The mask you need to be wearing

PLUS: Coping with grief over the holidays.

View this email online December 26, 2021 by Suzette Lohmeyer This week, we look at the masks you need to be wearing now, how to handle grief during the holidays and the omicron symptoms to look out for. To stand up to omicron, upgrade your mask — big time Malaka Gharib/NPR Good grief, omicron. Could you act (or sound) any more like an evil character from a Voltron cartoon? Your latest wicked plan: to bust through the adorable cloth masks we have been collecting. So how do we defend ourselves against omicron's latest evil plot? We need to upgrade our masks ... big time.  Read on for which masks will protect you from omicron.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Coping with grief and loss Adam Lister/Getty Images If you have ever lost someone you love dearly, you know how difficult celebrations can be. Even small aspects of a birthday or a Christmas get-together — an empty seat at the dinner table, one less gift to buy — can serve as jarring reminders of how our lives have been forever changed. So how do we adapt to our new world?  Read on to learn how, with a little support and time, our brains learn to cope with grief.  PLUS: We answered your questions on safety, loneliness and anxieties during the holidays.  So ... about those omicron symptoms lowball-jack/Getty Images As the omicron variant spreads around the globe, everyone wants to know: Will it cause mainly mild disease? Moderate? Severe? And what do those descriptors mean exactly? We break it all down, including what to tell your doctor if you test positive for COVID.  Read on for all you need to know about the latest omicron symptoms.  PLUS: 3 nurses give their inside story on how omicron is affecting the country Good to know before you go  Erica Calhoun for NPR NPR reporter Blake Farmer and his family got breakthrough COVID at Thanksgiving. This is what they learned.  A new injection to prevent HIV, rather than pills, is a game-changer.  Fresh Express and Dole recall hundreds of salad products over listeria concerns.  New Year's Eve celebrations will still be on in Times Square, but with smaller crowds.  We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots and follow us on Twitter at @NPRHealth. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!  All best, Suzette Lohmeyer and your Shots editors Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: shots@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Health emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy