Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people in COVID-19 hotspots resume mask-wearing in indoor public spaces in regions with high coronavirus transmission.
It shows that those who are vaccinated are three times less likely to get COVID-19 than those who are unvaccinated. Once infected, though, vaccinated people are just as contagious as someone without that protection — meaning they need to wear a mask and keep their distance to avoid passing on the virus.
Last summer, before there was a vaccine, there were about 80,000 new COVID-19 cases reported every day and nearly 500 deaths — almost exactly the same count as today although half the population is vaccinated and many others have immunity because they’ve already been infected.
“This is an American tragedy,” President Joe Biden said Thursday. “People are dying and will die who don’t have to die. If you’re out there unvaccinated, you don’t have to die.”
– Karen Weintraub
Also in the news:
►Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he will call the state legislature into session likely next week to reverse its ban on face mask mandates in public schools. Arkansas has been one of the hardest hit states in the current wave of COVID-19 cases.
►With the first week of the Olympics set to wrap up Friday, the International Olympic Committee announced 27 new COVID-19 cases, including 3 athletes, bringing the total to at least 220 cases since July 1.
►Biden is asking states and localities to offer unvaccinated residents $100 to get their COVID-19 shots. The cash reward for vaccination was one idea in Biden’s latest plan to boost lagging vaccination rates in many parts of the nation. Rolled out Thursday, the core of his new plan is a requirement for federal workers to disclose their vaccination status to their agencies. Read more here.
►Hundreds of thousands of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine doses have been saved from the trash after the FDA extended their expiration date to at least six months when properly stored.
►North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday decided to reverse course from guidance he issued last week and will now urge all K-12 public school students and staff to be masked, even if they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
📈Today’s numbers: The U.S. has had more than 34.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 612,100 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 196.5 million cases and 4.19 million deaths. More than 163.8 million Americans — 49.4% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘What we’re reading: Some people in Missouri are dressing in disguise and begging doctors to not publicly reveal they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, a doctor said. Read more.
Broadway is coming back. On Thursday, the Broadway League and Equity, the actors’ union released an agreement outlining the top safety protocols for returning Broadway shows and tours that have extended stays at one theater, known as sit-down engagements.
Requirements include vaccinations for all employees, with the exception of a qualifying disability or “sincerely held religious belief” and children too young to be vaccinated. Unvaccinated people will be required to wear a mask at all times, except when it would interfere with their job and on-stage performance, and they will be subject to COVID-19 testing no less than twice a week.
A COVID-19 safety manager will be on site for each production, and autograph signing, meet-and-greets and backstage tours will be prohibited.
A suburban St. Louis health director said he was called racial slurs and physically assaulted after defending a new mask mandate to combat COVID-19.
St. Louis County Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan said in response, he raised his middle finger at a crowd gathered at a St. Louis County Council meeting, according to a Wednesday letter obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“After being physically assaulted, called racial slurs and surrounded by an angry mob, I expressed my displeasure by using my middle finger toward an individual who had physically threatened me and called me racist slurs,” Khan wrote to the councilwoman who led the meeting.
Although long-haul COVID-19 is often described as primarily affecting younger people, the new studies suggest that many over 60 also have brain issues long after their initial infections.
“Is this part of that puzzle of things that may contribute to your (dementia) risk? We don’t know yet, but we need to understand that,” said Heather Snyder, vice president for medical & scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association, an advocacy group.
The three new studies, presented at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, being held in Denver, each looked at different aspects of the link between COVID-19 and brain issues. None of the studies has yet been peer reviewed, the standard for scientific research, so their findings are preliminary. Read more here.
The IRS announced Thursday they would expand tax credits to employers who give their employees paid time off to get vaccinated against COVID-19, encouraging them to make time for people to get inoculated.
Eligible employers, including businesses and tax-exempt organizations with less than 500 employees, can receive a tax credit equal to the wages paid for providing the time off, but only up to certain limits, according to a release from the agency.
“This new information is a shot in the arm for struggling small employers who are working hard to keep their businesses going while also watching out for the health of their employees,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig in the release. “Our work on this issue is part of a larger effort by the IRS to assist the nation recover from the pandemic.”
The decision extends from Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which offers tax credit to small and mid-sized employers that provide paid sick and family leave to employees due to COVID-19. Self-employed individuals also have a similar tax credit as part of the plan.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the U.S., announced on Thursday that it will require “baseline and ongoing” weekly COVID testing for all students and employees returning for in-person instruction, regardless of their vaccination status. The move, which comes amid rising COVID-19 infection rates in the county and across the country, is a reversal from earlier directives that only unvaccinated individuals would have to undergo regular testing.
The required testing, which begins August 2, is in accordance with recent guidance issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, according to a memo sent out to parents by interim superintendent Megan K. Reilly. Other prevention measures include universal masking, upgraded air filtration systems and vaccination outreach.
“We believe Los Angeles Unified has the highest COVID safety standards of any public school district in the nation,” Reilly said in her memo. Los Angeles Unified is the country’s second largest school district.
Other districts nationwide have been bolstering their safety plans for the fall as the delta variant continues to spread and drive the surge in case numbers. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance recommending universal masking at schools, a u-turn from its earlier suggestion that vaccinated students and employees need not wear masks.
On Thursday, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook rejected an attempt to restore the extra unemployment benefits in Ohio, saying DeWine had the power to cut them off before Labor Day.
“The court is aware of, and sympathetic to, the thousands of Ohioans without work and in desperate need of any assistance available,” Holbrook wrote. “The court simply cannot legislate from the bench and overlook the clear terms of (Ohio law.)”
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress approved an additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits to help struggling Americans. The benefits are set to expire after Labor Day, but several governors cut them off early.
DeWine, a Republican, stopped the additional payments for Ohioans on June 26, citing Ohioans’ need to get back to work. Ohio’s unemployment rate had dropped from 16.4% in April 2020 to 5.2% in June.
Ultimately, Holbrook found that DeWine had the authority to stop the benefits. DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, in a statement, said they were pleased with the decision.
Track and field is finally ready to begin at the Tokyo Olympics, with the opening qualifying rounds getting underway Friday. At the 2016 Games in Rio, the U.S. led all countries with 32 track and field medals.
In swimming, two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, who won bronze in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke earlier this week, took home silver in the 200 breaststroke final, with teammate Annie Lazor getting bronze. In addition, Ryan Murphy claimed a silver in the men’s 200 backstroke.
Later, the U.S. women’s basketball and soccer teams will be back in action. Sue Bird and Co. will hoop it up against Japan in group play, and it will be a rematch of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final when the USWNT takes on the Netherlands in the Olympic quarterfinals.
After giving up an early goal in their quarterfinal match against the Netherlands, the U.S. women scored twice in three minutes. Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis were responsible for both goals. In the 28th minute, Williams juked a defender and served the ball into the box where Mewis, her teammate on the NWSL’s Carolina Courage, headed it home.
In the 31st, Mewis got the rebound off a Tobin Heath corner kick and headed it backward, where Williams brought it down with her foot and shot past Sari Van Veenendaal for the go-ahead goal.
