costs for mortgages, credit cards and auto loans are likely to increase.

“Clearly, inflation has shifted to the front and center,” said Tim Dui, chief US economist at SGH Macro Advisors.

According to quarterly estimates released on Wednesday, central bank policymakers expect inflation to rise to 4.3% by 2022. Officials also now forecast much slower economic growth this year, 2.8%, lower than the 4% estimate in December.

But many economists worry that inflation is already so high – it reached 7.9% in February, the worst in four decades – and as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up gas prices, the Fed may now have to raise rates more than expected and potentially cause a recession.

In its own acknowledgment, the central bank underestimated the breadth and perseverance of high inflation after the epidemic hit. And many economists say waiting too long for the Fed to start raising rates has put its work at risk.

At his press conference, Powell said he believes inflation will ease later this year as supply chain barriers clear up and more Americans return to the job market, easing upward pressure on wages.

He further suggested that over time, the Fed’s higher rates would reduce consumer spending on interest-sensitive items such as autos and cars. If credit card rates rise, Americans may buy less. These trends will ultimately reduce business demand for workers, slowing wage growth, running at a strong 6% annual rate, and easing inflationary pressures. Powell noted that there are almost a record number of job opportunities, with an average of 1.7 jobs available for each unemployed person.

As a result, he is confident that the economy will remain strong enough to sustain a steady Fed rate hike without creating a recession.

“All indications are that this is a strong economy,” he said.

The Fed’s forecast for a number of additional rate hikes in the coming months initially hampered a strong rally on Wall Street, weakening stock gains and boosting bond yields. But after Powell began his press conference, stock prices recovered more than their gains and suggested that the Fed would remain flexible in the process of raising rates.

Most economists say that the sharply high rates of arrears are long overdue for the economy to cope with rising inflation.

“Unemployment rates below 4%, inflation close to 8%, and the war in Ukraine could put even more upward pressure on prices, which is what the Fed needs to do to bring inflation under control,” said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist at Mortgage Bankers Assoc.

In a statement issued after its latest policy meeting, the Fed noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions could “create additional upward pressure on inflation and affect economic activity.”

Powell is taking the Fed on a sharp U-turn. Officials kept rates very low to support growth and recruitment during the recession and its aftermath. As recently as December, Fed officials expected the rate to rise only three times this year.

James Bullard, a member of the Fed’s rate-setting committee, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, disagreed with Wednesday’s decision. Bullard favors a half-point rate hike, a position he has endorsed in interviews and speeches.

The Fed also said it would begin reducing its nearly $ 9 trillion balance sheet, which had more than doubled in size during the epidemic, “at an upcoming meeting.” That move would also have the effect of tightening credit for many consumers and businesses.

Since its last meeting in January, challenges and uncertainties have grown for the Fed. Russia’s aggression has pushed up prices of oil, gas, wheat and other commodities. China has again shut down ports and factories in an attempt to contain a new outbreak of covid, which will disrupt the supply chain and possibly increase further fuel price pressures.

Meanwhile, a sharp rise in average gas prices since the attack, more than 60 cents nationally at $ 4.31 per gallon, will send inflation higher and possibly lower growth – two conflicting trends that the Fed is notoriously difficult to handle simultaneously.

Contrary to some analysts, Glenmede’s chief investment officer Jason Pride said he thinks Russia’s attack could lead the Fed to a relatively slow approach.

“The war in Eastern Europe is unlikely to stop the Fed’s tough plan, but it could be cautious about the pace of rate hikes because the economic implications of the conflict are better understood,” Pride said.

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Paul Wisman, author of AP Economics, contributed to this report.

Vice President Kamala Harris is about to announce that historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be eligible for new grants after the bomb threat against them.

The Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program under the Department of Education aims to increase campus security and provide mental health by providing short-term, immediate funding for organizations facing “violent or traumatic events.”

A White House official told ABC News that Harris “would make it clear that every American should be able to learn, work, worship and gather without fear.” The announcement will be made at the White House on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Threatened HBCUs can receive grants ranging from $ 50,000 to $ 150,000 per campus and will be determined based on specific needs. No bombs were found.

At least 36 HBCU and other college campuses have been targeted by the threat, and at least 18 of these colleges and universities were targeted only on February 1 – the first day of Black History Month.

Institutions went into lockdown or evacuated campus when local law enforcement agencies investigated the threat.

“Threats to the education and well-being of black Americans and HBCU are an unfortunate part of American history,” the press release said. “The bomb threat we saw in January, every week in February – is a month of black history, and this month is reminiscent of the civil rights era’s efforts to intimidate and frighten black Americans.”

According to the FBI, the threats are due to a nearly 50% increase in hate crimes against black Americans between 2019 and 2020.

Several federal agencies are taking up the issue. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas met with HBCU leaders on tools they could use to strengthen campus security.

A congressional hearing is also being held on Thursday to hear what the federal government can do to support HBCUs.

