When Sarah was little and struggled with sleep, every time she had a good stretch, Don would say, "I think she's turned a corner." It wouldn't be long, however, before something would throw her off kilter, and we'd be back to the drawing board. I'd joke that she'd turned so many corners she was back at the starting point.
The pandemic has a similar feel to me; every time we think we're in the home stretch, someone adds another lap. We're coming out of the omicron wave now, and it feels so hopeful, like we can put this behind us soon. But the virus has shown us it can dash our plans at will, especially if we relax too soon.
Wed., Jan. 19
- The federal government's website to order free rapid tests quietly went live Tuesday. Americans could now order four tests per household to start shipping through the U.S. Postal Service in late January. I placed an order.
- Thirty-six hours — that's how long one covid-19 patient waited for a proper bed in a Rhode Island hospital overwhelmed by the coronavirus.
- The Biden administration announced plans to distribute 400 million high-quality N95 masks for adults free of charge at thousands of pharmacies and other locations starting next week.
- The Pacific nation of Tonga was worried about a potential rise in coronavirus cases as it scrambled to recover from a devastating volcanic eruption over the weekend.
- A study from England showed that immunity to coronavirus infection dropped to about 50% three months after booster. Protection against hospitalization stayed high for at least four months. A study in Israel showed diminishing returns from a fourth shot.
- The omicron wave seemed to have peaked nationally, with cases dropping in the Northeast.
- Testing access was slowly expanding in the United States now that some of the Biden administration's initiatives were getting off the ground. But the country was still woefully behind others where free rapid testing had been part of daily life for months.
- In a pivot from labor-intensive "test-and-stay" programs, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state would provide weekly free covid tests for schools to distribute to families.
- U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown, nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump, ruled the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for federal workers and contractors was an overreach of executive authority. The Justice Department filed an appeal to the ruling, and the case could be heard by the Supreme Court, although most federal workers were already vaccinated.
- Vaccine boosters provided robust protection against severe disease from the omicron variant in the United States, according to three reports that used real-world data to show the shots were effective at keeping vaccinated people out of the hospital. But the data arrived late in the omicron surge, at a time when hospitalizations were higher than they'd ever been. Booster uptake had also slowed, with just 39 percent of vaccinated people having gotten the additional shot.
- Huge numbers of American workers missed work in late December and early January because of omicron infections. New data from the Census Bureau showed that nearly 9 million people called out sick because they had covid-19 or were caring for someone who did. It was the most since the bureau started tracking coronavirus-related absences, well over last winter's peak, and marked another setback at a time of labor shortages.
- In Austria, Greece, and Italy, governments were fining or threatening financial penalties against people who refused to get vaccinated. Canada was considering a similar move.
- Congress gave local governments billions of dollars in pandemic relief last spring but put few restrictions on how they could spend the money. In Florida, Palm Beach Gardens officials steered more than $2 million into a new golf course. Alabama set aside $400 million for rebuilding a prison.
- Overwhelmed hospitals were delaying surgeries for non-life-threatening conditions, leaving many with debilitating pain.
- An anti-vaccine rally in the nation's capital was a modest affair, with several thousand protesters gathering on the national Mall. Prominent anti-vaccine activists addressed the crowd from the Lincoln Memorial. Some of the marchers carried posters and flags with false statements such as “Vaccines are mass kill bio weapons,” and many came adorned in gear with slogans supporting former president Donald Trump. One of the speakers was Robert Malone, a purveyor of covid-19 misinformation who has garnered legions of followers since the beginning of the pandemic. Though Twitter barred him for violating its coronavirus misinformation policy, he had found other outlets, including a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast.
- Antibodies capable of fending off the omicron variant stick around for four months after a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a new study showed.
- The Food and Drug Administration could soon restrict the use of two monoclonal antibody treatments after finding that they didn't work against omicron. The infusions from Regeneron and Eli Lilly were powerful tools against previous variants but were rendered ineffective by omicron's many mutations. The Biden administration was expected to pause their distribution to states. One monoclonal antibody, sotrovimab, remained effective against omicron but supplies were limited.
