Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced that it would soon require private health insurers to reimburse consumers for the cost of at-home coronavirus tests. It was a step toward improving access to the tests, which remain more expensive in the United States than in Europe, where they are often distributed for little or no…
It’s a cliché to say that this has been a roller coaster of a year. Coronavirus infections soared in the first few months of 2021. Then, vaccines picked up in earnest. Cases dropped. Borders opened. Delta surged. Schools reopened. Now, here’s Omicron. A lot has happened, and some of it may have felt like a…
I’ve already got books, stickers and slime for my nephews (they can’t enough slime!), and I’m planning to bake some cookies for my neighbors — if I can just get it together between the last few deadlines of the year. For everyone else, here are some veggie-friendly gift ideas with notes on prices from the…
New York City diners have seen their social media feeds flooded in recent days with announcements from restaurant after restaurant that they were temporarily closing because staff members tested positive for Covid-19 or were exposed to the virus. “I feel like it happened in three days,” said Cat Alexander, who on Wednesday closed Pheasant, her…
Dr. Charles D. Blanke, an oncologist and a professor at the OHSU Knight Cancer Center in Portland, Ore., who has studied data on physician-assisted dying, said breathing in nitrogen causes a rapid death. But he cautioned that it is untested, including as an alternative to lethal injection in capital punishment. “It is not at all…
Five years ago, a new acquaintance told me her father died when she was a child. I remember the episode distinctly because I was very careful in my response. Now we’re dear friends, and I’m fairly certain her dad is still alive. I met him! When my friend introduced me to her father, I assumed…
There was a time when even the most fashion-literate couldn’t bear to look at a pair of stiff, dull, everyday jeans. The pandemic pushed the once tight and rigid staple out of the way in favor of Gen Z’s baggy, slouchy styles. And many people stopped wearing jeans completely, swapping them for sweats or fun,…
Need a last-minute gift that’s both laziness- and supply chain-friendly? Look no further than your own things. Yet another outgrowth of the pandemic reset, regifting is the perfect way to funnel your next purge in a way that benefits your friends and family. Have a clown sweater that may not be right for you? Chances…
Either way, for better or worse, these are just recommendations. Some employers, educational institutions, states and counties have additional isolation policies, but few locations actively enforce quarantine. Depending on where you tested positive, you might get a call from a contact tracer. Or you might not. So what happens if you test positive while traveling…
Even in a pandemic, our capacity for catastrophe has a limit. Here’s how to spot the signs