<em>The Atlantic</em> Daily: Omicron Is Scrambling Our COVID Best Practices

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Everyone has COVID. Or at least, that’s how it feels in America right now. The daily-case curve is no longer a curve at all but practically a vertical line, launching like a rocket toward the outermost bounds of every chart. Omicron, the seemingly milder variant driving the surge, is likewise scrambling a lot of our best practices on how to react to such a jump in cases.

What’s clear is that we’re entering a distinct new era of the pandemic. So: If everyone has COVID, what now?

The news in three sentences:

(1) The CDC did not update its definition of “fully vaccinated” to include booster shots but, going forward, recommends that people stay “up to date” on vaccinations. (2) A house fire in Philadelphia killed at least 13 people. (3) An out-of-control Russian rocket stage is falling back to Earth.

Today’s Atlantic-approved activity:

Isn’t it beautiful and terrible to exist inside / time … Read Nomi Stone’s poem “Thinking of My Wife as a Child by the Sea, While We Clean Mussels Together.”

A break from the news:

Sure, it’s risky—but it’s delicious. Our editor offers a defense of eating raw batter.

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.