> > > PRESENTED BY BCG > MARCH 23, 2021 > > Isabel Fattal > Assistant editor > Can you get sick even after being vaccinated? How many Americans are still > vaccine-hesitant? What do I make of this state’s pandemic response? Today our > writers help you sort through the messaging around vaccines and safety at > this stage of the crisis. > The COVID-19 Pandemic > > > (GETTY / ADAM MAIDA / THE ATLANTIC) > For many of us, this past year was filled with many frantic hours spent > trying to understand an evolving crisis. We were, as our contributing writer > Tom Nichols puts it, like “fish darting about in a tank that’s been sprinkled > with food.” The instinct to forage for information can be dizzying—and not > always useful, Tom argues. > > Today, our writers make sense of some of the thorniest issues of the ongoing > pandemic. > > The experts had a rough year. We still have to trust them. “When the pandemic > recedes—and after we have reflected on all of this death and heartbreak—we’ll > need to recover some perspective and learn once again when to put aside gut > instincts and listen to the people who know what they’re doing,” Tom writes. > Liberals and conservatives latched on to opposing narratives about Florida’s > pandemic response. What if both were wrong? Headlines alternately claim that > Florida “is an economic heaven and a pandemic hell,” Derek Thompson writes. > “If the numbers can tell us anything at this point, it’s that Florida is > neither.” > Don’t panic about reports of vaccinated people who have gotten infected. > “Breakthrough infections, which occur when fully vaccinated people are > infected by the pathogen that their shots were designed to protect against, > are an entirely expected part of any vaccination process,” Katherine J. Wu > explains. > America is now in the hands of the vaccine-hesitant. “If vaccine acceptance > tops out where it is right now, at less than two-thirds of American adults, > then the pathway out of this pandemic could stretch and twist into the > future,” our science editor Daniel Engber warns. > > (ELENA XAUSA) > One question, answered: > > A reader seeks tips for their sixth grader, who “immediately seems to forget > everything he studies,” but “remembers non-school-related information fine.” > > Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer respond in our latest “Homeroom” column: > > Memorization techniques—or “tricks,” as you call them—can be useful, but they > need to follow deeper comprehension. To better retain what he’s learning, Tom > should focus on understanding the material before committing it to memory. > Then all those facts he needs to recall for the next day will have something > to stick to. The question is how to build that initial comprehension. For > many students, a bulky block of text is difficult to process. > Keep reading. Every Tuesday, Abby and Brian take questions from readers about > their kids’ education. Have one? Email them at homer...@theatlantic.com. > > What to read if you’re processing the Boulder, Colorado, shooting: > > Twenty years ago, as he covered Columbine, John Temple thought everything > would change. It hasn’t. “I’ve seen the limits of journalism—and of hope,” he > writes in a 2019 essay. “And I’m struggling with what to do about it.” > SPONSOR CONTENT BY BCG > > Creating a national museum is a lot like implementing policy in a > presidential transition. Learn how in American Metamorphosis, a new podcast > from Boston Consulting Group and Atlantic Re:think, the branded content > studio within The Atlantic. > The Atlantic Crossword > > 1-Across, six letters: Reaction to some uncomfortable comedy > > Try your hand at our daily mini crossword (available on our site here), which > gets more challenging through the week. > > → Challenge your friends, or try to beat your own solving time. > About Us > > Thanks for reading. This email was written by Isabel Fattal. > > Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here. Need help? Contact > Customer Care. > Most Popular on The Atlantic > > You’re Not Fully Vaccinated the Day of Your Last Dose > The Curious Case of Florida’s Pandemic Response > Biden Just Showed Us What He Really Values > ‘Netanyahu Is Playing With Fire With the Democrats’ > The Dehumanizing Logic of All the ‘Happy Ending’ Jokes > Listen to The Experiment podcast > > True democracy was a myth at America’s founding. Is it any more of a reality > today? In this weekly series, Julia Longoria explores the powerful ideas that > shaped the United States—and what happens when we try to bring those ideas > down to earth. > Listen Now > > THE ATLANTIC DAILY NEWSLETTER > > You’re receiving this newsletter because you’ve signed up to receive The > Daily. See all of our newsletters. > > Subscribe to The Atlantic | Get The Atlantic’s iOS app > > > > This email was sent to roland.fran...@gmail.com > You've signed up to receive newsletters from The Atlantic. > If you wish to unsubscribe The Atlantic newsletters, click here. > > To update your Atlantic Media email preferences, click here. > > Atlantic Media · The Watergate · 600 New Hampshire Ave NW · Washington, DC > 20037
