Human Behavior

Why covid hospitalizations are plunging in Allegheny County – TribLIVE

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Allegheny Countys recent drop in covid-19 hospitalizations is likely the result of multiple factors, including public support for mitigation measures, officials said.

Allegheny County on Friday reported the largest drop this month in hospitalizations resulting from the virus. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health showed there were 190 covid-19 patients hospitalized in the county Friday, marking the lowest amount of hospitalizations in Allegheny County since early November.

Multiple factors likely contributed to this downward trend in hospitalizations, said Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMCs senior medical director and chairman of emergency medicine at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh.

Yealy said hes seen declining numbers in individuals seeking testing, individuals receiving positive test results and individuals requiring hospital care. These downward trends began in mid-December and are continuing, he said.

He cited recent governmental restrictions that closed indoor dining and gyms though Jan. 4 as factors that likely helped numbers begin to drop.

Individual actions including mask wearing and social distancing also played a key role, he said.

The biggest is the human behavior and the buy-in about how simple things can matter, Yealy said.

He said its too early to attribute the decrease to vaccination efforts, but they will soon come into play.

After watching case numbers rise drastically in the fall, Yealy said, many people began taking the virus more seriously and adhered more strictly to mask wearing and social distancing measures. Plus, now that the holiday season has passed, people may be less tempted to partake in large gatherings.

The news is good, but were not out of the woods yet, he said, urging people to continue abiding by mitigation efforts.

Masking, social distancing and hand washing are important factors in declining hospitalizations statewide, said Maggi Barton, deputy press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Following these proven public health practices, our mitigation orders, and most importantly, the resilience of our fellow Pennsylvanians to unite against covid-19, Pennsylvania is seeing encouraging data relating to less covid-19 spread within the community as we report lowered statewide positivity rates as well as lowered case counts, Barton said. With a lowered amount of Pennsylvanians contracting the virus, there has been a lowered impact on our hospitalizations for covid-19.

Individual efforts have combined with increased knowledge to drive hospitalizations down, Yealy said. Better understanding of the virus and how to treat it can help health care providers keep people out of the hospital or shorten their hospital stays.

Over the year of the pandemic, weve learned a lot about what works and what doesnt work, he said. So weve learned to test better, to test earlier, to use drugs and therapies that help and avoid the ones that dont really help. Much of the tools didnt exist a year ago now theyre available to us.

Another factor for the recent decline in covid-19 hospitalizations, Yealy said, is simply the nature of the virus.

We know that pandemics, separate from our behavior, they have a tendency for there to be ups and downs in viral activity. So some of it is the nature of viral pandemics, he said.

Its impossible to predict whether the downward trend will continue steadily or whether hospitalizations and case numbers may peak again, Yealy said. But hes optimistic that trends will largely continue downward.

I do think, in general, between our personal behavior and growing vaccination efforts, that the overall trend is that over months, the numbers will continue to go down, Yealy said.

Julia Felton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Julia at 724-226-7724, jfelton@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories:Allegheny | Local | Top Stories

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Human Behavior

Study: American values and activities have changed dramatically during COVID-19 – News-Medical.Net

American values, attitudes, and activities have changed dramatically during COVID-19, according to a new study of online behavior.

Researchers from UCLA and Harvard University analyzed how two types of internet activity changed in the U.S. for 10 weeks before and 10 weeks after March 13, 2020 -- the date then-President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency. One was Google searches; the other was the phrasing of more than a half-billion words and phrases posted on Twitter, blogs, and internet forums.

The study is the lead research article in a special issue of the journal Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies dedicated to the pandemic.

Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA distinguished professor of psychology and senior author of the research, said the study determined that the pandemic inspired a resurgence of community-oriented values, with people thinking more about supporting one another. The use of the word "help" on Twitter increased by 37% in the period after March 13, while the use of the word "share" increased by 24%.

The research also found that the use of the word "sacrifice" more than doubled on Twitter from before the pandemic to the period after March 13.

"'Sacrifice' was a complete nonstarter in U.S. culture before COVID," Greenfield said.

The change, the authors wrote, signified that Americans were placing more value on the welfare of others -- even if it meant putting their own lives at risk. One example was people's willingness to participate in the large Black Lives Matter demonstrations, even in the midst of a pandemic, said Noah Evers, a Harvard undergraduate psychology major and the study's lead author.

