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Young people who smoke or use electronic cigarettes are more than five times more likely to contract coronavirus, according to a study published Tuesday by the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study found that of young adults who were tested for coronavirus, those who reported smoking or using e-cigarettes were five to seven times more likely to be infected than nonsmokers. (Moreno, 8/11)

Are parents really supposed to be reassured by all this talk about "mild" cases of Covid-19 in children? What about the unfortunate "few" youngsters who have died or come down with a strange and severe associated illness? No parent wants to take the odds that their child might be the exception to the rule. (LaMotte, Hetter, Rogers and Prior, 8/12)

In early February, my partner and I discovered that I was pregnant. Looking back, that feels like one of the last big milestones of the Before Times — a wonderfully blissful and uncomplicated period. I'd skimmed a few headlines about a scary-sounding disease called Covid-19 but didn't worry too much about it. The virus seemed so far away on the other side of the globe. My biggest concern was adjusting to the idea of carrying a child. (Hawkins-Gaar, 8/12)

From March through the end of the school year, life for Rita Choula “was just maniacal.” Working at home in a demanding job alongside her husband, a 7-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, she was fueled by what needed to be done. But when school ended? “I crashed pretty hard.” Choula, who lives in Beltsville, Md., is the director of caregiving at the AARP Public Policy Institute. She typically works 50 to 60 hours a week, and that didn’t stop when her kids had to be schooled at home. (Joyce, 8/11)