The game is a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final. The USWNT beat the Dutch 2-0 to win its fourth title.
YOKOHAMA, Japan — This isn’t the lineup most would have expected for the U.S. women’s must-win game against Netherlands.
Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle are on the bench for the Friday night’s quarterfinal match. Lynn Williams is starting up top for the reigning World Cup champions along with Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath. Sam Mewis, Julie Ertz and Lindsey Horan are in the midfield.
The Americans have looked lackluster so far at the Tokyo Olympics, being held scoreless in two of their first three games and playing for a draw against Australia in their final Group G game. They can’t afford another anemic effort, and perhaps this is coach Vlatko Andonovski’s way of shaking things up.
But it’s a big gamble. The Dutch have become one of the sport’s powerhouses, winning the European title in 2017 and losing to the Americans in the final of the 2019 World Cup. They lead the Olympic tournament with 21 goals, and Vivianne Miedema is the top scorer with eight goals.
Should the U.S. women win, they would play the winner of Brazil-Canada in the semifinals Monday.
— Nancy Armour
TOKYO — Mackenzie Brown came within one match Friday of winning the first U.S. Olympic women’s archery individual medal since 1976.
Brown advanced to the semifinals at Yumenoshima Park before losing 6-5 in a shootout to eventual gold medalist An San of Korea. She then fell 7-1 in the bronze medal match to Italy’s Lucilla Boari.
“I’m really happy with how I fought and performed,” Brown said. “I’m disappointed with the circumstances and with the outcome, but not by any stretch disappointed with myself or anything I did. I did everything that was within my power so I’m very proud of myself.”
Brown, 26, of Flint, Texas, did not elaborate on the circumstances bothering her, but did speak about the difficulty of shooting in a stadium without spectators and other issues related to COVID protocol.
The last U.S. women’s individual medalist was Luann Ryan in 1976 when archery was competing under a different format without elimination matches. Brown matched a fourth place showing by Khatuna Lorig in 2012.
American women have not won a team medal since 1988.
Brown rallied from 4-2 and 5-3 down in her quarterfinal to beat Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia in a one-arrow shootout. Both shot 10 with Brown closer to the center by .17 centimeters.
In the semifinal against No. 1 seed An, Brown trailed 4-2 before shooting 30 in the fourth set and split the fifth. In the shootout, An shot 10 while Brown was narrowly in the nine ring. An won her third gold medal here, prevailing in another shootout (10-8) in the gold medal match over Elena Osipova (Russian Olympic Committee).
Against Boari, for the bronze, Brown shot well in the first two sets but trailed 3-1. Brown’s first arrow in the third set was seven in a 28-25 loss. Boari shot seven on her second arrow in the fourth set but Brown followed with an eight in a 27-26 match deciding loss.
“My last straight set (28-28) in the semifinal match, I thought I had that one,” Brown said. “It just shows what I’m capable of shooting against Mexico and Korea. I shot good shots. I did what I was supposed to do.”
Brown was seeded fifth after the ranking round. She and world No. 1 men’s archery Brady Ellison lost in the first round of mixed team, and the U.S. women’s team lost in the quarterfinals.
Her improvement individually “had everything to do with my confidence and my abilities,” Brown said. “Getting used to the fact this is the weirdest finals venue you will ever see unless there is another round of COVID that happens. There’s nobody (spectators) to add pressure or to help encourage you.”
Archery concludes Saturday with the men’s individual medals awarded. No. 2 seed Ellison, a 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalist, shoots against fellow American Jacob Wukie in the round of 16.
— Jeff Metcalfe
KAWAGOE, Japan — A furious finish from Xander Schauffele put an American atop the leaderboard during the second round of the men’s golf stroke play tournament.
Schauffele carded a pair of eagles – one on the drivable green of the par-4 sixth hole, where his tee shot came within eight feet. Following his second eagle on No. 14, a manageable par 5, he finished par, birdie, birdie, birdie to shoot 63 (8-under-par) on the day and 11-under for the tournament, while overtaking Carlos Ortiz (10-under) of Mexico for first.
The performance from Schauffele followed a weather delay due to lightning in the area that stopped action for about 90 minutes. It was the second straight day storms forced an action stoppage; officials called another delay at 5:20 p.m. local time, minutes after Schauffele sunk his final birdie.
Fellow Americans Patrick Reed and Collin Morikawa sit eight shots back of their teammate, and Justin Thomas is at 1-under for the tournament with one hole remaining in the second round.
— Chris Bumbaca
TOKYO — U.S. divers Krysta Palmer and Hailey Hernandez competed in the women’s individual three-meter springboard preliminary on Friday and both advanced to the semifinal round.
Hernandez, 18, finished sixth with 309.55 points in the field of 27 divers. Her best dive of the preliminary was a forward three and a half somersaults tuck that she executed in the second round, which ranked fourth among competitors.
The Southlake, Texas native’s best international performance in the event came in 2019 when she placed first in the FINA Diving Grand Prix. At the FINA Diving World Cup in 2018, Hernandez finished in ninth place. A recent high school graduate, Hernandez begins her freshman year at the University of Texas in Austin in a few weeks.
Palmer, 29, took 15th place with 279.10 points. The first-time Olympian also competed in the women’s synchronized three-meter springboard with partner Alison Gibson, where she placed eighth in the field of eight. Palmer was the 2019 national champion in three-meter synchronized diving.
The semifinal is on Saturday, July 31 at 3 p.m. local time. The top 12 divers will qualify for the final, which is on Sunday, August 1 at 3 p.m. local time.
— Olivia Reiner
TOKYO — The controversy over the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow about 330 athletes from Russia to compete at these Games despite years of state-sponsored doping finally bubbled to the surface Friday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre after the men’s 200-meter backstroke, where the silver and bronze medalist called into question the Russian gold medalist’s victory.
“It is a huge mental drain on me … that I’m swimming in a race that’s probably not clean,” Ryan Murphy, one of the captains of the U.S. Olympic swimming team, told reporters in the mixed zone after winning the silver medal behind Russia’s Evgeny Rylov.
“It frustrates me, but I have to swim the field that’s next to me,” Murphy said. “I don’t have the bandwidth to train for the Olympics at a very high level and try to lobby the people who are making the decisions that they’re making the wrong decisions.”
The U.S. women’s water polo team rebounded from a rare Olympics loss to overwhelm ROC, 18-5, in preliminary play on Friday.
In the win, Maggie Steffens became the all-time leading scorer in Olympic women’s water polo. She now has 49 career goals.
Steffens and Stephanie Haralabidis led the U.S. with four goals apiece against ROC. Paige Hauschild had three goals and Makenzie Fischer added two. Four other players had a goal apiece.
After opening the Olympics with wins over Japan (25-4) and China (12-7), the U.S. lost to Hungary (10-9) on Wednesday. With Friday’s win over the Russian Olympic Committee, the U.S. finished group play 3-1 and will advance to the quarterfinals, which take place Tuesday.
TOKYO – After getting pushed by Nigeria in its Olympic opener, the U.S. women’s basketball team had a tough time putting away Japan on Friday in its second game of pool play. Though the final score ended up 86-69, this was essentially a 10-point game for the entire second half until a couple 3-pointers for the Americans finally broke it open with fewer than three minutes remaining.