COLOMBIA, SC – South Carolina Attorney Alex Murdoch’s longtime friend is now facing 18 charges involving the theft of more than $ 3 million in insurance money from the family of Murdoch’s deceased domestic worker, according to newly sealed court documents.

Corey Fleming has been charged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against Gloria Sutterfield, who worked with Murdoch for defrauding the boys, who died after falling into Murdoch’s home in 2018, suing Murdoch on behalf of the boys but eventually removing the insurance payouts to Murdoch and himself. .

Fleming also wrote checks from Sutterfield’s estate for his mortgage, credit card debt, tax payments, video games and other purchases, prosecutors said.

The boys said in the case, they did not get any money. They said Murdoch agreed to use Fleming as their attorney at their mother’s funeral and to sue him for unjust death, without disclosing that Fleming was his college roommate and godfather of at least one of Murdoch’s sons.

According to the latest allegations, Fleming, 53, chose not to tell the Sutterfield boys about the two settlements, which are protected by insurers. He instead knowingly transferred money from both contracts to a fraudulent bank account that handles similar settlements in the name of a company called Murdoch, authorities said.

According to a joint statement between Fleming and the boys ‘lawyers in October, Fleming had previously stated that he was assisting the sons’ new lawyers and maintained that he was “not a willing participant in Mr. Murdoch’s scheme but was used.”

Deborah Barbiera, a Fleming attorney, said in a statement that Fleming was “deeply disappointed” by the allegations. Barbier said Fleming was looking forward to defending himself in court and maintained that his client was “another victim of the host of crimes committed by Alex Murdoch.”

Fleming plans to turn himself in before the virtual bond hearing scheduled for Thursday, said Robert Keatel, a spokesman for the state attorney general’s office.

Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter, attorneys for the Sutterfield boys, said Wednesday that the grand jury did not explicitly believe Fleming’s defense that he was one of Murdoch’s victims. They said in a statement.

The grand jury has issued four new charges against Murdaugh. Murdaugh is currently facing 75 state charges, including conspiracy, fraud, money laundering, computer crime and now criminal conspiracy with Fleming, in total he has been charged with stealing approximately $ 8.5 million intended for victims of unjust death and insurance settlement. There are also allegations that he tried to arrange his own death so that his surviving son could collect a $ 10 million life insurance policy.

Murdoch, 53, has been in prison since October. A judge set his bail at 7 7 million and refused to reduce it, even as Murdoch’s lawyer argued that his bank accounts had been seized in a civil case and that he could not afford to buy underwear at Richland County Jail. He pinned his problems on a year-long drug addiction.

His wife, Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were released on bail after being shot dead at the family home in June. Murdoch’s lawyers insisted he had nothing to do with it, urging investigators to work as hard as they could to find their killers and try to uncover Murdoch’s money.

Murdaugh’s great-grandparents and great-grandfather were all elected prosecutors in Hampton County, where his family law firm recently carried the Murdaugh moniker. The South Carolina Supreme Court has suspended Murdoch and Fleming from practicing law in the state.

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Liu is a corps member of the Associated Press / Report for the America State House News Initiative. Reporting for America is a non-profit national service program that puts journalists in the local newsroom to report on confidential matters.

Throughout the epidemic, several professional and collegiate sports leagues have canceled major events and seasons, partly to slow the spread of COVID-19, but also because of alarming reports of athletes developing a syndrome called myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – following a COV. Infection.

After two years of research, the American College of Cardiology released guidelines on Tuesday that say the incidence of heartburn among athletes after COVID-19 is lower than previously thought, but they still suggest a step-by-step plan to help competing athletes and weekend fighters alike. Will help them safely return to their activities.

“For athletes recovering from COVID-19 with ongoing cardiopulmonary symptoms … further evaluation should be done before resuming exercise,” said ACC expert Consensus Decision Pathway, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “For all others who are asymptomatic or with less indicative symptoms of cardiopulmonary etiology … Additional cardiac examination is not recommended.”

Developed science

Doctors were conducting “extremely rigorous tests to detect myocarditis” at the start of the epidemic, Dr Tamanna Singh, co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Sports Cardiology Center, who was not involved in the new guidelines, told ABC News. It’s going to be much more than that. “

In September 2020, while much was still unknown about COVID-19, researchers at Ohio State University tested 26 athletes after a mild COVID-19 infection that did not require hospitalization. Myocarditis has been found in 15% of athletes, while 30% has created a scar in their heart, which has created a sense of uncertainty surrounding the safety of athletes returning to the sport after an infection.

“Although the data on cardiomyopathy are preliminary and incomplete, the uncertain risks at this time were unacceptable,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren wrote in an August 2020 open letter about the college conference’s decision to cancel the 2020-2021 fall sports season.

But over time, that is likely to change.

