The organizers of Japan's Summer Olympics, due to start just weeks from now, say they'll give daily coronavirus tests to athletes and will decide in June on what is a safe number of spectators. The games are set to go ahead despite reluctance among the Japanese public — more than half of whom are not in favor of hosting the event this year.
India has been breaking world records daily for new COVID-19 cases. On Friday, India's Health Ministry confirmed 386,453 infections – more than any country on any day since the pandemic began. Scientists, funeral directors and survivors say the real death toll and number of infections are likely much higher than what the Indian government is reporting.
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Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/NurPhoto via Getty Images |
This week, in the middle of a pandemic, the United Nations took a stand about an issue that is one of the top causes of death for children ages 5 to 14. It's not a disease. It's not a health condition. It's drowning.
Some folks are taking their first vaccine dose in a two-dose type, then deciding to skip the second altogether. Or maybe to delay it longer than suggested. Bad idea? Click here to see what Dr. Fauci says.
The Biden administration launched a website today to help people find COVID-19 vaccines near where they live. Vaccines.gov features a tool that allows people to input their zip code and see which pharmacies and other providers have COVID-19 vaccine doses in stock.
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Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images
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The gates of Disneyland opened again today to welcome customers for the first time since the resort was closed at the start of the global pandemic. Before you dig out your Mouseketeer ears and head out west, you should know that only California residents will be allowed in and daily crowd sizes will be limited.
Americans flush with cash are stepping up their spending, and that's helping to turbo-charge the U.S. economy. The extra cash from those $1,400 relief payments fueled a jump in spending that should continue in the months to come. "People were just saying, 'Hey, we're about to go outside," said Jonathan Silver, CEO of Affinity Solutions, which tracks credit card spending. "We see a sort of sense of normalcy, so I need to refresh my wardrobe." |
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| Courtesy of Kate Schwartz |
When the pandemic hit last year, Kate Schwartz left her home in Albuquerque to quarantine temporarily with her youngest son in Evanston, Illinois. The morning after she arrived, she met an old friend for a cup of coffee at a place that had a veranda overlooking Lake Michigan. Schwartz’s host also invited a friend to stop by. When Linda van Amerongen showed up, Schwartz said, “the moment froze and a small bell sounded in my head.”
The two chatted for two hours from chairs spaced six feet apart as though they were the only ones there and had known each other for years. After parting “reluctantly,” Schwartz says she got van Amerongen’s number and texted her two days later to get an outdoor drink — which lasted seven hours. “We have been together ever since,” Schwartz writes. “Two grannies, aged 65 and 70. As my sister said later, ‘I couldn’t find hand sanitizer; how did you find love?’”
They’re moving in together in Evanston this June. |
How will your life look different once you and your family are fully vaccinated? Which pandemic habits and traditions will you hold on to (besides masking and other health precautions, of course!)?
Send your stories, insights and photos to thenewnormal@npr.org. You could be featured in an upcoming edition of The New Normal newsletter! |
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