At the same time, there was strong evidence of the nation's collective mindset returning to a more rural form of society. The use of words referring to basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter increased significantly across Google searches, Twitter, internet forums, and blogs.

For instance, Google searches increased by 344% for "grow vegetables" and by 207% for "sewing machine," while Twitter mentions of "Home Depot" increased by 266%.

Drawing conclusions about shifting psychology from search engine and social media activity might seem to be a stretch, but Greenfield said there are good reasons to put stock in the findings. For one thing, Greenfield said, "language provides a window into people's concerns, values, and behavior." In addition, the same types of shifts were evident in both types of internet activity the authors studied.

Internet activity also revealed a dramatic increase in people's concerns about mortality. After March 13, when the death toll began increasing dramatically, search activity for the word "survive" increased by 47%, for "cemeteries" by 41%, for "bury" by 23%, and for "death" by 21%.

And during the 10 weeks after Trump's emergency declaration, there were 115% more mentions on Twitter of the phrase "fear of death" than in the 10 weeks before.

"Death went from something taboo to something real and inevitable," Evers said, adding that he frequently discussed plans for death with his family for the first time during that period.

Of all the words the authors analyzed, the one whose usage increased the most during the pandemic was "sourdough," as baking bread became a trendy pastime while people were instructed to stay at home.

Google searches for "sourdough" increased by 384% after the pandemic began, and Twitter mentions shot up by 460%. "Baking bread" surged as well: Google searches for the phrase increased by 265%, and Twitter mentions rose 354%.

Given that bread is considered the most basic food, the fact that increases in 'sourdough' and 'baking bread' were so large across Google searches and social media suggests that the survival motive is an important factor in shifting values and activities during the pandemic."

Patricia Greenfield, Study Senior Author and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California - Los Angeles

Greenfield said the psychological and behavioral changes remind her of social interactions she observed in an isolated Mayan village in Chiapas, Mexico, that she has studied since 1969. When she began her work there, life expectancy was very low, approximately 35% of children died before age 4 and basic resources like food were scarce.

"Death was very much a part of life," she said. "People would go to the cemetery every week to put food and drink on family graves and would look after one another," she said. "With a greater focus on mortality and helping others, we're moving in that direction.

"It's remarkable how quickly these changes have occurred in the United States during the pandemic. As mortality rose during the pandemic and people lost their jobs, the lifestyles of 21st century America began, in many fundamental ways, to increasingly resemble those of that Maya village."

How lasting will the changes be? Greenfield expects the behavioral trends will likely reverse as the threat from COVID-19 recedes and Americans feel more prosperous and safer. However, based on the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, she predicts the changes will be more enduring for American teenagers and people in their 20s, whose values are more likely to be shaped by the pandemic.

Said Evers: "Perhaps this means that today's youth will, in the future, create a country more attuned to sharing and helping others, or just that baking sourdough bread will always have a special place in our hearts."

Source:

Journal reference:

Evers, N. F. G., et al. (2021) COVID-19 shifts mortality salience, activities, and values in the United States: Big data analysis of online adaptation. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.251.

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Study: American values and activities have changed dramatically during COVID-19 - News-Medical.Net

Human Behavior

OPINION: More Will Die From Covid Without Meaningful Change to Health Care – southseattleemerald.com

by Asqual Getaneh, MD

In February 2020, International Community Health Services (ICHS) was the first of the nations nearly 1,400 federally qualified health centers serving 30 million people, most of them low-income immigrants and refugees with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

Our staff have seen the tragic costs of a pandemic that has infected more than 100 million people worldwide and claimed more than 2 million deaths. So, when the first doses of the Moderna vaccine rolled through our doors on Dec. 23, we felt ready.

On Jan. 14, the Biden administration unveiled the details of a $1.9 trillion rescue package that includes funding for expanded testing; a national vaccination program in partnership with states, localities, tribes, and territories; and 100,000 public health workers to carry out vaccine outreach and contact tracing.

This boost from the federal government and commitment to community partnerships is a step in the right direction to beat this current pandemic, but its still just a band aid.

If we are to ensure that our children and grandchildren are prepared to withstand the pandemics of the future, we need public health funding to be the norm, not just in the middle of a global crisis. There are glaring, long-standing problems that were highlighted with the COVID-19 pandemic that we can finally learn from and address.