- As hospitals struggled with a crush of patients, some health-care facilities were asking staff with covid-19 to return to work, even if they could still be infectious. Hospitals everywhere were dealing with staff shortages and burnout as nationwide hospitalizations hit record highs.
- A “mask optional” order issued by Virginia's Republican governor took effect and had already thrown the state's school system into chaos, with bitter divisions emerging among parents and officials.
- The World Health Organization's European chief said the pandemic was “entering a new phase" — far from over but perhaps stabilizing. In the United States, top federal infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci said it was too early to tell whether the coronavirus was becoming endemic, saying another new variant could upend progress.
- The omicron variant caused less severe illness in hospitalized patients than previous versions of the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Researchers found that omicron patients had shorter hospital stays than those infected with delta and other variants, and less frequently needed intensive care.
- The average daily death toll reached 2,230, the highest seven-day death average since last February, before vaccines were widely available.
- Two congressional Democrats asked the CDC to release data on the number of Americans who were suffering from lasting covid-19 symptoms (long covid), with breakdowns by race, gender and age. The lawmakers cited research indicating that women are more vulnerable to long covid than men, and said the condition may fall disproportionately hard on minority communities.
- The daily number of people getting booster shots was down 50% from the week before.
- The World Health Organization was investigating a new version of omicron that had recently cropped up in parts of Europe or Asia. There was no evidence that the new pathogen, known as BA.2, spread faster, caused more severe illness or evaded immunity better than the original. But it had already become the dominant form of the virus in Denmark. At least three cases had been detected in the United States in Texas. Scientists were paying close attention because so little was known about it.
- Pfizer and its partner BioNTech had begun testing a new dose tailored to fight the omicron variant. The highly anticipated trial would look at the effectiveness of the omicron-specific shot in about 1,400 people ages 18 to 55, all with varying vaccination statuses.
- British police launched a criminal probe of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's parties during pandemic lockdowns. It was being called "Partygate."
- A D.C. bar was repeatedly cited for unmasked employees and failing to check customers' vaccine status. Conservatives were fundraising for it.
- The new variant of omicron was found in Asia, Europe, and some U.S. states.
- The vaccine mandate for health-care workers started going into effect. Today was the deadline in 25 states and Washington, D.C., to get a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. The mandate covered about 10 million people and allowed religious and medical exemptions. It would be enforced for the next round of states on Feb. 14.
- New Hampshire started selling covid tests in state liquor stores for convenience.
- A government watchdog warned that the Department of Health and Human Services was at “high risk” of mismanaging the next public health crisis. Investigators from the Government Accountability Office said in its report that the agency had repeatedly ignored recommendations to improve its pandemic response and found “persistent deficiencies” in responses to previous emergencies dating back 15 years.
- Sarah Palin, who said she was unvaccinated and recently tested positive for the coronavirus, dined out in New York City, flouting local health measures.
- In a new poll, 83 percent of Americans said they'd think the pandemic was over when the virus evolved into a less severe form — not a constant threat but an occasional nuisance akin to the seasonal flu.
- The Biden administration's campaign to cover at-home coronavirus tests left out many people in a highly vulnerable group: Medicare recipients. Private insurers were required to pay for at-home tests under the White House's plan. But most people with Medicare couldn't buy tests from a pharmacy or order them online and be reimbursed for the cost.
- News about the U.S. economy was a mixed bag of good and bad. The economy roared back to life last year, growing at its fastest pace in decades. But the outlook was complicated by soaring inflation, swings in the financial markets and a slowdown in consumer spending.
- A record number of Americans signed up for health coverage this year in the Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace, as the pandemic amplified health concerns.
- The federal government made free N95 masks (three per person) available at various outlets, such as CVS and Walgreens. I called our local stores but couldn't get availability information over the phone.
- Omicron was causing a higher daily death total than delta did. The seven-day rolling average for daily new covid deaths in the U.S. had been climbing since mid-November and reached 2,267, surpassing a September peak of 2,100, when delta was the dominant variant. The highest daily death toll recorded was last February, with 3,300/day.
- New cases were down 38% over the last two weeks.
- Amid complaints that Joe Rogan had been spreading misinformation about the coronavirus on Spotify, the podcaster vowed over the weekend that he would do a better job informing his listeners about covid-19. His comments came after musicians like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell said they were cutting ties with the audio streaming service for allowing Rogan to continue to spread false information about coronavirus vaccines.
