Axios

The mystery of how SARS-CoV-2 may cause brain fog or other neurological symptoms in some people is driving new global research.

Why it matters: Roughly 79 million Americans contracted COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic. While most survived, many are grappling with long-term symptoms, or long COVID, that affect the brain and other body systems.

For more than two weeks, Australia’s east coast has been inundated by a series of rainstorms so severe they’ve earned a foreboding moniker fit for today’s supercharged weather, “rain bombs.”

Threat level: So far, at least 22 people have perished in the floods, and tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes.