One of the most frustrating symptoms of COVID-19 coronavirus is the loss of the sense of smell and scientists now say they think they understand why it happens. The experts writing in the journal Science Advances said the coronavirus infiltrates the cells that provide major structural support to sensory neurons — the neurons that detect odors and send those messages to the brain. Since the sense of smell is linked to the sense of taste, the coronavirus also affects the ability to taste food. Harvard Medical School researchers said 90% of recovering COVID-19 patients who lost their sense of smell and taste regained it.   “Once the infection clears, olfactory neurons don’t appear to need to be replaced or rebuilt from scratch,” neurobiology professor Dr. Sandeep Robert Datta writes in the Science Advances study. “But we need more data and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms to confirm this conclusion.”  In separate studies, scientists are still trying to conclude whether it is possible to get COVID-19 twice. They say the particular coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is new and much is still unknown.Health-care workers prepare to test people with COVID-19 symptoms near the beach in Saint Jean de Luz, southwestern France, Monday, July 27, 2020.U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Russian military intelligence is using three different English language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus. Among the headlines that Russian agents spread, according to the officials, is one that suggests Russia has given the United States substantial amounts of aid to fight the coronavirus, and another saying Chinese authorities believe the coronavirus is a biological weapon. The U.S. officials told AP that about 150 different articles were published on the websites that both praise the U.S. response and tear it down as inadequate. It is unclear exactly why the Russian operatives may be spreading disinformation, but the U.S. officials said it may be an attempt to stir up confusion ahead of the November presidential election, although the stories do not appear to give an advantage to one candidate over the other.  McDonalds said Tuesday that it had missed its profit expectations because of a nearly 25% drop in same-store sales because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Nearly every McDonald’s dining room is closed, and the restaurants are open for drive-thru or curbside delivery service only.  McDonald’s shares lost more than 2.5% on Wall Street Tuesday. But the company said it expect July sales figures to be up, saying it has adjusted to a different way of doing business.  Elsewhere, Malta’s health ministry said Tuesday that 65 people out of a group of 94 migrants rescued at sea a day earlier tested positive for COVID-19. “Migrants arriving by boat are immediately quarantined for 14 days and tested. The migrants who are positive will continue to be isolated and the rest will remain in quarantine and followed up,” the ministry said. The nationalities of the migrants were not disclosed, but authorities believe their overcrowded boat had taken off from Libya.  And starting Saturday, the North Atlantic island of Madeira will become the first Portuguese territory to make it mandatory to wear face masks in public. Authorities on Madeira have reported only 105 COVID-19 cases and no new ones since last week.   “The use of the mask is exactly to show those who visit us the reason why we have these results,” the region’s general health secretary, Pedro Ramos, said. Masks on Madeira are already required in stores and on buses.  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has resisted measures such as lockdowns and social distancing, said Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and recovered “on his feet.” “As I said, 97% of our population carry this infection asymptomatically,” he said.  Belarus has confirmed more than 67,000 cases and 543 deaths related to the coronavirus.  Lukashenko’s apparent indifference to the virus has been a part of recent protests against his authoritarian rule ahead of next month’s presidential election. Belarus’ refusal to put two major opposition leaders on the ballot all but assures him of another term. 