Japan proved tough to defend with its ball movement and spacing, continually generating open looks from the perimeter. Early in the game, Japan made those shots in flurries and actually led 30-28 after the first quarter.
Ultimately, Japan couldn’t keep up that pace and finished 10-of-38 from the 3-point line.
Team USA led 49-40 at halftime but couldn’t extend its lead beyond that, largely due to 17 turnovers – which was also a problem in the Americans’ 81-72 win over Nigeria.
Unsurprisingly, the U.S. dominated in the post where Brittney Griner had 15 points (7-of-11 shooting) while A’Ja Wilson finished with 20 points (9-of-15) and 10 rebounds.
The U.S. concludes group play against France on Monday.
Biles posted two videos of her trying to do her uneven bars dismount Friday on her Instagram story, and it’s clear she is not her usual self. She is supposed to do a double twisting somersault and, in the first video, she gets through a half twist before suddenly dropping out of the air and landing flat on her back. In the second, she makes it 1½ times around.
In both videos, she is landing on mats placed over a pit filled with foam blocks. In competition, however, she would have to do her skills on a hard, unforgiving surface.
The videos on Biles’ account were removed within an hour of when they were posted.
— Nancy Armour
TOKYO — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Friday afternoon that swimmer Michael Andrew’s decision not to wear a mask in the mixed zone at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre is a “violation” of COVID-19 protocols and that it is reviewing the matter with USA Swimming and “will take action as needed.”
Andrew, the highest profile unvaccinated American Olympian, did not wear a mask in the mixed zone after finishing a disappointing fifth in the men’s 200-meter individual medley Friday morning. Every other U.S. swimmer has worn a mask everywhere journalists can see them at the swimming venue except for when they are in the water competing and for a moment after the medal ceremony when they are told to briefly take off their masks for an official photo.
USA TODAY Sports shared the news and a photo of Andrew on Twitter, and then received this comment from the USOPC:
“Not wearing a mask is a violation of the covid mitigation protocols put in place by both the USOPC and TOCOG (the Tokyo Olympic organizers) – protocols we have been adamant in following as a delegation. We are currently reviewing this matter with the National Governing Body and will take action as needed.”
— Christine Brennan
TOKYO — American Connor Fields, a medal favorite in BMX cycling, was awake and awaiting further medical evaluation after crashing during a semifinal heat Friday at the Olympics, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. BMX racing team.
There was no information on Fields’ injuries, said Angelina Palermo, the spokesperson.
Fields, 28, was taken off the course on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and transported to a hospital.
The crash took place on the first turn of the race. Fields was in second place when his front wheel appeared to catch the back wheel of the leader, France’s Romain Mahieu.
Fields tumbled to the ground and two other riders fell over him.
— Josh Peter
The American beach volleyball duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman completed an undefeated run through pool play with a three-set victory Friday over Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands to advance to the knockout stage.
Ross and Klineman dropped the first set, but rallied for a 20-22, 21-17, 15-5 victory. They’ll play next in the Round of 16, which begins this weekend.
TOKYO – For a second consecutive day, Tokyo organizers announced a record number of coronavirus cases.
Friday’s total of 27 cases includes three athletes and 15 contractors. On Thursday, organizers announced 24 new coronavirus cases, also with three athletes and 15 contractors in that total.
Since July 1, 220 positive cases have been reported by Olympic organizers. Half are of contractors who work for third parties hired by Tokyo’s organizing committee to work the Games. A total of 23 athletes have tested positive here this month, most recently with American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks announcing Thursday that he tested positive and will not be able to compete here.
The Olympic positives come as cases of coronavirus are surging in Japan. The country eclipsed 10,000 daily cases for the first time on Thursday, with a record 3,177 coming from Tokyo. The capitol city set a new record for a third consecutive day and eclipsed 3,000 cases for the first time, The Japan Times reported.
Olympic organizers have said they do not see a connection between cases from the Games and the increasing cases in Japan because participants are restricted to their accommodations and Games venues.
“We have been implementing robust counter measures on COVID-19 in that respect,” said Masa Takaya, spokesman for the organizing committee. “We are delivering the safest possible environment from most perspectives, from the perspective of participants and also from the perspective of the people in Japan.”
— Rachel Axon
TOKYO – Russian Evgeny Rylov set an Olympic record in 1:53.27 in the men’s 200-meter backstroke, beating American Ryan Murphy by .88 of a second.
The 24-year-old Russian has swept both the 100 and 200 back in Tokyo and has a silver in the 4×200 free relay.
Murphy was the defending Olympic champion in the 100 and 200. In the 100 back in Tokyo, Murphy won bronze, finishing behind Rylov and Russian teammate Kliment Kolesnikov.
King finished .97 of a second behind Schoenmaker. American Annie Lazor, King’s training mate in Indiana, won the bronze.
King won a bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke Monday, finishing behind Alaskan teammate Lydia Jacoby, who won gold. King swept both the 100 and 200 breast in Rio five years ago.
— Roxanna Scott
TOKYO — American Caeleb Dressel swam the fastest time in the men’s 100-meter butterfly semifinals Friday, setting an Olympic record in 49.71 seconds.
Kristof Milak of Hungary was second in qualifying for Saturday’s final, finishing in 50.31 seconds.
TOKYO — The U.S. men’s and women’s eight each finished fourth in their respective A finals, concluding an Olympic regatta in which the nation failed to reach the medal table.
It’s the first time that the U.S. failed to win an Olympic medal in rowing when the Americans have entered boats. The U.S. had no rowers entered in the Olympics in 1908 and 1980.
The women’s eight finished with a time of 6:02.78, roughly four seconds behind first-place Canada. New Zealand finished in second and China in third. The women’s placement breaks an Olympic gold medal streak — they had finished first in 2008, 2012 and 2016, a record tied with Romania.
The men’s eight crossed the finish line with a time of 5:26.75, about two seconds behind first-place New Zealand. Germany and Great Britain took silver and bronze, respectively.
— Olivia Reiner
A then 17-year-old Sydney McLaughlin stepped on the track in Rio de Janeiro as the youngest U.S. track and field athlete since 1976 to compete at the Olympics. The teenage phenom had enormous potential but little expectations. She finished fifth in her semifinal heat and failed to advance to the women’s 400-meter hurdles Olympic final.
What a difference four, plus an additional year, can make.
“It’s a crazy time, so much change. I think it’s really important and really cool to be a part of it. It’s kind of just this new wave and kind of this new generation,” McLaughlin said. “It’s kind of pushing the boundaries as much as possible.”
— Tyler Dragon
Videos of Suni Lee’s family reacting to the gymnast winning an Olympic gold medal in the all-around competition quickly went viral on Twitter, with fellow Olympians, celebrities and viewers at home cheering alongside Lee’s joyful family.
TOKYO — If nothing else, Tennys Sandgren is honest about the position he finds himself in as the last hope for American tennis to avoid being shut out from the medal stand at the these Olympics, something that hasn’t happened since 1920, when no Americans entered the tournament.
