My heart goes out to the millions of parents of toddlers who have to nasal swab their kids for COVID each time a daycare classmate tests positive. My cousin tries to sweeten the deal for her two-year-old by calling it a “nose tickle.” And according to new FDA guidance, more tickles are called for if you want to be more confident that you’re not infected.
These do-it-yourself tests are less accurate than PCR tests that have to be analyzed in a lab. On the other hand, they’re a lot more convenient for most people, and the government will ship them to your door for free. Officials still recommend that you wait five days after a possible exposure before you test, because that’s about how long it takes for protein traces from the virus - known as antigens - to build up enough to be detected by a nasal swab. At least there’s plenty nose-ticklers to go around.
About a month ago, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, an alternative to 911 for people experiencing mental health emergencies, went live across the Unites States. A big part of the effort behind 988 was to prevent police from intervening in the majority of situations.
Most of the time, people experiencing mental health crises don’t pose an imminent threat to themselves or others. Instead, people who call 988 can speak to a counselor on the phone, and where available, a crisis team led by mental health professionals can be sent to their location. But some on social media have been warning of risks to calling 988: in particular that police can be sent, and that you can be hospitalized against your will. So should you call 988? Kaiser Health News reporter Aneri Pattani says that depends. Here’s what to consider, and some additional hotlines and resources.
Last week we asked NPR readers to share their tips on how to cope with the summer heat without air conditioning, as a follow-up to a story by heat wave researcher Dr. Gulrez Shah Azhar about how he dealt with super high temps while growing up in India. We got almost 900 responses from around the world. They include laying on a tile floor (from Singapore), sleeping with frozen water bottles (from Tennessee), and my personal favorite - pulling in the cool morning air with box fans, and then shutting the windows as it heats up outside. Our friends at Goats and Soda compiled some of the best advice. And this just occurred to me: how about a coworking swimming pool with waterproof laptops? Right??
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