If You Gathered for Thanksgiving, it’s Time to Get Tested
Last Thursday was, by any measure, the weirdest Thanksgiving in my 32 years. My immediate family, like lots of others, stayed put and connected with relatives over video chat (I also made an embarrassingly large turkey for the three of us; we’re still working on the leftovers). Others gathered but in smaller groups than usual. And there were no doubt those who, despite pleas from public-health officials and other experts, got together as if this were any other year, and a raging pandemic was not killing one American every minute of every day. In fact, yesterday set a pandemic-era air travel record. We won’t know the full toll of such behavior for weeks, but it’s likely going to be grim.
Personal feelings aside, I’m not here to shame those who chose to gather last week, despite the risks to themselves and others (including health care workers, who are exhausted to the point of collapse). Research shows that shaming isn’t particularly effective in a public-health context, and may in fact be counterproductive, pushing people into more reckless behavior—not unlike abstinence education.
Rather, my plea is this: If you got together for Thanksgiving with anybody outside your household, now is the time to get tested. At this point, we’re four days past the holiday—enough time that, should you have contracted COVID-19 while enjoying your turkey and stuffing, you will likely test positive. Knowing whether you have the coronavirus can help you make key decisions to keep you, your family and others safe: you can self-isolate until you’re no longer contagious, you can advise others with whom you’ve been in contact to get tested, and you can contribute critical data to enhance our collective understanding of the virus’s spread. Plus, with the holiday behind us, the testing lines are likely to be far shorter now, because people aren’t in a mad, somewhat misinformed dash to get tested right before a gathering.
In fact, I would even go a step further: you should get tested now, then again in about 10 days, and behave as if you are positive and contagious until you get that second test result showing otherwise. I realize that’s a lot to ask of people, and most won’t go to such an extreme length. But it’s the best strategy if you want to be as sure as possible that you’re not spreading a potentially deadly disease to others. Multiple highly effective vaccines are likely on the way, and it’s time to do everything we can to keep as many people alive as possible until those shots can start turning the pandemic into a distant, unpleasant memory.
Editor’s note: Because of holiday-related delays, COVID-19 data is likely to be a little strange over the next few days. For that reason, we’re temporarily removing the typical maps and charts from The Coronavirus Brief, but we’re still including the numbers as reported.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 62.7 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 1.4 million people have died. On Nov. 29, there were 486,585 new cases and 6,907 new deaths confirmed globally. Here is every country with over 900,000 confirmed cases:
New coronavirus cases in England are down about 30% since the government instituted a second national lockdown on Nov. 5, CNN reports. During the lockdown, which is set to end Wednesday, non-essential businesses were closed, while people were discouraged from mixing with friends or family from other households. Whether the country’s success will continue post-lockdown is unclear—the virus has often re-emerged after containment measures were lifted, both in England and elsewhere. Other European countries, including Germany and Greece, are extending their lockdowns amid spikes.
Italian lawmakers have given the thumbs-up to a roughly €8 billion measure meant to support businesses struggling amid the pandemic, Reuters reports. The package includes tax deadline delays and a €1,000 direct payment to workers in the tourism, spa and theatre industries. The new plan comes just days after Italy passed a separate €10 billion stimulus package including business grants and financial aid for struggling families.
With the pandemic raging, delaying the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics to next year was the only viable option. But the move came at a cost: $2 billion, according to multiple Japanese news outlets. That’s in addition to the $12.6 billion the Games were already expected to cost (though even that figure, which is Japan’s official government estimate, may be a lowball).
The Situation in the U.S.
Earlier today, Cambridge, Mass.-based pharmaceutical company Moderna became the second such firm to file for an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 vaccine, following Pfizer. The company says its shot is 94.1% effective in preventing disease, and a staggering 100% effective in preventing severe disease. The FDA is expected to review Moderna’s data and make a decision in the next few weeks; if all goes well, the vaccine could begin distribution in the U.S. by the end of the year.
The U.S. as a whole, as well as many individual states, set new records for daily COVID-19 cases over the holiday break, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The new countrywide record of 205,557 came on Nov. 27; here are the 17 states that also set new daily marks over the holiday:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Nov. 30, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Scientists Are Fighting Virus Disinformation on TikTok
Any good messaging campaign needs to go where the people are—and the people are increasingly on TikTok, the wildly popular and entertaining short form video app. While it and other social media platforms have helped COVID-19 disinformation spread, scientists are now using the app to spread the truth about the virus, the New York Times reports. Read more here.
A Food Writer Fears Losing His Sense of Taste—But Reality Was Worse
When Washington Post food writer Tim Carman was diagnosed with the coronavirus, his most immediate worry was losing his sense of taste—a common symptom that, for him, would be like a heavy metal drummer going deaf. What actually happened proved to be far worse, he writes. Read more here.
Are These Scented Candle Reviewers Experiencing COVID-19 Symptoms?
A person’s sense of smell can also be compromised by the coronavirus—and that, perhaps, explains a startling rise in the number of Amazon reviews for scented candles that mention “lack of scent” in recent months. Read more here.
The NFL’s COVID-19 Chaos Is Only Just Beginning
Yesterday’s bizarre game between football’s Denver Broncos and the New Orleans Saints—during which Denver had to use a wide receiver as their quarterback after an outbreak sidelined the team’s entire QB squad—shows that, while the rest of the major American pro sports leagues were able to restart their seasons with modified rules and crown a champion, the NFL is struggling as the virus situation worsens. (Predictably, the Saints routed the Broncos, 31-3). Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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