“To be fair, we probably shouldn’t even be playing,” Sandgren said, referring to himself and doubles partner Austin Krajicek, who only made the U.S. team because the highest-ranked American men decided that playing an ATP 250 event in Atlanta this week would be a better use of their time.
But regardless of how they made it here, Sandgren and Krajicek could very well leave with a bronze medal. They face New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus on Friday for third place.
Evidence is mounting about the dangers of the delta variant and how mask-wearing is essential to bring it under control, according to a government slideshow dated Thursday.
The presentation, compiled by a doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lays out what is known about the delta variant, which now accounts for the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States.
Earlier this week, the CDC recommended that people in COVID-19 hotspots resume mask-wearing in indoor public spaces.
The agency had been criticized for making the recommendation without adequately supporting its reasons for the policy shift. But the presentation, first made public by The Washington Post, appears to do just that.
CDC declined to comment late Thursday on the slideshow or its contents.
The presentation shows that those who are vaccinated are three times less likely to catch COVID-19 and 10-times less likely to die from it than those who are unvaccinated.
Once infected, though, vaccinated people are just as contagious as those without that protection — meaning they need to wear a mask and keep their distance to avoid passing on the virus.
“The data makes a pretty compelling justification for why we need to go back to mask wearing and other public health measures,” said Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. “I do think it’s because of the delta variant.”
If more people had been vaccinated earlier this year, cases would not be rising now and a return to masking wouldn’t be necessary, said Dr. Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.
“We wouldn’t be in this pickle if we’d had 70% of the population vaccinated,” he said. “When you have more than half your population not (fully) vaccinated, you’re vulnerable.”
People who are vaccinated should wear a mask and socially distance, he and others said, largely to protect those who haven’t been vaccinated or who have a weakened immune system and so can’t get full protection from the vaccine.
Vaccines remain effective and preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19, though they worked better against the original strain and the alpha variant than they do against delta, data finds.
In one Israeli study, vaccinated people over 60 were shown to be 97% protected against the alpha variant, but only 85% protected against delta. “Ninety-seven percent is phenomenal, but 81%?” Topol said. “We’ve got a bigger challenge than ever before.”
The delta variant is known to be substantially more contagious than other variants – as contagious though deadlier than chicken pox, according to the CDC presentation. Among common infectious diseases, only measles is more contagious.
People may also be infectious for longer with the delta variant, 18 days instead of 13, the presentation says. This suggests official guidance on quarantining when sick may need to be changed, too, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
“None of it is good news,” he said by email. “Clearly (we) need more vaccinations, resumption of non-pharmacologic interventions ASAP even for vaccinated people, and probably boosters.”
The federal government has said there is not yet enough data to support booster shots, even for the elderly and immunocompromised, though Israel is now recommending them for those groups.
In a study posted online this week by Pfizer and its collaborator BioNTech, but not yet peer-reviewed, the companies found their vaccine to be effective for at least six months. Effectiveness topped 90% for that period, according to the study, which was largely conducted before the delta variant became widespread.
Data beyond six months isn’t yet available because the shots are so new.
Several researchers questioned why the information in the CDC’s presentation was not released two days earlier, when the agencymade its new mask recommendations.
In a Tuesday briefing, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky downplayed the possibility that a vaccinated person could pass on the virus, without giving the details about the viral load contained in the slideshow.
Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and former Baltimore health commissioner, said the slideshow suggests CDC is worried about the risks of delta to the vaccinated, but that’s not what Walensky focused on during her Tuesday briefing, Wen said.
“I don’t know what to make of it, honestly,” she said after seeing the slideshow. “Why wasn’t this level of data revealed to the American public two days ago?”
And, she wondered aloud, why countries like the United Kingdom and Israel are still generating so much more COVID-19 data than the U.S.
It would be simple, for instance, to ask people as they’re tested for COVID-19 whether they’d had their shots, she said — but the CDC doesn’t collect the data, so it’s not clear what percentage of transmissions are from the vaccinated.
Dr. Paul Offit, who directs the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said he’s very concerned about the current state of America’s pandemic.
Last summer, before there was a vaccine, there were about 80,000 new COVID-19 cases reported every day and nearly 500 deaths — almost exactly the same count as today although half the population is vaccinated and many other have immunity because they’ve already been infected.
Why haven’t things gotten better, Offit asked rhetorically. “The answer is we have enough people in the population that are susceptible – and we have a virus that is clearly more contagious.”
Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
Nevada has issued an emergency order requiring people in 12 of the state’s 17 counties, including tourist hot spots Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, to wear masks in public indoor spaces, whether they are vaccinated or not beginning Friday. The Nevada Gaming Control Board, which regulates casinos, noted the directive applies to all “employees, patrons, and guests.” Disney has announced that guests ages 2 and older will have to don face coverings for all indoor attractions and on Disney transportation at California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World. The announcements came on the heels of the CDC’s latest recommendation that even vaccinated Americans resume wearing masks indoors if they are in areas with high or substantial transmissibility of COVID-19. Evidence is mounting about the dangers of the delta variant and how mask-wearing is essential to bring it under control, a new government slideshow reports.
St. Paul and Minnesota to honor Suni Lee after Olympic gold medal win
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter are both declaring Friday “Sunisa Lee Day” after the Olympic gymnast won a gold medal for the all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics. Lee on Thursday became the fifth consecutive American woman to win gold in the event. On Friday, track and field is finally ready to begin, with the opening qualifying rounds getting underway. Also, in a rematch of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, the U.S. women’s soccer team takes on the Netherlands in the Olympic quarterfinals. In swimming, two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, who already won bronze in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke, took home silver in the 200 breaststroke final Friday, with teammate Annie Lazor getting bronze. On the court, the U.S. women’s basketball team defeated Japan in its second game of pool play, but had a tough time finishing off the victory.
‘Happier Than Ever’: Billie Eilish drops second studio album
“Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish’s second studio album following 2019’s Grammy-winning “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” dropped early Friday morning, with the 19-year-old proving her creative transformation goes far deeper than a new hair color. USA TODAY’s Charles Trepany notes that for a singer who’s been candid about past mental health struggles and coping with fame at a young age, Eilish simultaneously flaunts self-assured confidence and mature self-reflection on her latest record, telling off a toxic ex in one track (“Happier Than Ever”) while falling in love with who she wants to become in another (“my future”). The 16 tracks also take listeners on a nonlinear journey of falling in and out of love, as Eilish croons about heartbreak and the painful, uncertain process of healing.
IRS unemployment paper tax refunds begin to arrive
Another round of extra tax refund cash will continue to be doled out Friday, as the Internal Revenue Service sends money to taxpayers in the middle of an abrupt change in the rules relating to jobless benefits. Refunds by paper check will begin to arrive Friday after the IRS adjusted their federal income tax returns. Those receiving refunds by direct deposit, began to do so as early as Wednesday. Overall, about 1.5 million people received an average of $1,686 this week. The IRS has been rolling out these special refunds in batches as it makes adjustments for early filers who paid more than they owed in taxes on their jobless benefits for 2020 during the pandemic. And so far, the IRS has issued 8.7 million unemployment-related refunds totaling $10 billion.
