Forbes - Giving thanks

Plus: Alabama coach Nick Saban has Covid-19

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I’d encourage you to take a moment in silent gratitude for the nurses, doctors and other health professionals who won’t get a holiday, as rapid growth in Covid-19 cases continue to push hospital capacity to the limit. Though a vaccine may not be far off, the next few weeks will be a challenge for public health officials dealing with today’s politically polarized environment: a new poll shows 25% of Americans are ignoring CDC guidance about holiday travel, sparking concerns that the surge in new Covid-19 cases will continue. One bright spot: President-elect Biden’s transition team today received its first briefing on the Trump Administration’s vaccine program Operation Warp Speed, which should hopefully help with the continuity of pandemic response.

Business

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has extended the state’s ban on local communities adopting mask mandates. Meanwhile U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal introduced legislation for a nationwide mask mandate. 

Weekly jobless claims ticked up for the second week in a row to 778,000, a discouraging sign that the record-breaking surge in Covid-19 cases is beginning to impact the labor market.

Science & Health

Though it appears the virus that causes Covid-19 has mutated, these mutations don’t seem to be making it more contagious, say researchers. 

The CDC is considering changing its guidance to reduce quarantine time from 14 days to 10 days. 

On The Upside

The Why Not The How: Infectious disease expert Dr. Stephen Thomas says public health officials need to do more to communicate the importance of following Covid-19 health guidance by emphasizing the “why” - not just the do’s and don’ts.

“Each of us has value,” he says. “there are people who care about us, and, in some cases, people depend on us. We need to stay healthy for ourselves and for them.”