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One of the most frustrating symptoms of COVID-19 coronavirus is the loss of the sense of smell and scientists now say they think they understand why it happens. The experts writing in the journal Science Advances said the coronavirus infiltrates the cells that provide major structural support to sensory neurons — the neurons that detect odors and send those messages to the brain. Since the sense of smell is linked to the sense of taste, the coronavirus also affects the ability to taste food. Harvard Medical School researchers said 90% of recovering COVID-19 patients who lost their sense of smell and taste regained it.   “Once the infection clears, olfactory neurons don’t appear to need to be replaced or rebuilt from scratch,” neurobiology professor Dr. Sandeep Robert Datta writes in the Science Advances study. “But we need more data and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms to confirm this conclusion.”  In separate studies, scientists are still trying to conclude whether it is possible to get COVID-19 twice. They say the particular coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is new and much is still unknown.Health-care workers prepare to test people with COVID-19 symptoms near the beach in Saint Jean de Luz, southwestern France, Monday, July 27, 2020.U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Russian military intelligence is using three different English language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus. Among the headlines that Russian agents spread, according to the officials, is one that suggests Russia has given the United States substantial amounts of aid to fight the coronavirus, and another saying Chinese authorities believe the coronavirus is a biological weapon. The U.S. officials told AP that about 150 different articles were published on the websites that both praise the U.S. response and tear it down as inadequate. It is unclear exactly why the Russian operatives may be spreading disinformation, but the U.S. officials said it may be an attempt to stir up confusion ahead of the November presidential election, although the stories do not appear to give an advantage to one candidate over the other.  McDonalds said Tuesday that it had missed its profit expectations because of a nearly 25% drop in same-store sales because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Nearly every McDonald’s dining room is closed, and the restaurants are open for drive-thru or curbside delivery service only.  McDonald’s shares lost more than 2.5% on Wall Street Tuesday. But the company said it expect July sales figures to be up, saying it has adjusted to a different way of doing business.  Elsewhere, Malta’s health ministry said Tuesday that 65 people out of a group of 94 migrants rescued at sea a day earlier tested positive for COVID-19. “Migrants arriving by boat are immediately quarantined for 14 days and tested. The migrants who are positive will continue to be isolated and the rest will remain in quarantine and followed up,” the ministry said. The nationalities of the migrants were not disclosed, but authorities believe their overcrowded boat had taken off from Libya.  And starting Saturday, the North Atlantic island of Madeira will become the first Portuguese territory to make it mandatory to wear face masks in public. Authorities on Madeira have reported only 105 COVID-19 cases and no new ones since last week.   “The use of the mask is exactly to show those who visit us the reason why we have these results,” the region’s general health secretary, Pedro Ramos, said. Masks on Madeira are already required in stores and on buses.  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has resisted measures such as lockdowns and social distancing, said Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and recovered “on his feet.” “As I said, 97% of our population carry this infection asymptomatically,” he said.  Belarus has confirmed more than 67,000 cases and 543 deaths related to the coronavirus.  Lukashenko’s apparent indifference to the virus has been a part of recent protests against his authoritarian rule ahead of next month’s presidential election. Belarus’ refusal to put two major opposition leaders on the ballot all but assures him of another term. 
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Major League Baseball (MLB) has suspended all Miami Marlins games for the rest of the week after at least 15 players and coaches reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus.The team is in Philadelphia where the affected players are in quarantine. The Philadelphia Phillies, who hosted the Marlins earlier this week, will also be idle through Friday.New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres (25) celebrates his solo home run with Luke Voit during the seventh inning of a game against Washington at Nationals Park, July 26, 2020.Some players with the New York Yankees, who were scheduled to play the Phillies this week, balked at using the same visitors’ clubhouse in Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park that the Marlins had used.MLB officials say they postponed the Yankees-Phillies games “out of an abundance of caution.”The source of the coronavirus outbreak among the Marlins is unclear. But reports say some players may have picked up the virus during a night out in Atlanta following a July 22 exhibition game against that city’s team. There are no reported cases among Atlanta’s team.The Marlins were scheduled to host the Washington Nationals in Miami this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But Nationals manager Dave Martinez said the team’s players voted not to go.“We all decided that it was probably unsafe to go there,” Marinez said. “It had nothing to do with the Miami Marlins. It was all about Miami and the state of Florida, this pandemic. They didn’t feel safe.”MLB is trying to have as normal a season as possible during the coronavirus pandemic. But the usual 162 games were slashed to just 60 and, to avoid a lot of traveling, no teams in the West will play teams in the East.Games are also off-limits to fans. Players have been hitting home runs into empty stands.As of now, there are no plans to give up on the entire 2020 season. But the country’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told ABC television network’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday that the situation with the Marlins could “put it in danger.””I don’t believe they need to stop, but we just need to follow this and see what happens with other teams on a day-by-day basis. Major League Baseball — the players, the owners, the managers — have put a lot of effort into getting together and putting protocols that we feel would work,” Fauci said.Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun stands on second base after driving in two runs with a double during the ninth inning of a game in Pittsburgh, July 27, 2020.Left fielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers said Tuesday it has been “very difficult to focus on baseball at all the last couple of days.”“It’s important that we are able to provide a source of entertainment and an outlet for people who are dealing with such a challenging time in their lives,” Braun said. “But at the same time, the health and safety should be the top priority for all of us at all times. You think about all the hotel employees, bus drivers, pilots, flight attendants, anybody else all the Marlins guys might have come into contact with, and it’s obviously scary.”Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo offered the ballparks in his state to any team that needs a place to play.The governor said Tuesday that New York now has one of the country’s lowest rates of CIOVID-19 infections, adding that a successful baseball season would be “good for the economy. I think it would be good for the psyche. I think it would be good for the nation’s soul.”New York City has two major league parks, and other cities across the state have well-equipped minor league parks.The Toronto Blue Jays are already playing their 2020 home games at the minor league stadium in Buffalo, New York after Canadian authorities shut them out of their home field. Canadian officials said they do not want U.S. players continually crossing the border while U.S. tourists are being turned away.Other professional North American sports leagues hope to restart their seasons shortly. The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League (NHL) have opened training camps.All basketball games are being played in Orlando, Florida, and NHL games will be played in two Canadian cities, Toronto and Edmonton. Canadian authorities have granted exceptions to U.S. players to allow them to cross the border.The National Football League (NFL) is opening training camps this week but has canceled the usual four exhibition games each team plays in August.The football season is set to open Sept. 10. But Fauci has said because of the extremely close contact that NFL players have to each other on the field, he would not be surprised to also see a curtailed 2020 football season. 
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The U.S. government says it will use the Defense Production Act to help transform a legacy photographic film maker into a producer of pharmaceutical ingredients, including those for hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial President Donald Trump has touted as a treatment to ward off the coronavirus.President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House, July 28, 2020, in Washington.“Today I’m proud to announce one of the most important deals in the history of U.S. pharmaceutical industries,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room Tuesday afternoon.Kodak will receive a $765 million loan under the Defense Production Act to launch a pharmaceuticals company, creating hundreds of jobs, Trump said.It is not a done deal, however, according to the White House.A letter of intent has been signed and final negotiations continue under which the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will make the loan.The DFC is supposed to focus on loans for overseas projects as an alternative to China’s “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.Democratic Party members of Congress are questioning why the DFC is taking on a domestic role for which it was not intended.Once fully operational, Kodak is to have the capacity to produce 25% of the generic active pharmaceutical ingredients necessary for all nonbiologic and nonantibacterial pharmaceuticals used in the United States, according to the White House.Currently, 90% of all prescriptions written in the country are for generic drugs, which Trump said on Tuesday “can be just as good as the brand names but cost much less.”Less than 10% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients for such drugs sold in the United States are made domestically, with “more than 50% made in India and China,” the president said.Kodak, which declared bankruptcy in 2012, was once a household name in America and much of the world — having a virtual monopoly for much of the 20th century on photographic and motion picture film in North America and elsewhere.“It was one of the great brands in the world,” Trump said. “Then people went digital, and Kodak didn’t follow.”The 132-year-old company will work with the U.S. government and manufacturers to identify the products most needed to meet national security requirements, the White House said.”What we have with this project and Kodak may be one of the greatest second acts in American industrial history,” Peter Navarro, the White House trade adviser, said earlier in the day.“It’s a breakthrough in bringing pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the United States,” Trump said.Kodak’s stock price, which tripled during regular trading hours Tuesday, rose another 40% after Trump’s remarks.The White House said the support for Kodak’s new venture will be the 33rd time this administration has used the Defense Production Act, amounting to $3.2 billion, “to provide critical support for essential medical resources and our defense industrial base.”Kodak CEO Jim Continenza told the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper in the company’s hometown of Rochester, New York, that the firm has “a long, long history in chemical and advanced materials — well over 100 years” and its existing infrastructure will allow the new venture “to get up and running quickly.”FILE – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a daily briefing amid the coronavirus pandemic, in New York City, July 13, 2020.Trump gave rare praise to New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, for supporting the initiative.The two politicians have feuded recently over responses to the coronavirus pandemic, with Cuomo commenting that if the Trump administration had done its job, the virus would not have come to New York.Cuomo released a statement Monday about the Kodak initiative, saying “that all too often we heard these materials were made in China or made in India. America could not provide for her own needs. That just cannot happen again.” 
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