Title contenders look to make moves before MLB trade deadline
World Series hopefuls will look to bolster their rosters before the MLB trade deadline comes to an end Friday at 4 p.m. ET. Contenders already making key additions include the Los Angeles Dodgers, who made a blockbuster deal late Thursday, adding Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals. The San Diego Padres have already traded for All-Star Adam Frazier and reliever Daniel Hudson. Moving to the American League, the Houston Astros added to their pitching staff by trading with the division rival Seattle Mariners to acquire pitcher Kendall Graveman. In the AL East, the New York Yankees added more power to their lineup by first trading for slugger Joey Gallo and then surprising many by adding Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs.
Track and field is finally ready to begin at the Tokyo Olympics, with the opening qualifying rounds getting underway Friday. At the 2016 Games in Rio, the U.S. led all countries with 32 track and field medals.
In swimming, two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, who won bronze in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke earlier this week, took home silver in the 200 breaststroke final, with teammate Annie Lazor getting bronze. In addition, Ryan Murphy claimed a silver in the men’s 200 backstroke.
Later, the U.S. women’s basketball and soccer teams will be back in action. Sue Bird and Co. will hoop it up against Japan in group play, and it will be a rematch of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final when the USWNT takes on the Netherlands in the Olympic quarterfinals.
KAWAGOE, Japan — A furious finish from Xander Schauffele put an American atop the leaderboard during the second round of the men’s golf stroke play tournament.
Schauffele carded a pair of eagles – one on the drivable green of the par-4 sixth hole, where his tee shot came within eight feet. Following his second eagle on No. 14, a manageable par 5, he finished par, birdie, birdie, birdie to shoot 63 (8-under-par) on the day and 11-under for the tournament, while overtaking Carlos Ortiz (10-under) of Mexico for first.
The performance from Schauffele followed a weather delay due to lightning in the area that stopped action for about 90 minutes. It was the second straight day storms forced an action stoppage; officials called another delay at 5:20 p.m. local time, minutes after Schauffele sunk his final birdie.
Fellow Americans Patrick Reed and Collin Morikawa sit eight shots back of their teammate, and Justin Thomas is at 1-under for the tournament with one hole remaining in the second round.
— Chris Bumbaca
TOKYO — U.S. divers Krysta Palmer and Hailey Hernandez competed in the women’s individual three-meter springboard preliminary on Friday and both advanced to the semifinal round.
Hernandez, 18, finished sixth with 309.55 points in the field of 27 divers. Her best dive of the preliminary was a forward three and a half somersaults tuck that she executed in the second round, which ranked fourth among competitors.
The Southlake, Texas native’s best international performance in the event came in 2019 when she placed first in the FINA Diving Grand Prix. At the FINA Diving World Cup in 2018, Hernandez finished in ninth place. A recent high school graduate, Hernandez begins her freshman year at the University of Texas in Austin in a few weeks.
Palmer, 29, took 15th place with 279.10 points. The first-time Olympian also competed in the women’s synchronized three-meter springboard with partner Alison Gibson, where she placed eighth in the field of eight. Palmer was the 2019 national champion in three-meter synchronized diving.
The semifinal is on Saturday, July 31 at 3 p.m. local time. The top 12 divers will qualify for the final, which is on Sunday, August 1 at 3 p.m. local time.
— Olivia Reiner
TOKYO — The controversy over the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow about 330 athletes from Russia to compete at these Games despite years of state-sponsored doping finally bubbled to the surface Friday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre after the men’s 200-meter backstroke, where the silver and bronze medalist called into question the Russian gold medalist’s victory.
“It is a huge mental drain on me … that I’m swimming in a race that’s probably not clean,” Ryan Murphy, one of the captains of the U.S. Olympic swimming team, told reporters in the mixed zone after winning the silver medal behind Russia’s Evgeny Rylov.
“It frustrates me, but I have to swim the field that’s next to me,” Murphy said. “I don’t have the bandwidth to train for the Olympics at a very high level and try to lobby the people who are making the decisions that they’re making the wrong decisions.”
The U.S. women’s water polo team rebounded from a rare Olympics loss to overwhelm ROC, 18-5, in preliminary play on Friday.
In the win, Maggie Steffens became the all-time leading scorer in Olympic women’s water polo. She now has 49 career goals.
Steffens and Stephanie Haralabidis led the U.S. with four goals apiece against ROC. Paige Hauschild had three goals and Makenzie Fischer added two. Four other players had a goal apiece.
After opening the Olympics with wins over Japan (25-4) and China (12-7), the U.S. lost to Hungary (10-9) on Wednesday. With Friday’s win over the Russian Olympic Committee, the U.S. finished group play 3-1 and will advance to the quarterfinals, which take place Tuesday.
TOKYO – After getting pushed by Nigeria in its Olympic opener, the U.S. women’s basketball team had a tough time putting away Japan on Friday in its second game of pool play. Though the final score ended up 86-69, this was essentially a 10-point game for the entire second half until a couple 3-pointers for the Americans finally broke it open with fewer than three minutes remaining.
Japan proved tough to defend with its ball movement and spacing, continually generating open looks from the perimeter. Early in the game, Japan made those shots in flurries and actually led 30-28 after the first quarter.
Ultimately, Japan couldn’t keep up that pace and finished 10-of-38 from the 3-point line.
Team USA led 49-40 at halftime but couldn’t extend its lead beyond that, largely due to 17 turnovers – which was also a problem in the Americans’ 81-72 win over Nigeria.
Unsurprisingly, the U.S. dominated in the post where Brittney Griner had 15 points (7-of-11 shooting) while A’Ja Wilson finished with 20 points (9-of-15) and 10 rebounds.
The U.S. concludes group play against France on Monday.
Biles posted two videos of her trying to do her uneven bars dismount Friday on her Instagram story, and it’s clear she is not her usual self. She is supposed to do a double twisting somersault and, in the first video, she gets through a half twist before suddenly dropping out of the air and landing flat on her back. In the second, she makes it 1½ times around.
In both videos, she is landing on mats placed over a pit filled with foam blocks. In competition, however, she would have to do her skills on a hard, unforgiving surface.
The videos on Biles’ account were removed within an hour of when they were posted.
— Nancy Armour
TOKYO — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Friday afternoon that swimmer Michael Andrew’s decision not to wear a mask in the mixed zone at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre is a “violation” of COVID-19 protocols and that it is reviewing the matter with USA Swimming and “will take action as needed.”
Andrew, the highest profile unvaccinated American Olympian, did not wear a mask in the mixed zone after finishing a disappointing fifth in the men’s 200-meter individual medley Friday morning. Every other U.S. swimmer has worn a mask everywhere journalists can see them at the swimming venue except for when they are in the water competing and for a moment after the medal ceremony when they are told to briefly take off their masks for an official photo.
USA TODAY Sports shared the news and a photo of Andrew on Twitter, and then received this comment from the USOPC:
“Not wearing a mask is a violation of the covid mitigation protocols put in place by both the USOPC and TOCOG (the Tokyo Olympic organizers) – protocols we have been adamant in following as a delegation. We are currently reviewing this matter with the National Governing Body and will take action as needed.”
