Archive for September 2024

An organ donation sign is displayed at a blood donation center in London, England. One high-profile case study of a public health nudge gone awry is an “opt-out” policy that makes organ donor enrollment the default choice, which the U.K. adopted for adults in 2020. Families must consent for those under 18.

There are a number of reasons why this summer’s COVID wave has been surprisingly strong. One is the emergence of successive hyperinfectious coronavirus subvariants. In the spring, some of the subvariants collectively nicknamed FLiRT, including KP.2, began a midyear wave. That was followed by ever-more-contagious successor subvariants — KP.3 (nicknamed FLuQE, pronounced “fluke”) — and the latest, KP.3.1.1 (nicknamed deFLuQE).

Understanding grief as shattered glass reminds me to accept the sharp edges of being alive. It reminds me that grief is unique and that mine need not look like anyone else’s. It helps me accept that we can never completely clean up what breaks.