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A small-scale new study has shown that men who are found to have low levels of testosterone might be at a higher risk of severe COVID19 disease. Many past studies have revealed that men are at a greater risk of being diagnosed with severe COVID19 disease as compared to women. However, it has been unclear why exactly it happens. Earlier, scientists have thought that high levels of testosterone might lead men to fare worse than women who are dealing with COVID19, but the findings of the new study have nullified this theory. Experts who have been involved in the new study have collected blood samples of 90 men and 62 women who have been dealing with symptoms of COVID19 and have visited Barnes -Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Eventually, all of them have tested positive for COVID19. Around 143 out of these patients have been hospitalized. Experts have collected the blood samples of patients who have been admitted to the hospital on the third, 7th, 14th, and 28th days. In these patients, they have observed the levels of testosterone, which is a type of estrogen that is known as estradiol. Estradiol is also a growth hormone that is known as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). In women, experts have found no association between the risk of severe COVID19 and the levels of any hormones that have been measured in the study. The levels of estrogen and IGF-1 have shown no link to the severity of the disease in men. However, the levels of testosterone have been linked to the risk of a severe form of COVID19 among men.

The authors of the new study have found that men who have been admitted to the hospital with severe COVID19 disease have been found to have an average testosterone level of 52 nanograms per deciliter. As per the experts, 250 nanograms per deciliter or less is defined as low testosterone among young adult men. The study has noted that people with mild or less severe COVID19 disease have been found to have testosterone levels of 151 nanograms per deciliter. The authors of the study have adjusted other risk factors for severe COVID19 such as age, body mass index (BMI), underlying health issues, smoking, and ethnicity. However, some of these risk factors are responsible for lower levels of testosterone, said the experts. On the third day of hospitalization, the average testosterone levels of men who have been dealing with severe disease have reduced to 19 nanograms per deciliter. Nearly 37 patients who have been hospitalized have lost their lives during the study and 25 of them have been men, said the experts. The study has pointed out that low levels of testosterone are linked to greater levels of inflammation as well in the body. The lead author of the study, Dr. Sandeep Dhindsa, who is an endocrinologist at Saint Louis University, has said that men who have not been severely ill with COVID19 but are identified with low levels of testosterone have been more likely to need intensive care or intubation over a couple of days. He has said that the low level of testosterone is an effective predictor of which patients are at a higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease or being severely ill in the next three or four days.

The team of experts has found that in men who have low levels of testosterone, certain genes that are stimulated trigger the body to use the hormone more easily. The study has not been able to find if the severe form of COVID19 causes low levels of testosterone or low levels of testosterone lead to severe COVID19 disease in the first place. The authors of the study have said that health care providers have not checked their levels of testosterone prior to COVID19 infection. They have claimed that it seems that the levels of testosterone in these patients have reduced prior to their admission to the hospital. The authors have said that it is possible that prior to their infection, these patients have been dealing with lower than average levels of testosterone that have resulted in reduced muscle mass and strength, which leads to lower lung capacity. Experts have said that lower lung capacity increases the risk of requiring a ventilator. The authors of the new study have advised that health care providers should be careful with hormone therapy treatments that can reduce the levels of testosterone and shoot up the levels of estrogen in men who have tested positive for COVID19. Experts have said that they are now going to look at the link between these hormones and cardiovascular issues in people who are diagnosed with long COVID after recovery. The findings of the new study have been published in the journal called JAMA Network Open.

After partnering with fast-food giant McDonald’s to encourage people to get vaccinated against the COVID-19, the White House has partnered with major dating apps to motivate more Americans to get inoculated. The Biden administration is teaming up with around nine largest dating websites to achieve the target of getting 70 per cent of the adult population at least one vaccine shot by July 4. Under the partnership, these popular dating apps will offer several incentives to customers who will get the vaccine shot. Some of the dating apps that are part of this partnership are Tinder, Hinge, Chispa, Badoo, and Bumble.

These dating apps will give people with proof of vaccination access to some premium features such as super likes, like boosts, and super swipes. Users on these platforms will be able to filter matches on the basis of vaccination status. Those who want can even book vaccination appointments through the apps. According to OkCupid, there are 14 per cent more chances of receiving matches if a person is vaccinated or planning to get vaccinated. The steps are being taken to spread awareness about the vaccination and getting more and more people inoculated. Earlier, the White House had set the goal of administering 100 million shots in the first 100 days of Joe Biden as president. The White House surpassed that goal.