- Pope Francis warned that a coronavirus “infodemic” ― resulting in false or misleading information ― was spreading across the world, calling for compassion and urging journalists to help people understand the scientific facts.
- The past year was one of the best for American billionaires, whose cumulative wealth increased an estimated 70 percent since the start of the pandemic.
- The Wall Street Journal calculated that “Covid-19 has left the same proportion of the population dead as did World War II, and in less time.”
- Pfizer and BioNTech announced they were seeking emergency-use authorization for the first coronavirus vaccine for children under 5. The companies asked the Food and Drug Administration to review safety and efficacy data for the first two doses of a three-dose regimen for children as young as 6 months. The vaccine could become available by the end of February.
- Musicians David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, as well as writer and podcaster Roxane Gay, became the latest public figures to remove their content from the streaming service Spotify to protest provocative podcaster Joe Rogan's spread of covid-19 misinformation.
- More than half of Virginia's school districts, with about 68 percent of the state's public-school population, were defying Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order making masks optional in classrooms.
- A near-record 4.3 million people quit or changed jobs in December, as the omicron variant disrupted workplaces, schools and day cares. Job openings remained far above pre-pandemic averages.
- Federal immigration detention centers were experiencing record levels of infections, increasing pressure on the Biden administration to release migrants or at least make sure they got booster doses of vaccines.
- Moderna launched a clinical trial to test a potential HIV vaccine that uses the mRNA technology from the company's coronavirus vaccine.
- Tonga, once covid-free, entered lockdown after recording five coronavirus cases following a volcanic eruption and tsunami last month.
- After weeks of criticism, the Biden administration announced it would make free rapid tests available to the nation's 64 million Medicare recipients. Patients, lawmakers, and advocacy groups were furious the administration's plan to reimburse people for at-home tests left out people on Medicare, the government's sprawling health insurance program for older and disabled Americans.
- Wearing any type of face mask indoors protects you from the coronavirus, but N95 and KN95 masks are most effective against infection, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency estimated that these high-quality masks reduce your chance of testing positive by 83 percent in indoor settings.
- To better track surges and declines in cases, the CDC planned to look more closely for signs of the coronavirus in sewage. The amount of virus genetic material in wastewater tends to increase about four to six days before health officials see upticks in caseloads and hospitalizations.
- After nearly two years of travel restrictions, New Zealand announced its plan to reopen to the world.
- After I struggled through my last jigsaw puzzle, only to learn there was a piece missing, Don convinced me to buy two brand-new puzzles -- a first for me. I finished the first, which was a joy.
- The U.S. death toll from coronavirus reached 900,000, and there had been more than 76,447,000 cases. A piece of good news, however: new cases fell 43% in last week.
- Even as omicron cases skyrocketed, the U.S. economy added 467,000 jobs in January, defying some of the more pessimistic predictions as infections reached record heights.
- Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said the continent could soon enter a “cease-fire” and a “long period of tranquility” because of widespread vaccinations and a lower risk of severe disease from omicron.
- As tensions rose between Russia and the West over signs of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow was battling a record-breaking virus surge.
- Eric Garcetti, L.A.'s Democratic mayor, posed maskless with Magic Johnson, defying covid rules. “I’m holding my breath,” he said.
- We hosted Mom and George for Chinese New Year. I tested Sarah for COVID before they arrived -- our first experience with home tests.
- Protests against coronavirus public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau entered their second weekend in Ottawa, Canada, with much of the downtown core of the country’s capital blockaded by trucks in what officials were calling an “occupation.” Demonstrations in solidarity with the self-described “Freedom Convoy” also popped up in several other cities across Canada, including Toronto and Quebec City. In Alberta, the blockade of an important U.S.-Canada border crossing also continued. Some protests drew counterprotests. The convoy was initially started in response to U.S. and Canadian rules requiring cross-border truckers to be fully vaccinated to enter either country. But they have ballooned into a movement against all public health measures, which were mostly imposed by the provinces, and Trudeau, who was reelected in September.
