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Some people who experience cognitive issues after long covid continue to struggle with brain function for at least two years, a new study shows. Researchers in the United Kingdom found that people who reported having long-covid symptoms for at least 12 weeks after being infected with the coronavirus showed reduced performance in tests for, among other things, memory, reasoning and motor control, for up to two years after the infection. Their findings were published last week in the Lancet journal eClinicalMedicine. (Bever, 7/26)

Wastewater surveillance may be the most accurate way to track SARS-CoV-2 community prevalence and identify variants of concern amid increased home COVID-19 testing, decreased public health reporting, and fewer healthcare visits due to asymptomatic cases and the wide availability of vaccines and treatments, Stanford University researchers report today in JAMA Network Open. The team conducted a time series analysis of wastewater surveillance data from 268 counties in 22 US states from January to September 2022 and offer a strategy for communities to use SARS-CoV-2 wastewater metrics amid declining reliability of conventional surveillance methods. The study period took place during SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant predominance. (Van Beusekom, 7/26)

Health information from smartwatch wearers shows COVID-19 vaccination may lessen the severity of breakthrough infections. The study is published in PNAS Nexus. The study was conducted through the Corona-Datenspende-App, which was launched in Germany in April 2020 and by April of 2022 was being used by 190,000 people, 120,000 of whom were submitting daily data on resting heart rate, physical activity, and sleep duration. In addition to the automated metrics from the smartwatch, participants also completed voluntary surveys on COVID-19 test results and vaccination status. (Soucheray, 7/26)

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might have an offer to run a federal agency in 2025 — but not for the party he is running to gain the nomination from. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is struggling to gain steam in the GOP primary, mused on Wednesday in an interview with Clay Travis on OutKick that he generally aligns with Kennedy’s conservative views on Covid-19 policies and vaccines. Those views, DeSantis indicated, could make him a pick to lead a federal agency with medical jurisdiction. (Zhang, 7/26)

An administrative law judge has rejected allegations that the PGA Tour improperly fired a former reporter and producer who objected to required COVID-19 testing and mask-wearing. Teryn Gregson argued that the golf tour’s testing and mask requirements violated her religious beliefs and that she suffered “discrimination on the basis of religion” in the November 2021 firing, according to a document filed last month by her attorney. The tour required testing and masking for employees, such as Gregson, who declined to be vaccinated. (Saunders, 7/26)