Welcome to the Virus Briefing, your comprehensive guide to the latest news and expert analysis on the coronavirus pandemic and other outbreaks. |
 | | Kennedy International Airport in Queens last holiday season.Karsten Moran for The New York Times |
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How to approach the holidays |
There was a brief moment this fall, when Covid-19 cases were low and we hadn't yet heard the word "tripledemic," that I thought we might have something close to a normal holiday season, for the first time in years. But the last few weeks have changed the picture. |
A soup of Omicron variants is swirling across the U.S., and we don't yet know how much these variants will spread this winter. Meanwhile, a surge in flu and R.S.V. cases is already stretching hospitals thin, and we still have months of cold weather ahead. |
For advice on managing the holidays this year, I turned to my colleague Dani Blum, a reporter on the Well desk. |
How should we approach the holidays? |
This is our third pandemic holiday season, so a lot of us are really tired of taking precautions and the mental gymnastics they require. |
So my main advice this year is to make a plan. I know how uncomfortable it can be to call up your relatives and ask them, "When are you testing?" and "How are you thinking about virus precautions this year?" But thinking through some of these obstacles together and getting on the same page may alleviate a lot of anxiety and tension. |
The other major thing to keep in mind is to plan around the highest-risk person. The calculations are going to be different for a family with older relatives than for a Friendsgiving of twentysomethings where no one is immunocompromised. Another thing experts I spoke to advised was to do a mini-quarantine before the holidays. |
A mini-quarantine means spending about a week minimizing your interactions with people before you gather. So maybe you have the ability to work from home instead of going into the office. Do that. Maybe that week you only meet friends outdoors, or go grocery shopping at the least crowded time, or order groceries to your house. It's also not the time to be going to a packed bar or restaurant. Depending on how high-risk the most vulnerable person in your group is, your weeklong mini-quarantine can be on a gradient. |
It's not going to completely insulate you from risk, of course, but if you're watching for symptoms and testing responsibly, you'll have a pretty good idea during that week whether you have Covid. The experts I spoke to said it's about minimizing your risk, along with testing, to give yourself as much data as possible so you can make the best decisions. |
What else should we keep in mind? |
In terms of masking, I think it's not super realistic to ask people to mask for something like a Thanksgiving dinner. Where masking makes the most sense is during transportation to and from an event. If you are getting on a plane or a train, you want to make sure that you're wearing a mask for as long as possible, and not just any mask but a high-quality mask. The experts I spoke to had a lot of confidence in one-way masking. Even if you are the only person on a plane wearing a mask, it still provides decent protection. |
Also, this is a big one: If you feel sick — as sad as it is — you should stay home, even if that means skipping out on family gatherings over the holidays. You might have Covid, you might have the flu, or you might have R.S.V. You might be able to rule out Covid with a test, but it's harder with the other two. And an important thing to know about R.S.V. is that adults can get it, too. And while it might be mild for you, it can be very serious for older adults, younger children and people with weakened immune systems. |
What should I do if I get Covid? |
I should also say that new Omicron variants are steadily gaining ground in the U.S., and it's not totally clear yet what's going to happen with them. Cases are currently ticking up, and there are other viruses circulating. We know that a lot of the precautions that we take for Covid will also help manage the flu and R.S.V., like washing our hands and masking. So, despite many places no longer requiring masks, and despite a lot of people — myself included — allowing more risk into our lives, there are still plenty of reasons to take Covid precautions around the holidays. |
How are you personally approaching the holidays? |
I'm going home, and I have a relatively large family. I'm doing a mini-quarantine one week before, and I'll be testing with both P.C.R. and rapid tests right up until the moment I see them. My life may look a little restrictive leading up to the holidays, but then during the holidays it will look like any other. I'll be able to act normally, share meals and hug my siblings. It should be really lovely — it just requires some advance planning. |
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Your approach to the holidays |
We asked readers how they are approaching the holiday season this year. Thanks to everyone who shared their plans. |
"This year, I am approaching the holidays as I did in prepandemic years. Looking forward to baking, gift shopping and hosting and attending parties with family and friends. We will have a large group for Thanksgiving, and I am choosing not to mask or worry about the guests' vaccination status. I imagine one or two people I know will test positive sometime during the holidays, but it won't give me the same level of anxiety it did in years past. We suffered broken friendships, job changes, moved from our community and missed out on so much during the last two holiday seasons I am mentally not able to invest in so much stress and worry anymore." — Alison, Arizona |
"As an immune-compromised person, I do not have the luxury of 'returning to normal.' I plan to approach the holidays cautiously, with many of the recommended Covid protocols. I booked my flight at a less busy time so I can spend Christmas and Kwanzaa with family." — Akay, Minnesota |
"I have decided to go all in. I got the extra leaf for the dining room table down from the attic. I bought Thanksgiving napkins. I invited 10 of my closest relatives." — Jean, Pittsboro, N.C. |
"I am approaching the holidays almost the same as before the pandemic, with the following exceptions: I will not travel or interact if not feeling well. I will home-test if there are adults over the age of 65 attending any gathering. I will not attend any event in which a mask is required." — Timothy Taylor, Longmeadow, Mass. |
"This will be our third year of missing our family for the holidays. Our tradition of flying to Portland to gather with my children and grandchildren has been scuttled. We are in our 70s. The other side of the family does not believe in Covid. 'It is over,' they have said for a year, telling their 75-year-old heart patient father they 'will not test, vaccinate, distance or wear masks' and that 'they would love to see him, but if he wants to see them, it's his choice.' It has been heartbreaking." — Ann Sasnett, California |
We also asked readers if the pandemic brought on any positive changes that became holiday traditions. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. |
"We began celebrating 'Chrisgiving' in 2020. This will be our third year having our family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration the first weekend in December. Less air travelers, less exposure to the latest version of whatever disease and an entire long weekend of my children and their significant others to myself — I don't have to share them with their in-laws!" — Michele Pugleasa, Minneapolis |
"My family has finally started cutting out the unnecessary guests that no one really enjoys inviting each year. It sounds bad, but it really takes a weight off everyone's shoulders and lets us have a better time with just the people closest to us." — Morgan, Wisconsin |
"The pandemic helped me get into baking. Now during holidays I contribute by making baked goods for everyone in my family. It's become a tradition and something I will continue to do over the years." — Kaylie Parker, California |
"Christmas cards became more creative. I continue this tradition with my twist … watercoloring. Pandemic quarantine made my hidden artist bloom." — Maryellen McWhirter, San Diego |
"When my family and I were in lockdown, we had a very small gathering for the holidays. We decided that it was better than having everyone together at the same time. We had more quality visits, and it was less stressful. We are resuming small gatherings this year. Rather than all getting together on one day, we have several smaller, more intimate gatherings throughout the holiday season." — Christine Larkin, Bay Shore, N.Y. |
"We have certainly become more appreciative of being able to be together, and we don't take it for granted. We stay home together more and play games and talk. We're not on our devices all the time. It reminds me of when I was a child and everyone gathered together and shared stories and went around the table and stated two things they were grateful for. When family is around, we do that now." — Clare Leach, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico |
"I lost my husband, Mike, who loved a big Christmas tree, to Covid in April 2020. We still try to honor the big tree and lights." — Mary Mantell, New Jersey |
What else we're following |
- Uganda is struggling to contain its Ebola outbreak as cases rise and doctors go without pay, The Wall Street Journal reports.
- Leaked government projections of Uganda's outbreak suggest there could be 500 fatalities in the country by April, The Telegraph reports.
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| Thanks for reading. I'll be back Friday. — Jonathan |
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