<em>The Atlantic</em> Daily: The Workers Who Bear the Brunt of the Omicron Surge

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As many Americans sit in a weird pandemic limbo, one group of workers bears the brunt of the Omicron surge.

As my colleague Katherine J. Wu reported late last week, coronavirus cases are starting to level off or fall in big East Coast cities such as New York and Washington, D.C. Recent models predict that this surge will peak nationally sometime this month, Katie writes—though she cautions that we don’t know how slow the descent might be. Still, this is encouraging news, and especially welcome as more and more people consider throwing in the towel. One group of Americans—essential workers—have no such luxury.

Further reading: Out of shame, some people are hiding that their unvaccinated loved ones died of COVID, Andrea Stanley writes.

The news in three sentences:

(1) Americans can now request four free COVID tests per household via a new government website.

(2) AT&T and Verizon delayed plans to launch 5G service near some airports after airlines warned of potential disruptions.

(3) The first images to emerge from Tonga following Saturday’s volcanic eruption and resulting tsunami show a country covered in ash.

Today’s Atlantic-approved activity:

Find happiness in failure.

A break from the news:

Why are people so mad about Don’t Look Up? Our critics discuss the controversial Netflix film on the latest episode of our culture podcast, The Review. And in his newsletter for subscribers, Humans Being, Jordan Calhoun examines what he calls the movie’s “tone of condescension.”

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.