Three major national vulnerabilities in particular aided and abetted the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S. in 2020. Unless addressed, these vulnerabilities will obstruct our ability to effectively deliver the vaccine, as well as our response to future pandemics.

1. Limited authority of public health policymakers

Trust in public health experts is critical to controlling pandemics because human behavior either helps spread or stop them. Public health policies tell the people in our communities what they need to know and what they need to do. People need to trust these policies are guided solely by the available knowledge and evidence, not politics. The politicization of the pandemic response in the U.S. eroded effective preventive messaging and stoked public skepticism of public health guidance. In New Zealand and Iceland, where public health officials were empowered to direct the pandemic response, cases and deaths were virtually nil.

2. Underfunded and uncoordinated public health infrastructure

Effective public health measures lead to healthy people who are less susceptible to severe cases of infection during a pandemic. And yet, weve seen funding cuts to public health at all levels. The Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund was whittled from $15 billion to less than $3 billion over 10 years. Here in Washington State, our public health budget declined from $65 to $53 per capita between 1998 and 2014. The proposed Washington State budget for 2021 reduces public health spending by $4.6 million. The COVID-19-related economic downturn has created additional public health budgetary constraints. When the next pandemic hits, a lack of public health funding leaves us all at risk and positioned to fall short of the staff and tools needed for the mass deployment of the vaccine.

3. Inadequate and maldistributed primary health care networks

In addition to a well-funded and empowered public health infrastructure, strengthening primary care is key to responding early and effectively to a pandemic. Less than 8% of U.S. health care spending goes toward primary care services. Only 75% of the U.S. population has a primary care provider. Community health centers alone provide care to 29 million people in both rural and urban centers across the United States. Primary care centers are key partners in identifying outbreaks, screening and testing, and vaccinating the population, in addition to managing chronic illnesses that could mitigate risk of severe infection. Yet, primary care remains underfunded. Reimbursement for primary care services lags behind hospital and procedure-based services.

When a pandemic occurs, our greatest asset is a rapidly deployable public health and primary care workforce. We have the means to quickly develop diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines. But they are as helpful as an unarmed weapons system without a functional network of primary care infrastructure to collaborate with public health to screen, quarantine, and vaccinate those most at risk.

Its time for a meaningful shift to investments in universal health care and for our lawmakers to fully fund and strengthen our public health infrastructure. Without it, we are left with the continued threat of losing a million or more lives from an entirely preventable infection.

International Community Health Services (ICHS) is a nonprofit community health center providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health services to improve the wellness of King Countys diverse people and communities. Since its founding in 1973, ICHS has grown from a single storefront clinic in Seattles Chinatown-International District with deep roots in the Asian Pacific Islander community, to a regional health care provider employing more than 600 people and serving over 32,000 patients at 11 clinic locations. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.ichs.com.

Featured image courtesy of ICHS

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OPINION: More Will Die From Covid Without Meaningful Change to Health Care - southseattleemerald.com

Human Behavior

Dogs May Look Like They’re Aging Faster Than Cats, but That’s Not Actually the Case! – POPSUGAR

Dogs are man's best friend. More so than cats, they aim to please, they mimic human behavior and they love to hang out with their owners. They're so similar to their pet parents that they even age similarly to humans, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

"Dogs experience the same biological hallmarks of aging as humans, but do so in a compressed period, around 10 to 15 years on average, versus over 70 years in humans," said Elaine Ostrander, National Institutes of Health distinguished investigator and co-author of the paper, in a release.

So what does aging in dogs and cats look like? And do dogs age faster than their feline counterparts? We asked veterinarians for answers.

Dogs show a variety of signs of aging both physically and mentally. Some of the hallmarks of aging include a graying muzzle, slowing down, increased barking, and cloudy eyes, which could be a sign of nuclear sclerosis (an age-related condition affecting the lens that is fairly insignificant), or a more serious sign of cataract formation, which can affect their ability to see.

Stiffness is also a significant sign of aging in dogs, says Jennifer Freeman, DVM, PetSmart's resident veterinarian and pet care expert. "As your pup starts to grow older, you may see that they appear to be a bit more stiff and may have difficulty getting around, which can be due to pain that they may be experiencing in their joints," she said. "If you notice your dog exhibiting this behavior, it's best to check in with your veterinarian to identify any degenerative diseases or other underlying causes."