However, the pace of coronavirus vaccination has fallen down by almost 50 per cent since then. According to the data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the peak of vaccination was in April. Data shows that around 48 per cent population of America has received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It shows that around 38 per cent or around 127 million people are fully vaccinated. Joining hands with popular dating apps is the latest in its efforts to remove hesitancy against vaccination. Apart from the popular fast-food giant, the White House has also partnered with NASCAR.

A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that many lives are lost around the world due to long working hours. They have said that it is happening in worsening tendency across the globe. The COVID19 pandemic might accelerate this trend even further, said the experts. The study has found that thousands of people have been dying due to long working hours each year across the world. Health experts have said that it is the first large-scale study that has been done on a global level, which has looked at the loss of life linked to long working hours. The study has found that around 745000 people have lost their lives in 2016 due to strokes and heart disease that are linked with long working hours. It is nearly a 30 percent increase in the rate of global death linked to long working hours as compared to the death toll in 2000.  The director of the Department of Environment Climate Change and Health of the WHO, Maria Neira ha said that working 55 hours or more than that per week is considered a severe health risk. She has said that with the findings of the new study, her team wants to spread awareness and promote more efforts to protect workers across the world.  The findings of the WHO study have been released in the journal Environment International.

The study has been done by the WHO in association with the International Labour Organization. Experts who have been involved in the study have said that most victims of long working hours have been men and they have been middle-aged or older. Around 72 percent of victims of long working hours have been men, said the experts. The deaths of the employees who have been working for late hours have happened much later in life. The study has found that people who are residing in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region that comprises China, Japan, and Australia are highly affected by this trend. The study has included data from 194 countries across the world. The authors of the study have said that working for 55 hours or more is linked to a 35 percent greater risk of stroke and a 17 percent increased risk of death due to ischemic heart disease as compared to 30 to 40 hours of working per week. The study has started in 2000 and has been concluded in 2016. Therefore, the study has not included the data from the COVID19 pandemic that has hit the world in 2019. The officials from the WHO have said that an increase in remote working and economic crisis inflicted by the COVID19 pandemic might have shot up the risks.

Health experts from the World Health Organization have said that the COVID19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of some factors that can feed this worsening trend in the direction of increased working hours. As per the report from the WHO, nearly nine percent of people work for long hours around the world. Many employees from the WHO itself including the chief of the organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have said that they have been working long hours during the COVID19 crisis. Dr. Maria Neira has said that considering the findings of the study, the UN agency should work towards improving its policy. Frank Pega, who is a technical officer in the World Health Organization, has said that authorities should consider capping working hours. It might be beneficial for workers, as it has been proven to be effective in increasing the productivity of employees. He has said that it would be a great decision to not increase working hours in times of economic crisis.

McDonald’s has found itself in the middle of a USD 10 billion lawsuit over racial discrimination. The fast-food giant has been hit with the lawsuit by two companies of Media Mogul Byron Allen. The companies accused McDonald’s of being involved in racial discrimination in its ad spending. Weather Group LLC and Entertainment Studios Networks Inc. have filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Both the companies are owned by Allen, who is Black. While Weather Group LLC owns The Weather Channel and Entertainment Studios Networks controls almost a dozen of television networks. The complaint alleged that McDonald’s violated federal and state law. It said that the fast-food giant intentionally discriminated against the company owned by Byron Allen.

The lawsuit said that McDonald’s refused to advertise on the platforms of both the companies ever since they were acquired by Allen in 2018. “This is when McDonald’s bought significant advertising on channels that are at the similar position but are owned by white people.” The lawsuit claimed that African Americans contribute to around 40 per cent of its sales. “Despite this, the company spends less than USD 5 million on television ad budget on Black-owned media.” Allen said that it is about the ‘inclusion of African American owned business in the economy of the United States.’

“McDonald’s taking billions from the African American consumers but giving almost nothing back. The fast-food is guilty of perpetuating disparity between White corporate American and Black America,” Allen said in a statement. The lawsuit was filed on the day the company announced that it would increase its national ad spending from 2 per cent to 5 per cent for Black-owned media by 2024. The company said that the ad spending will also be increased on Asian American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ-owned platforms. McDonald’s has not reacted to the lawsuit filed by the companies owned by Allen. The fast-food giant said that it will review the lawsuit and will then react accordingly.