- With omicron variant cases trending downward, a growing number of Americans said they were ready to live with the coronavirus and move on. Polls indicated Americans were comfortable taking more risks as the virus continued to circulate, accepting the possibility that they may eventually get covid-19 and that, if they were vaccinated and boosted, it probably wouldn't be too bad.
- The small KN95s I ordered a month ago finally came. Although the masks fit my face better, the ear loops were way too tight. I tried making an ear saver with ribbon and buttons, but it slid down the back of my head, so the loops still hurt my ears.
- Australia planned to reopen to vaccinated tourists next month. The country had one of the world's strictest and longest-lasting border closures.
- Delta Air Lines asked the Justice Department to help set up a “no-fly” list of unruly passengers.
- Recent studies showed people who'd gotten two doses of the covid vaccine were far less likely to report common long covid symptoms than unvaccinated people.
- Gov. Baker's school mask mandate will expire on Feb. 28, and he announced he won't renew it. It will be up to individual schools to decide whether to require masks. Sarah's school sent out a survey to gauge parents' preferences. I responded that I didn't have strong feelings either way.
- A University of Georgia study estimated that, by the end of the omicron surge, the vast majority (>80%) of Americans will have been exposed to the coronavirus.
- The governors of New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, California, and Oregon had announced the end of school masking requirements next month.
- Federal heath officials cautioned against moving away from mask mandates too soon, noting daily caseloads remained high compared with previous waves. “Now is not the moment,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.
- Though considered less severe than other coronavirus variants, omicron had infected so many people that it had driven the number of daily deaths beyond where it was last spring, before vaccines were widely available, according to Washington Post data. Daily deaths were averaging 2,600, compared to 2,000 in September, when during the delta surge.
- Norwegian Cruise Lines said it would no longer ask passengers to mask starting next month.
- I got three free, government-issued, N-95 masks at CVS.
- In Virginia, school officials had pushed back on the governor's mask mandate ban, and a judge on Tuesday sided with seven school districts that sued to keep their requirements in place.
- Half a million people worldwide had died of covid-19 since the omicron variant was first detected in November. The variant had been particularly lethal to people over 75, the unvaccinated, and the medically vulnerable.
- Anthony S. Fauci, the Biden administration's top health adviser, said that the country was heading out of the “full-blown pandemic phase of covid-19.”
- A second U.S.-Canada land crossing -- between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit -- was disrupted by protesters, tying up important trade routes between the two countries. In Ottawa, the hub of the demonstrations, police had arrested about two dozen people. Canadian officials denounced Republicans in the United States who expressed support for the protests.
- The CDC added seven more countries to its do-not-travel list, which now encompassed more than half the world’s destinations.
- Stacey Abrams, who was running for governor in Georgia, posted a photo of herself unmasked with a group of schoolchildren. It set off a storm of criticism.
- I still hadn't received the free test kits I ordered from the government on Jan. 19, so I placed another order.
- A new Centers for Disease Control study found that the vaccine booster's effectiveness wanes after about four months.
- The FDA cancelled its upcoming review of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot’s performance on young children, saying that data showed two doses weren't effective for that age group.
- The self-proclaimed “Freedom Convoy” of people protesting pandemic public health measures was creating a border crisis. Three border crossings were blocked, and the movement was inspiring similar protests in other parts of the world, including France and New Zealand.
- Half the world was fully vaccinated, but the global divide was stark.
- I went to Stratford, Connecticut, to tour the Great Meadows Marsh restoration. Leah drove, and we both wore masks. On the way home, I got carsick from wearing the mask so long.
Once again, a few weeks has made a world of difference in the covid situation. In mid-January, I was pretty sure we'd all get omicron. But now, cases are dropping rapidly in most states, and even Democratic leaders are dropping mask mandates.
The country is ready to move on from covid. So am I, but we've been down this road before. I can wear a mask for a while longer, just to be sure.
We're headed to Florida to visit Rachel and Matt on Saturday. Florida, of all places! I'm excited but anxious about being squeezed into an airplane with a bunch of strangers. Masks are still required, but anti-maskers probably feel emboldened by the recent relaxations in requirements. We'll see how it goes.
It's time to move on, though, albeit with maximum precautions. I'm determined to enjoy myself on vacation and not ruin the fun of others!
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