Weight fluctuation is also a sign to watch for, she said. As dogs age, "it is more common to see weight gain, given they may be less active but may be consuming the same amount of food." However, she warned that pet parents should aim to manage their pet's weight, as excess weight can exacerbate signs of arthritis. Weight loss, on the other hand, should be addressed with your veterinarian in order to determine what may be the underlying cause since conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, and cancer can occur in our aging pets.

It's important to note that signs of aging can look different in dogs of different sizes, says Michelle Lugones, DVM, a veterinarian at Best Friends Animal Society. Research suggests that larger dogs may age faster or age earlier than small breeds, she says, so they may show signs of age faster.

"In general, small breeds tend to live longer than large breeds. For example, a Chihuahua may live well into their teens, while a Great Dane may live until just seven years old," Dr. Lugones says. "Growth hormone levels and metabolism may play a role as well."

Dogs do exhibit more signs of aging, so it's more obvious to the human eye. But cats can also show subtle signs of aging, says Dr. Freeman. When cats age, you may see weight fluctuation, similar to what you see in dogs, as well as stiffness they may have a harder time jumping onto higher surfaces or getting in and out of the litter box, for instance.

Cats also may experience changes in their temperament. "You may come to find that your cat can become a bit more easily agitated as they age," Dr. Freeman says. "Because cats can become more agitated or become more aloof if they're ill or experiencing pain, it's important to visit your veterinarian to rule out any underlying conditions."

Additionally, Dr. Lugones says, there's less variation in the size of most domestic cats, which means there's less of an age range at each feline life stage. "Comparing how fast dogs and cats age isn't straightforward because there are multiple factors at play," she says. "But it appears that overall, small breed dogs and cats may age more similarly compared to large breed dogs."

It mostly just appears that dogs age faster because they exhibit more obvious signs of aging compared to cats. Plus larger breeds of dogs simply don't live as long as cats, or even their smaller dog breed counterparts. "Lifespan and aging are all related to the animal's genetic makeup," says Dr. Freeman. "But lifestyle factors such as proper nutrition, weight management, exercise, and early detection/proper treatment of diseases can help to affect Mother Nature's lifespan calendar for the better."

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Dogs May Look Like They're Aging Faster Than Cats, but That's Not Actually the Case! - POPSUGAR

Human Behavior

Hundreds of Fish Species, Including Many That Humans Eat, are Consuming Plastic – TheInertia.com

386 marine fish species are known to have ingested plastic debris, including 210 species that are commercially important. Photo: Unsplash

Trillions of barely visible pieces of plastic are floating in the worlds oceans, from surface waters to the deep seas. These particles, known as microplastics, typically form when larger plastic objects such as shopping bags and food containers break down.

Researchers are concerned about microplastics because they are minuscule, widely distributed and easy for wildlife to consume, accidentally or intentionally. We study marine science and animal behaviorand wanted to understand the scale of this problem. In a newly published study that we conducted with ecologist Elliott Hazen, we examined how marine fish including species consumed by humans are ingesting synthetic particles of all sizes.

In the broadest review on this topic that has been carried out to date, we found that, so far, 386 marine fish species are known to have ingested plastic debris, including 210 species that are commercially important. But findings of fish consuming plastic are on the rise. We speculate that this could be happening both because detection methods for microplastics are improving and because ocean plastic pollution continues to increase.

Its not news that wild creatures ingest plastic. The first scientific observation of this problem came from the stomach of a seabird in 1969. Three years later, scientists reported that fish off the coast of southern New England were consuming tiny plastic particles.

Since then, well over 100 scientific papers have described plastic ingestion in numerous species of fish. But each study has only contributed a small piece of a very important puzzle. To see the problem more clearly, we had to put those pieces together.

We did this by creating the largest existing database on plastic ingestion by marine fish, drawing on every scientific study of the problem published from 1972 to 2019. We collected a range of information from each study, including what fish species it examined, the number of fish that had eaten plastic and when those fish were caught. Because some regions of the ocean have more plastic pollution than others, we also examined where the fish were found.

For each species in our database, we identified its diet, habitat and feeding behaviors for example, whether it preyed on other fish or grazed on algae. By analyzing this data as a whole, we wanted to understand not only how many fish were eating plastic, but also what factors might cause them to do so. The trends that we found were surprising and concerning.