— Christine Brennan
TOKYO — American Connor Fields, a medal favorite in BMX cycling, was awake and awaiting further medical evaluation after crashing during a semifinal heat Friday at the Olympics, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. BMX racing team.
There was no information on Fields’ injuries, said Angelina Palermo, the spokesperson.
Fields, 28, was taken off the course on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and transported to a hospital.
The crash took place on the first turn of the race. Fields was in second place when his front wheel appeared to catch the back wheel of the leader, France’s Romain Mahieu.
Fields tumbled to the ground and two other riders fell over him.
— Josh Peter
The American beach volleyball duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman completed an undefeated run through pool play with a three-set victory Friday over Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands to advance to the knockout stage.
Ross and Klineman dropped the first set, but rallied for a 20-22, 21-17, 15-5 victory. They’ll play next in the Round of 16, which begins this weekend.
TOKYO – For a second consecutive day, Tokyo organizers announced a record number of coronavirus cases.
Friday’s total of 27 cases includes three athletes and 15 contractors. On Thursday, organizers announced 24 new coronavirus cases, also with three athletes and 15 contractors in that total.
Since July 1, 220 positive cases have been reported by Olympic organizers. Half are of contractors who work for third parties hired by Tokyo’s organizing committee to work the Games. A total of 23 athletes have tested positive here this month, most recently with American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks announcing Thursday that he tested positive and will not be able to compete here.
The Olympic positives come as cases of coronavirus are surging in Japan. The country eclipsed 10,000 daily cases for the first time on Thursday, with a record 3,177 coming from Tokyo. The capitol city set a new record for a third consecutive day and eclipsed 3,000 cases for the first time, The Japan Times reported.
Olympic organizers have said they do not see a connection between cases from the Games and the increasing cases in Japan because participants are restricted to their accommodations and Games venues.
“We have been implementing robust counter measures on COVID-19 in that respect,” said Masa Takaya, spokesman for the organizing committee. “We are delivering the safest possible environment from most perspectives, from the perspective of participants and also from the perspective of the people in Japan.”
— Rachel Axon
TOKYO – Russian Evgeny Rylov set an Olympic record in 1:53.27 in the men’s 200-meter backstroke, beating American Ryan Murphy by .88 of a second.
The 24-year-old Russian has swept both the 100 and 200 back in Tokyo and has a silver in the 4×200 free relay.
Murphy was the defending Olympic champion in the 100 and 200. In the 100 back in Tokyo, Murphy won bronze, finishing behind Rylov and Russian teammate Kliment Kolesnikov.
King finished .97 of a second behind Schoenmaker. American Annie Lazor, King’s training mate in Indiana, won the bronze.
King won a bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke Monday, finishing behind Alaskan teammate Lydia Jacoby, who won gold. King swept both the 100 and 200 breast in Rio five years ago.
— Roxanna Scott
TOKYO — American Caeleb Dressel swam the fastest time in the men’s 100-meter butterfly semifinals Friday, setting an Olympic record in 49.71 seconds.
Kristof Milak of Hungary was second in qualifying for Saturday’s final, finishing in 50.31 seconds.
TOKYO — The U.S. men’s and women’s eight each finished fourth in their respective A finals, concluding an Olympic regatta in which the nation failed to reach the medal table.
It’s the first time that the U.S. failed to win an Olympic medal in rowing when the Americans have entered boats. The U.S. had no rowers entered in the Olympics in 1908 and 1980.
The women’s eight finished with a time of 6:02.78, roughly four seconds behind first-place Canada. New Zealand finished in second and China in third. The women’s placement breaks an Olympic gold medal streak — they had finished first in 2008, 2012 and 2016, a record tied with Romania.
The men’s eight crossed the finish line with a time of 5:26.75, about two seconds behind first-place New Zealand. Germany and Great Britain took silver and bronze, respectively.
— Olivia Reiner
A then 17-year-old Sydney McLaughlin stepped on the track in Rio de Janeiro as the youngest U.S. track and field athlete since 1976 to compete at the Olympics. The teenage phenom had enormous potential but little expectations. She finished fifth in her semifinal heat and failed to advance to the women’s 400-meter hurdles Olympic final.
What a difference four, plus an additional year, can make.
“It’s a crazy time, so much change. I think it’s really important and really cool to be a part of it. It’s kind of just this new wave and kind of this new generation,” McLaughlin said. “It’s kind of pushing the boundaries as much as possible.”
— Tyler Dragon
Videos of Suni Lee’s family reacting to the gymnast winning an Olympic gold medal in the all-around competition quickly went viral on Twitter, with fellow Olympians, celebrities and viewers at home cheering alongside Lee’s joyful family.
TOKYO — If nothing else, Tennys Sandgren is honest about the position he finds himself in as the last hope for American tennis to avoid being shut out from the medal stand at the these Olympics, something that hasn’t happened since 1920, when no Americans entered the tournament.
“To be fair, we probably shouldn’t even be playing,” Sandgren said, referring to himself and doubles partner Austin Krajicek, who only made the U.S. team because the highest-ranked American men decided that playing an ATP 250 event in Atlanta this week would be a better use of their time.
But regardless of how they made it here, Sandgren and Krajicek could very well leave with a bronze medal. They face New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus on Friday for third place.
Evidence is mounting about the dangers of the delta variant and how mask-wearing is essential to bring it under control, according to a government slideshow dated Thursday.
The presentation, compiled by a doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lays out what is known about the delta variant, which now accounts for the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States.
Earlier this week, the CDC recommended that people in COVID-19 hotspots resume mask-wearing in indoor public spaces.
The agency had been criticized for making the recommendation without adequately supporting its reasons for the policy shift. But the presentation, first made public by The Washington Post, appears to do just that.
CDC declined to comment late Thursday on the slideshow or its contents.
The presentation shows that those who are vaccinated are three times less likely to catch COVID-19 and 10-times less likely to die from it than those who are unvaccinated.
Once infected, though, vaccinated people are just as contagious as those without that protection — meaning they need to wear a mask and keep their distance to avoid passing on the virus.
“The data makes a pretty compelling justification for why we need to go back to mask wearing and other public health measures,” said Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. “I do think it’s because of the delta variant.”
The vaccines still work extremely well and are an essential part of eventually winning the battle against COVID-19, Chiu and other experts emphasized.
If more people had been vaccinated earlier this year, cases would not be rising now and a return to masking wouldn’t be necessary, said Dr. Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.
“We wouldn’t be in this pickle if we’d had 70% of the population vaccinated,” he said. “When you have more than half your population not (fully) vaccinated, you’re vulnerable.”
People who are vaccinated should wear a mask and socially distance, he and others said, largely to protect those who haven’t been vaccinated or who have a weakened immune system and so can’t get full protection from the vaccine.
Vaccines remain effective and preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19, though they worked better against the original strain and the alpha variant than they do against delta, data finds.
In one Israeli study, vaccinated people over 60 were shown to be 97% protected against the alpha variant, but only 85% protected against delta. “Ninety-seven percent is phenomenal, but 81%?” Topol said. “We’ve got a bigger challenge than ever before.”