“Many conferences, including the Big Ten, were doing cardiac MRI on every athlete recovered from Covid, and what they saw was that the incidence of severe MRI abnormalities was very low, in the order of 1 to 2%,” said Dr. Nicole Vave, a cardiologist and echocardiographer at the University of Michigan, and vice chair of the committee that published the new guidelines.

The general rate for myocarditis involvement in athletes is “very low, the rate is usually around 0.6 to 0.7%,” Singh said.

Although experts’ understanding of COVID-19 has developed, it is clear that the symptoms, obvious or subtle, persist even after infection in many patients. And although not every athlete with COVID-19 will experience myocarditis, it is dangerous enough to be noticed by doctors.

“Myocarditis is a very rare but serious complication of covid,” Vave said. “Patients with covid myocarditis should be directed to a really high-level center. [with the proper equipment]Because these patients can go south quickly. “

Guidelines for Athletes

The ACC’s new guidelines suggest that it is safe for athletes who have no symptoms of Covid-19 to return to practice after three days of self-isolation. For mild symptoms that do not involve the heart or lungs, it is safe to return to exercise once the symptoms have resolved.

Athletes who are constantly suffering from chest pain, palpitations or pass out need more cardiac tests. If the results are related to myocarditis, the ACC recommends abstaining from exercise for three to six months.

“We don’t think everyone who has covid needs a routine MRI before they can start exercising again,” says Vave.

If an athlete has endless symptoms, Vave says, “One of the recommendations we’re making in the document is that people try to do something where they’re actually sitting, instead of trying to walk. So orthostatic intolerance. [the inability to tolerate quick movements] It’s not a big deal. “

For athletes who experience long-term COVID-19 symptoms, the recovery process can be frustrating.

“You’re basically seeing someone with a decade and a half, even two decades, of unlimited sports participation and unlimited exercise ability who now has serious limitations,” Singh said. “They are not only losing their physical connection to themselves, but also their social connection to their community, which can be really devastating emotionally.”

Both Singh and Vave said that the resumption of exercise after infection should be gradual, starting small and increasing the frequency, duration and intensity as tolerable.

“It’s important to say, as a doctor, ‘Hey, I’m here with you, and I know you haven’t returned to where you were. “We still have a lot to learn, and I think that’s a message that is very helpful for depressed patients.”

Nicholas P. Condoleezza, MD, is an internal medicine resident at the Cleveland Clinic and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Among the nine people killed in a car crash in Texas were the head coach and six members of the men’s and women’s golf teams at Southwestern University, authorities said.

The crash happened near Midland, Texas on Tuesday night, and only two people in the college team van survived, according to a statement from Southwest University in Hobbes, New Mexico.

The college confirmed that Tyler James, head coach of both the men’s and women’s golf teams, was among the dead. The coach and his team were returning home from a tournament in the Midlands when the accident happened, the school said in a statement.

In a statement to ABC Affiliate Station KMID in Midland, school officials said, “The USW campus community is shocked and saddened today because we mourn the loss of our university family members.”

The deceased was identified as Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico. Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas; Jackson Jean, 22, Westminster, Colorado; Carissa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas; Lacy Stone, 18, of Nakona, Texas; And Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal.

The school said in a statement that two of the passengers in the van who survived the wreckage were in critical condition at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday. They were later identified as Dayton Price, 19, of Mississauga, Ontario, and Hayden Underhill, 20, of Amherstview, Ontario.

“We pray for the recovery of those who lost their lives and for the comfort and strength of their families and friends and for the students,” school officials said in a statement.

Sergeant Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety said the crash happened at about 8:17 a.m. Tuesday on a two-lane road nine miles east of Andrews, Texas, when a 17-seater passenger van carrying the golf team collided with a pickup truck. .

Authorities say two people in the pickup truck were killed. They were identified as Heinrich Siemens, 38, and an unnamed 13-year-old from Seminole, Texas.

A preliminary investigation has indicated that the driver of the southbound pickup truck entered the northbound lane and collided with the van for unknown reasons, the Public Safety Department said Wednesday. The agency said both vehicles caught fire after the crash.

Blanco said the cause of the crash is under investigation in the West Texas area of ​​the Texas Highway Patrol.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday afternoon that it has sent an 11-member team to Texas, including accident reconstruction experts, to conduct an accident investigation in conjunction with a highway patrol.

NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss told a news conference the speed limit at the crash site was 75 miles per hour. Weiss said determining the speed of the vehicle during the collision would be part of the investigation.

“It’s a very sad scene. Very tragic,” Blanco said, describing the accident when officers first arrived.

University officials confirmed that James was driving the car at the time of the collision.

James was head coach of both men’s and women’s golf teams in his first year, school officials said.

School officials said they were working Wednesday to inform the families of all those involved in the crash and to provide counseling and religious services to all students, teachers and staff on campus.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement Wednesday urging Texans to pray for the families of those who lost their lives and for the recovery of two seriously injured students.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives of those who lost their lives in this horrific car crash near Andrews last night,” Abbott said.