Leopard sharks swim past plastic debris in shallow water off southern California. Photo: Ralph Pace, CC BY-ND

Our research revealed that marine fish are ingesting plastic around the globe. According to the 129 scientific papers in our database, researchers have studied this problem in 555 fish species worldwide. We were alarmed to find that more than two-thirds of those species had ingested plastic.

One important caveat is that not all of these studies looked for microplastics. This is likely because finding microplastics requires specialized equipment, like microscopes, or use of more complex techniques. But when researchers did look for microplastics, they found five times more plastic per individual fish than when they only looked for larger pieces. Studies that were able to detect this previously invisible threat revealed that plastic ingestion was higher than we had originally anticipated.

Our review of four decades of research indicates that fish consumption of plastic is increasing. Just since an international assessment conducted for the United Nations in 2016, the number of marine fish species found with plastic has quadrupled.

Similarly, in the last decade alone, the proportion of fish consuming plastic has doubled across all species. Studies published from 2010-2013 found that an average of 15 percent of the fish sampled contained plastic; in studies published from 2017-2019, that share rose to 33 percent.

We think there are two reasons for this trend. First, scientific techniques for detecting microplastics have improved substantially in the past five years. Many of the earlier studies we examined may not have found microplastics because researchers couldnt see them.

Second, it is also likely that fish are actually consuming more plastic over time as ocean plastic pollution increases globally. If this is true, we expect the situation to worsen. Multiple studies that have sought to quantify plastic waste project that the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean will continue to increase over the next several decades.

While our findings may make it seem as though fish in the ocean are stuffed to the gills with plastic, the situation is more complex. In our review, almost one-third of the species studied were not found to have consumed plastic. And even in studies that did report plastic ingestion, researchers did not find plastic in every individual fish. Across studies and species, about one in four fish contained plastics a fraction that seems to be growing with time. Fish that did consume plastic typically had only one or two pieces in their stomachs.

In our view, this indicates that plastic ingestion by fish may be widespread, but it does not seem to be universal. Nor does it appear random. On the contrary, we were able to predict which species were more likely to eat plastic based on their environment, habitat and feeding behavior.

For example, fishes such as sharks, grouper, and tuna that hunt other fishes or marine organisms as food were more likely to ingest plastic. Consequently, species higher on the food chain were at greater risk.

We were not surprised that the amount of plastic that fish consumed also seemed to depend on how much plastic was in their environment. Species that live in ocean regions known to have a lot of plastic pollution, such as the Mediterranean Sea and the coasts of East Asia, were found with more plastic in their stomachs.

This is not just a wildlife conservation issue. Researchers dont know very much about the effects of ingesting plastic on fish or humans. However, there is evidence that that microplastics and even smaller particles called nanoplastics can move from a fishs stomach to its muscle tissue, which is the part that humans typically eat. Our findings highlight the need for studies analyzing how frequently plastics transfer from fish to humans and their potential effects on the human body.

Our review is a step toward understanding the global problem of ocean plastic pollution. Of more than 20,000 marine fish species, only roughly two percent have been tested for plastic consumption. And many reaches of the ocean remain to be examined. Nonetheless, whats now clear to us is that out of sight, out of mind is not an effective response to ocean pollution especially when it may end up on our plates.

This article was written by multiple authors: Alexandra McInturf, PhD Candidate in Animal Behavior, University of California, Davis and Matthew Savoca, Postdoctoral researcher, Stanford University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Hundreds of Fish Species, Including Many That Humans Eat, are Consuming Plastic - TheInertia.com

Human Behavior

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: America, what gives? | Letters To Editor – YourGV.com

Views expressed in letters to the editor do not represent opinions of The Gazette-Virginian or staff members.

America, as long as people remain indifferent to events occurring here in these United States, nothing will change for the better. Moments of crises such as these present a rare opportunity for making fundamental changes in human behavior. You have a duty to contribute to the betterment of this country, the world.

America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. (Abraham Lincoln)

The insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 in our nations capitol, Washington D.C., revealed just how disconnected you are from reality. It was disheartening to watch your lack of empathy.

America, your chasing of that conjured lost cause, a self-imposed fear of losing your fabricated racial superiority in society, has blurred your moral conscience. You are so hell-bent on keeping a culture built on the back of others. It is impossible to build ones own happiness on the unhappiness of others. Yet, you keep trying, again.

Society, in general, often focuses on things like money, social status and fame, thereby, losing sight of the treasures of the heart. The only way to lead a truly happy life is to accumulate the treasures of the heart. America, you should be leading the way of overcoming racial differences, closing the gap of privilege, and most importantly America, you should be at the forefront of dismantling inequality and injustice in this land we share by showing compassion, courage and wisdom.

America, it is time for you to look yourself in the mirror. You are spiritually bankrupt. Your life force is waning like a dying rose. Your fight is not with others but with yourself. You must recognize your role; youre participating in the perpetuation of your own sufferings.

America, now is the time to look inside yourself and reflect on your behavior and your consumption patterns and to correct your failure to learn from nature. Changing your behavior is something you can and must do. Change starts from the individual, from the heart.

America, you need to awaken to the fact that we are all connected. People are interconnected and interdependent. Ubuntu, an African concept, is the conviction that you are only human in relation to other human beings. That, it is your essence to have a sense of empathy.

This precious life we all possess needs to be treasured; treasure well-being, treasure our human relationships and treasure Mother Earth. You cannot be happy when other people around you are suffering.

These current crises have shown that inequality is dangerous, its life-threatening to both rich and poor, to all races and ethnic groups and to you and me.

I believe that peace starts inside you. If you are not at peace, you cannot be a peacemaker. If you are not at peace, you cannot have peace in your home, your community or your country. Peace is not absence of war; it is a state of harmony. (Dr. Mamphela Ramphele)

Cottage City,Maryland

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: America, what gives? | Letters To Editor - YourGV.com

Anatomy

Greys Anatomy: 10 Characters Who Deserved To Be On The Show Longer – Screen Rant

Many doctors and patients have gone through the hospital doors on Grey's Anatomy, including some characters who should have had more time to develop.

When a show has been on-air for close to two decades, its understandable why Greys Anatomy fans bring up characters who had more to offer than theywere able to in their time on the series.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: The Best & Worst Things To Happen To The Main Characters

While Merediths role has played out well, along with close friends whose arcs were closed like Cristina and Alex over an extended run, other characters had untapped potential that needed more time to develop. They either had connections to Meredith,were alead character themselves, or were interesting in their own right to have a valid cause to be on the show longer.

Erica was by no means the most likable character on the show, but she wassomeone who helped Callie accept her sexuality. She was also on the brink of becoming a more empathetic person, yet this went nowhere.

Erica deserved to havethe story of accepting her own sexuality told, especially since she went about itdifferently than Callie did. Erica's exit was so sudden and unwarranted, with no resolution ever provided.

The issue with Burke was that he couldnt tackle the biggest flaw in his chaotic relationship with Cristina. Still, this was something that made him compelling, as Burke was a complex character who didnt quite find the right balance between being a doctor and a romantic partner.

He shouldve been on the show longer for his full journey to be shown, as his appearance in Season 10 basically fast-forwarded all his development to show him as a successful doctor, husband, and father. All this wouldve been better seen onscreen rather than presented in a one-off appearance.

Introduced as a spunky, mischievous woman with a penchant for memorable quotes, Sadie didnt get to show her full potential as she was written out. Many great promisingstorylines could have been explored if she had stuck around.

Sadie had a growing friendship with Lexie that got her involved with her and Marks relationship. She had a flirtation with Callie that seemed to be developing, and her friendship with Meredith had brought out the latters fun side.

For some time, Richards redeeming quality on Greys Anatomyhad to do with his attempt to reconcile with Adele. She was akind woman who forgave his indiscretions and only wanted the same effort in their marriagethat she had put in.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Most Shameless Things Addison Did (& Should Be Proud Of)

Greys Anatomy never fully dove into Adele as a main character despite the actress receiving an Emmy for the role. Adele had a genuine arc of receiving the love she deserved, which would have been better played out in an extended run rather than have her show up every once in a while before she was killed off.

Addison was at the center of the shows main storyline in Season 2 before she made the life decision to move, leading to Private Practice. However, her time on Greys Anatomy was painfully short, as she was only portrayednegatively during the series and didn't get the same redemption arc that a character like Mark did.

