Coronavirus Updates: Lea Michele tests positive for covid

New Zealand drops covid rules ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Important developments in the pandemic.       By Sabrina Malhi  Email   The latest Former "Glee" leading lady and Broadway star Lea Michele has tested positive for the coronavirus. On Sunday, the actress posted on her Instagram stories that she would be taking a 10-day leave from her show, "Funny Girl." "Unfortunately, I have officially tested positive for covid," Michele wrote. "Thankfully staying home today and catching this early protected so many members of our company from being exposed. Funny Girl has been and still is tackling a tremendous wave of covid with close to a dozen company members currently out." Coinciding with the rollback of Broadway coronavirus protocols, the show, which debuted with Michele on Sept. 6, is one of a few productions that have canceled performances or replaced leading actors with understudies because of covid outbreaks. In May, Broadway theaters dropped their vaccine requirements; in July, they stopped requiring masks, which has left some theatergoers, actors and production staff concerned about potential outbreaks. Despite dropping the mask requirement, the Broadway League, Broadway's national trade association, said it still encourages audience members to wear masks. New Zealand was touted as having some of the world's strictest pandemic protocols. But after 2½ years, the country has finally dropped its coronavirus requirements. In a news conference Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government would no longer require masks and would roll back vaccine requirements. "With high vaccination rates now coupled with high numbers of people having had the virus itself, it's now safe for them to conclude," she said. Mask-wearing requirements end Monday and vaccine requirements end Sept. 26. Ardern said the ministry of health would continue offering mask-wearing guidelines. Masks are still encouraged in public places, or left to the discretion of businesses or event organizers. Effective Monday, travelers entering New Zealand are no longer being asked to show proof of vaccination. The country, which has a population of about 5 million, has recorded about 1,950 coronavirus deaths. One burden that's not discussed, Ardern said, is the pandemic's toll on people's mental health, and she hopes that the "covid anxiety can start to heal." Other important news On Monday, Tokyo confirmed 5,654 new cases of the coronavirus. The country has registered a steady decline in cases during the past week. Lockdowns in China are causing panic in regions where food and medical care have become scarce.    Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app     Guide to the pandemic Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. and the spread around the world. U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state. Guides: Booster shots | Vaccines | Variants | Masks Submit a question and we may answer it in a future story or newsletter.    Your questions, answered Covid long haulers pose a serious worldwide challenge that doesn't get much news coverage. Is there any hope for those living with it? How is research going on discovering and treating this affliction? "There is certainly hope for those living with long covid, but there is no magic bullet treatment right now," said Kristin Englund, an infectious-disease physician at the Cleveland Clinic. It is estimated that nearly 1 in 5 adults and children — including healthy people who had mild or no symptoms during their initial infection — experience new, returning or ongoing symptoms that last for weeks, months or even years.  This poorly understood post-covid response, referred to as long covid, affects people in varying ways and to varying degrees: Some experience such severe respiratory, cardiac and neurological symptoms that they are hospitalized. Others have less disabling symptoms, such as lingering fatigue and headaches. Englund described the number of patients suffering from debilitating symptoms as "staggering" and referred to long covid as "the pandemic after the pandemic." Her research at the Cleveland Clinic found that of the 2,000 patients seen there with lingering covid symptoms, 30 percent were hospitalized, while 70 percent had milder symptoms. She said age isn't a factor — long covid sufferers in their research ranged from 18 to 100 years old. Treatments depend on the symptoms patients present with and can include care under medical specialties such as pulmonary, cardiology and neurology.  Still, Englund said she was hopeful that researchers will be able to provide better treatment approaches and options within the next year or two. She also encouraged everyone to stay up to date with coronavirus booster shots because every time a person is infected with the coronavirus, the body could respond differently. At least one study found an increased risk of adverse health outcomes with reinfections. "Some people will say to me, 'I don't need the covid vaccine; it won't be that bad for me,' but I've seen the exact opposite," Englund said.    Today's top reads The U.S. shouldn't live with covid. It should get beyond the virus. Opinion ●  By Editorial Board ●  Read more »   Your questions about covid-19, answered by Dr. Leana Wen Opinion ●  By Leana S. Wen ●  Read more »   Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the pandemic on our coronavirus page.   We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Post Most for the most popular and interesting stories of the day, from politics to opinions to world news, to keep you in the know. In your inbox, every day. Sign up »

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