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Thanksgiving is around the corner. And for many of us, it is a welcome respite — a chance to get back to pre-pandemic routines and practices and connect with loved ones. Staying home feels so ... 2020. But big get-togethers can still feel nerve-wracking, especially if you know some folks around the table this year will be unvaccinated. So what is the risk, really, of a “mixed” Thanksgiving get-together? (Dr. Megan Ranney, 11/22)

Throughout the COVID pandemic, what has been missing from our medical tool kit is an easy-to-take treatment that keeps people out of the hospital. Yet, within the next few weeks, we will have two new antivirals: Merck’s molnupiravir and Pfizer’s Paxlovid. As part of the unimaginable speed that has characterized the medical countermeasure response to COVID, the advent of two highly effective treatments for COVID is nothing short of game-changing. (Amesh Adalja, 11/22)

It is becoming clear that a new wave of covid-19 is gathering strength. The situation is worsening most rapidly in Europe, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the present surge could end up being worse than anything her nation has seen to date. Health Minister Jens Spahn was more melodramatic, saying Monday that by the end of winter, “just about everyone in Germany will probably be either vaccinated, recovered or dead.” (Eugene Robinson, 11/22)

Do you remember how COVID-19 impacted your holidays last year? Chances are this year is looking a little more normal — family gatherings, sporting events, shopping and all the other things we love about this time of year. But normal is far from reality in our hospitals and clinics. After weeks of increasing infections, Minnesota now has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the nation. (Andrea Walsh, 11/22)

When the travel ban was finally lifted this month, Brits visiting the U.S. got a shock. Not only were rapid Covid tests hard to find; prices were at rip-off levels. A survey conducted by the Independent newspaper found an antigen test at Orlando International Airport cost $65; it was $75 in San Francisco and $100 in a Washington, D.C. travel clinic. (Therese Raphael, 11/23)