Her final appearance was also a one-off guest spot that didnt resolve her Greys Anatomy storylines, meaning viewers who havent checked out Private Practice will continue to consider her as an underutilized character. Addison should have stayed longer to fully close out her role on the main series.

Always willing to help and someone people could relate to, Joe was the perfect person to have as a guest for the holidays. He wasnt just presented as a background character, as he was involved in storylines like Richards drinking problem and his own on-off relationship with Walter.

Its too bad that the show decided to cut his role out entirely, with Joes genuine links to characters like Meredith, Cristina, and Richard phased out. Had he been kept on longer, Joe could have developed into a faithful friend and an eventual father and husband as the series had teased for him.

Although she was kind and compassionate, Greys Anatomy didnt highlight these attributes of Stephanie, instead focusing on the times she got cheated on or lost her lover. There was a genuinely competent doctor and person in this character that needed more time to develop.

This wasnt the case, though, as Stephanie left rather tamely without much significance. Whats worse is that she even had recycled plots like her deceased love interest, an arc that was earlier given to Teddy. A few more seasons on the show would have allowed Stephanie to engage in more storylines that carved out her characterization onscreen.

A casualty of Greys Anatomys liking to kill off characters out of nowhere, Heather never got the chance to show who she was. Fans wanted more of herbecause she was a likable person, having a habit of making jokes and carrying a jovial attitude.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Funniest Miranda Bailey Quotes

Her arc seemed to hint toward Heather becoming a mature person who started taking things seriously, but that will always remain speculation since she was killed in the Season 10 premiere with not much to show for her time onscreen other than what could have been.

Finn could have become a main character in the series had the show decided to go that route. His backstory was firmly established, being a widower who wanted to find love again and as a compassionate man who nevertheless had a competitive streak.

His romance with Meredith was cut short after she chose Derek over him, but Finn had done enough to warrant further appearances since hed been able to capture fans interest. He didnt deserve the final shot of walking away to an uncertain future.

Many fans still havent gotten over the loss of George, with Greys Anatomy making up for it by bringing him back for a guest appearance in Season 17. The issue isnt so much with the way he was written out rather than his time on the show, as George was left doing nothing in Season 5.

He deserved to have a storyline of his own at this time because he was starting out as a resident and had shown talent in trauma surgery. The next season could have portrayed Georges attempts to find the right fit for his medical career or even depict his time with the army, which would have warranted him a longer role in the series.

NEXT:Grey's Anatomy: 5 Ways Cristina And Burke Made Sense (& 5 They Did Not)

Next The Vampire Diaries: The Male Characters, Ranked By Their Romantic Partner Potential

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He's been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.http://3statesapart.com

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Greys Anatomy: 10 Characters Who Deserved To Be On The Show Longer - Screen Rant

Anatomy

What T.R. Knight Has Done Since Grey’s Anatomy | Screen Rant – Screen Rant

T.R. Knight played surgical resident George OMalley on Greys Anatomy for five seasons, but what has he been up to since leaving the show?

T.R. Knight is best known for his role on Greys Anatomy, but what has the actor been up to since leaving the Shonda Rimes medical drama? Knight was one of the original Greys Anatomy cast members and made his debut as George OMalley in the shows first-ever episode back in 2005. What Knight assumed would be a one-season stint eventually turned into a five-season run, during which he received positive reviews and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance as George.

Over the course of his five seasons on Greys Anatomy, T.R. Knight saw his character evolve from a nervous medical intern into a competent, talented doctor who enjoyed multiple relationships with his fellow residents, including Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez). Knight left the show after the fifth season of Greys Anatomy when George died after being hit by a bus in the season finale.

Related: Grey's Anatomy: Why T.R. Knight's George O'Malley Was Killed Off In Season 6

T.R. Knight has enjoyed a steady stream of work since departing Greys Anatomy. Immediately after the show he returned to his roots as a stage actor, starring in a production of the musical Parade at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2009 before appearing opposite Patrick Stewart in a Broadway production ofA Life In The Theatre the following year. Knight followed up with a dual role as twin brothers in a season 13 episode of Law & Order: SVU and later joined the cast of The Good Wife in a recurring season 4 role as campaign manager Jordan Karahalios.

