NSFW: Omicron Surge and Swear Words

First up: We’ve got the latest on the end of the Kellogg’s workers’ strike, the government hitting pause on student loan repayments again and emergency FDA authorization for Pfizer’s at-home COVID-19 pill. 

Then: If you’ve been wondering why we’re all still scrambling for rapid tests two years into the pandemic… you’re not alone. We Skimm’d Biden’s announcement this week on the plan for tackling Omicron - which includes revamping testing.

Next: Season Three of COVID-19 just dropped, and a lot of people are getting positive tests for the first time. We’ll ask two doctors what we should do if we test positive.

Plus: If you’re planning some serious sofa time over the holidays — whether you’re isolating at home, or just relaxing — we’ve got you covered. We’re sharing some of theSkimm staff’s top TV, film, book, and podcast recs from 2021.

Finally: We’re really done with being in a f****** pandemic. And apparently it’s showing up in all our language, because we’re all cursing a lot more. We’ll break down why, and what you can do if you wanna clean things up. 

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Dr. Amber D’Souza, infectious disease epidemiologist, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Lipi Roy, medical director, Housing Works

Dr. Kavita Patel, primary care physician and fellow, Brookings Institution 

Skimm HQ’rs Alaisha, Andrew, Anthony, Ciara, Clem, Erika, Graelyn, Niven, and Sarah 

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Skimm'd by Alex Carr and Ciara Long. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.