The delta variant is known to be substantially more contagious than other variants – as contagious though deadlier than chicken pox, according to the CDC presentation. Among common infectious diseases, only measles is more contagious.
People may also be infectious for longer with the delta variant, 18 days instead of 13, the presentation says. This suggests official guidance on quarantining when sick may need to be changed, too, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
“None of it is good news,” he said by email. “Clearly (we) need more vaccinations, resumption of non-pharmacologic interventions ASAP even for vaccinated people, and probably boosters.”
The federal government has said there is not yet enough data to support booster shots, even for the elderly and immunocompromised, though Israel is now recommending them for those groups.
In a study posted online this week by Pfizer and its collaborator BioNTech, but not yet peer-reviewed, the companies found their vaccine to be effective for at least six months. Effectiveness topped 90% for that period, according to the study, which was largely conducted before the delta variant became widespread.
Data beyond six months isn’t yet available because the shots are so new.
Several researchers questioned why the information in the CDC’s presentation was not released two days earlier, when the agencymade its new mask recommendations.
In a Tuesday briefing, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky downplayed the possibility that a vaccinated person could pass on the virus, without giving the details about the viral load contained in the slideshow.
Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and former Baltimore health commissioner, said the slideshow suggests CDC is worried about the risks of delta to the vaccinated, but that’s not what Walensky focused on during her Tuesday briefing, Wen said.
“I don’t know what to make of it, honestly,” she said after seeing the slideshow. “Why wasn’t this level of data revealed to the American public two days ago?”
And, she wondered aloud, why countries like the United Kingdom and Israel are still generating so much more COVID-19 data than the U.S.
It would be simple, for instance, to ask people as they’re tested for COVID-19 whether they’d had their shots, she said — but the CDC doesn’t collect the data, so it’s not clear what percentage of transmissions are from the vaccinated.
Dr. Paul Offit, who directs the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said he’s very concerned about the current state of America’s pandemic.
Last summer, before there was a vaccine, there were about 80,000 new COVID-19 cases reported every day and nearly 500 deaths — almost exactly the same count as today although half the population is vaccinated and many other have immunity because they’ve already been infected.
Why haven’t things gotten better, Offit asked rhetorically. “The answer is we have enough people in the population that are susceptible – and we have a virus that is clearly more contagious.”
Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
TOKYO — American Connor Fields, a medal favorite in BMX cycling, was awake and awaiting further medical evaluation after crashing during a semifinal heat Friday at Olympics, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. BMX racing team.
There was no information on Fields’ injuries, said Angelina Palermo, the spokesperson.
Fields, 28, was taken off the course on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and transported to a hospital.
The crash took place on the first turn of the race. Fields was in second place when his front wheel appeared to catch the back wheel of the leader, France’s Romain Mahieu.
Fields tumbled to the ground and two other riders fell over him.
“It’s anybody at any time,’’ said U.S. racer Corben Sharrah, who was racing in the other semifinal heat. “I mean, nobody’s above a hard fall. I think that’s one thing we all learn as competitors and we all respect and understand about the sport.’’
Carlos Ramirez Yepes of Colombia said he was racing next to Fields at the time of the spill and described it as a “a great, hard slam.’’
“Every time you get on the gate, there’s a risk,’’ he said.
Netherlands’ Niek Kimmann, who won the gold, said it’s sad Fields did not have an opportunity to defend his Olympic gold from the Rio Games.
“I hope he’s OK,’’ Kimmann said. “I think he’s been a great ambassador of the sport.’’
Earlier in the day, during a women’s semifinal race, Australian star Saya Sakakibara was taken off the course on a stretcher after crashing. She was clipped from behind by American Alise Willoughby.
But later she told the media she was OK other than scratches.
“That’s just BMX, isn’t it?’’ Sakakibara said. “That’s the sport I’ve chosen unfortunately.’’
At Ariake Urban Sports Park, where the competition was held, former Australian racer Sam Willoughby could be seen in a wheelchair.
Willoughby, who won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, suffered a spinal-cord injury in 2016. He now coaches his wife, American Alise Willoughby, who got tangled up with Sakakibara in the crash during the semifinal heat.
Ramirez Yepes, the Colombia racer next to Fields when he crashed, said, “We know the risk.’’
TOKYO — Simone Biles is having the “twisties” on all four events, something she’s never experienced before, and it raises new doubts about whether she’ll be able to compete again at the Tokyo Olympics.
Biles posted two videos of her trying to do her uneven bars dismount Friday on her Instagram story, and it’s clear she is not her usual self. She is supposed to do a double twisting somersault and, in the first video, she gets through a half twist before suddenly dropping out of the air and landing flat on her back. In the second, she makes it 1½ times around.
In both videos, she is landing on mats placed over a pit filled with foam blocks. In competition, however, she would have to do her skills on a hard, unforgiving surface.
“I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface,” Biles wrote.
“Sometimes I can’t even fathom twisting,” she added. “I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist.”
The videos on Biles’ account were removed within an hour of when they were posted.
Biles pulled out of the team competition Tuesday after struggling to land a vault that is routine for her. She attempted an Amanar, which is one of the most difficult vaults women do, and dropped out of the air one twist short. Biles barely got it to her feet.
She said in the press conference afterward that she had developed the “twisties,” meaning her brain disconnected from her body movements and she lost her air awareness. She said in her Instagram story that they began happening after she arrived in Japan.
“It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind & body in sync” she wrote. “10/10 do not recommend.”
Biles, who also withdrew from Thursday’s all-around finals, has not yet said if she will compete in the event finals, which begin Sunday. She has qualified for all four, the first woman since 1992 to do so.
Biles has experienced the twisties before, including in the leadup to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won five medals, four of them gold. But when this happened before, they occurred on vault and floor exercise.
Now, however, she’s experiencing them on uneven bars and balance beam, as well.
“This time it’s literally on every event. which sucks … really bad,” Biles wrote.
Gymnasts from all levels have taken to social media since Tuesday to express support for Biles and share their own stories of the twisties. It’s not simply a matter of being unable to do a skill but, rather, can put a gymnast in physical danger.
One former gymnast, Jacoby Miles, said in an Instagram post that she only had the twisties once. She is now paralyzed after getting them mid-air and breaking her neck.
For Biles, the physical risk is even greater. She does the most difficult skills of any female gymnast – and more difficult than those of some men – and being even the slightest bit off could be catastrophic.
“Literally can not tell up from down. It’s the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body,” she said. “What’s even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air I also have NO idea how I’m going to land, or what I’m going to land on. head/hands/feet/back.”
When she’s had twisties in the past, Biles said it has taken “two or more weeks” for her to recover. To get over them, she’s had to go back to the basics and do skills on soft surfaces and into pits to regain her confidence and air awareness. She didn’t name the facility.
“(Which there is a place here in Japan that has been so sweet to open their doors for me to train since they have do have those resources) so shout to you,” she wrote, adding grey heart and wide eye emojis. “you know who you are!! I’ll give a formal thank you once the olympics is over.”
Track and field is finally ready to begin at the Tokyo Olympics, with the opening qualifying rounds getting underway Friday. At the 2016 Games in Rio, the U.S. led all countries with 32 track and field medals.
In swimming, two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, who won bronze in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke earlier this week, took home silver in the 200 breaststroke final, with teammate Annie Lazor getting bronze. In addition, Ryan Murphy claimed a silver in the men’s 200 backstroke.
Later, the U.S. women’s basketball and soccer teams will be back in action. Sue Bird and Co. will hoop it up against Japan in group play, and it will be a rematch of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final when the USWNT takes on the Netherlands in the Olympic quarterfinals.
TOKYO — American Connor Fields, a medal favorite in BMX cycling, was taken off the course on a stretcher Friday after crashing during a semifinal heat in men’s racing at the Tokyo Olympics.
He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital for treatment. There was no immediate update on his condition.
The crash took place on the first turn of the race. Fields was in second place when his front wheel appeared to catch the back wheel of the leader. Fields crashed to the ground and two other riders fell over him.
Fields, 28, also was the Olympic gold medalist in 2016 at the Rio Games and a contender to win gold again here.
He had qualified for the finals despite the scary crash.
— Josh Peter
The American beach volleyball duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman completed an undefeated run through pool play with a three-set victory Friday over Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands to advance to the knockout stage.
Ross and Klineman dropped the first set, but rallied for a 20-22, 21-17, 15-5 victory. They’ll play next in the Round of 16, which begins this weekend.
TOKYO – For a second consecutive day, Tokyo organizers announced a record number of coronavirus cases.
Friday’s total of 27 cases includes three athletes and 15 contractors. On Thursday, organizers announced 24 new coronavirus cases, also with three athletes and 15 contractors in that total.
Since July 1, 220 positive cases have been reported by Olympic organizers. Half are of contractors who work for third parties hired by Tokyo’s organizing committee to work the Games. A total of 23 athletes have tested positive here this month, most recently with American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks announcing Thursday that he tested positive and will not be able to compete here.
The Olympic positives come as cases of coronavirus are surging in Japan. The country eclipsed 10,000 daily cases for the first time on Thursday, with a record 3,177 coming from Tokyo. The capitol city set a new record for a third consecutive day and eclipsed 3,000 cases for the first time, The Japan Times reported.
Olympic organizers have said they do not see a connection between cases from the Games and the increasing cases in Japan because participants are restricted to their accommodations and Games venues.
“We have been implementing robust counter measures on COVID-19 in that respect,” said Masa Takaya, spokesman for the organizing committee. “We are delivering the safest possible environment from most perspectives, from the perspective of participants and also from the perspective of the people in Japan.”
— Rachel Axon
TOKYO – Russian Evgeny Rylov set an Olympic record in 1:53.27 in the men’s 200-meter backstroke, beating American Ryan Murphy by .88 of a second.
The 24-year-old Russian has swept both the 100 and 200 back in Tokyo and has a silver in the 4×200 free relay.
Murphy was the defending Olympic champion in the 100 and 200. In the 100 back in Tokyo, Murphy won bronze, finishing behind Rylov and Russian teammate Kliment Kolesnikov.
King finished .97 of a second behind Schoenmaker. American Annie Lazor, King’s training mate in Indiana, won the bronze.
King won a bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke Monday, finishing behind Alaskan teammate Lydia Jacoby, who won gold. King swept both the 100 and 200 breast in Rio five years ago.
— Roxanna Scott
TOKYO — American Caeleb Dressel swam the fastest time in the men’s 100-meter butterfly semifinals Friday, setting an Olympic record in 49.71 seconds.
Kristof Milak of Hungary was second in qualifying for Saturday’s final, finishing in 50.31 seconds.
TOKYO — The U.S. men’s and women’s eight each finished fourth in their respective A finals, concluding an Olympic regatta in which the nation failed to reach the medal table.
It’s the first time that the U.S. failed to win an Olympic medal in rowing when the Americans have entered boats. The U.S. had no rowers entered in the Olympics in 1908 and 1980.
The women’s eight finished with a time of 6:02.78, roughly four seconds behind first-place Canada. New Zealand finished in second and China in third. The women’s placement breaks an Olympic gold medal streak — they had finished first in 2008, 2012 and 2016, a record tied with Romania.
The men’s eight crossed the finish line with a time of 5:26.75, about two seconds behind first-place New Zealand. Germany and Great Britain took silver and bronze, respectively.
— Olivia Reiner
A then 17-year-old Sydney McLaughlin stepped on the track in Rio de Janeiro as the youngest U.S. track and field athlete since 1976 to compete at the Olympics. The teenage phenom had enormous potential but little expectations. She finished fifth in her semifinal heat and failed to advance to the women’s 400-meter hurdles Olympic final.
What a difference four, plus an additional year, can make.
“It’s a crazy time, so much change. I think it’s really important and really cool to be a part of it. It’s kind of just this new wave and kind of this new generation,” McLaughlin said. “It’s kind of pushing the boundaries as much as possible.”
— Tyler Dragon
Videos of Suni Lee’s family reacting to the gymnast winning an Olympic gold medal in the all-around competition quickly went viral on Twitter, with fellow Olympians, celebrities and viewers at home cheering alongside Lee’s joyful family.
TOKYO — If nothing else, Tennys Sandgren is honest about the position he finds himself in as the last hope for American tennis to avoid being shut out from the medal stand at the these Olympics, something that hasn’t happened since 1920, when no Americans entered the tournament.
“To be fair, we probably shouldn’t even be playing,” Sandgren said, referring to himself and doubles partner Austin Krajicek, who only made the U.S. team because the highest-ranked American men decided that playing an ATP 250 event in Atlanta this week would be a better use of their time.
But regardless of how they made it here, Sandgren and Krajicek could very well leave with a bronze medal. They face New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus on Friday for third place.
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Looking for a fun way to spruce up your home this summer? MacKenzie-Childs is here to help! The ceramic manufacturer and home goods retailer has its shelves stocked with everything from whimsical vases to useful measuring cups and comfortable chairs. For those that aren’t familiar with the cult-favorite brand, everything it sells looks fresh out of a storybook thanks to the colorful and bold checkered style. And, best of all, for a limited time, shoppers can snag serious deals during the MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale.
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From now through August 1, MacKenzie-Childs is offering up to 70% off thousands of items. But, like most sales, quantities are limited so you’ll want to shop fast for the best selection possible. Just keep in mind that whatever you buy from the Barn Sale is final—no returns will be accepted.
With that in mind, we’re here to help you scout out the very best items the sale has to offer. If you’re a fan of Hollywood Regency-inspired black and white circus stripes, you’ll swoon over the brand’s Marquee Love Seat, which is marked down from $3,995 to $2,995 for the Barn Sale. The shapely loveseat features contrasting lime green cording and comes with two matching square pillows.
If you’re someone who loves starting each day with a hot cup of tea (and who is looking to spend considerably less), be sure to take note of the brand’s Flower Market 3 Quart Tea Kettle, which is on sale from $168 to $99. The blue kettle is covered in colorful flowers and is topped off with acrylic, brass, and glass accents, making it that much more of a looker.
Of course, there’s so much more to choose from than just those two items. Keep reading to discover over a dozen of our favorite items from the sale.
Shop the best deals at the MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