Hes had roles in films like 42, A Year And Change and Hello Again but TV work has been Knights bread and butter. He played Johnny Clayton in the Stephen King-based miniseries 11.22.63 and reunited with Rimes on comedy-drama The Catch playing Tommy Vaughan. Hes taken on quite a few biographical roles as well, playing LGBT activist Chad Griffin in the docudrama miniseries When We Rise and FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover and French poet-painter Max Jacob in different seasons of Genius. In 2019, he turned his hand to voice acting with a role on Hulu animated series The Bravest Knight as Sir Cedric.

More recently, T.R. Knight played Donald Trumps former chief of staff Reince Priebus in political drama miniseries The Comey Rule and appeared in an episode of Will & Graces eleventh and final season as a writer from the New York Gayzette who interviews Jack (Sean Hayes). Knight made a brief return to Greys Anatomy in its most recent season, reprising the role of George in one of Meredith Greys COVID-19-induced fever dreams. Currently, T.R. Knight is starring in the HBO Max comedy-drama series The Flight Attendant as Davey Bowden, the brother of main character Cassie Bowden (Kaley Cuoco). Considering HBO recently renewed the show for a second season, its likely well be seeing more of Knight in The Flight Attendant in the not-too-distant future.

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Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Jesse Williams on Jackson and Jo’s Romance and Why He Wants a Japril Reunion (Exclusive) – Entertainment Tonight

'Grey's Anatomy': Jesse Williams on Jackson and Jo's Romance and Why He Wants a Japril Reunion (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight arrow-left-mobilearrow leftarrow-right-mobilearrow rightGroup 7Gallery Icon Copy 2Video Play Button Copy 5Hamburger MenuInstagramYoutubeShare Button7C858890-6955-48EA-B871-66CE1E33590CVideo-Playbutton Copy Skip to main content

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'Grey's Anatomy': Jesse Williams on Jackson and Jo's Romance and Why He Wants a Japril Reunion (Exclusive) - Entertainment Tonight

Anatomy

Jesse Williams Is Down for Japril Reunion on Greys Anatomy With Sarah Drew: They Are Incredible Together – Us Weekly

Wishful thinking! Greys Anatomy star Jesse Williams revealed hes rooting for his character, Jackson Avery, to reunite with April Kepner (Sarah Drew) on the medical drama.

They are incredible together, the Little Fires Everywhere actor, 39, told Entertainment Tonight on Friday, February 19. I am a fan [of Sarahs] and she is absolutely one of the most special people Ive worked with. We developed those storylines together with our incredible writers, so itll always hold a very real place in my heart and memories. We stay in contact. She is the sweetest.

Jackson and April were married on the long-running series before Drew, 40, was written off in 2018 after nine seasons. Following her exit, Williams character forged a friends-with-benefits dynamic with Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) after Jos husband, Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), left to make things work with his ex-wife, Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl).

Though he would love Japril to come together again, Williams told added that its been a lot of fun working closely with Luddington. He also explained that what makes the story line effective is that it could go badly at any moment because of the type of arrangement that they have.

They are both a bit of a mess. They have both had failure [with] their romantic lives and rejection, I think, and insecurity comes with that. Thats real, he explained. Everyone isnt this gallant, overconfident person no matter what you think about how they look or their success. Were all insecure, so thats an interesting thing to play.

While a reunion between Jackson and April is up in the air, Williams and Drew have remained close nonetheless.

Thats my buddy, he told Us Weekly and other reporters in November 2018. We absolutely talk and see each other regularly, happily, easily. Shes a tremendous, tremendous actress Shes a tremendous, tremendous person.

Greys Anatomy fans were already treated to an unexpected reunion between Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek McDreamy Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) during the season 17 premiere in November 2020. At the time, Meredith saw Derek who died in a car accident in a 2015 episode in a dream sequence at the beach after she fell unconscious in a hospital parking lot.

I think the whole atmosphere has changed, certainly working at the beach, and seeing everybody again was really a very healing process, and really rewarding, and a lot of fun, Dempsey, 55, told Deadline at the time. And hopefully, that feeling translates, and the fans enjoy it. I know that theyve been wanting us to get back together, and I think this will satisfy a lot of people, and surprise a lot of people, hopefully.

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Jesse Williams Is Down for Japril Reunion on Greys Anatomy With Sarah Drew: They Are Incredible Together - Us Weekly