Moving in: How to build connections in your new community

SNS - Moving to a new city can be an exciting adventure, but it often comes with the challenge of knowing how to build community connections. Establishing these connections is crucial for creating a sense of belonging and developing a supportive network in your new environment.

When you feel connected to your community, you’re more likely to feel at home and less isolated. Building relationships with neighbors, joining local groups, and participating in community events can significantly enhance your experience in a new city. These connections provide emotional support, practical help, and opportunities to engage in social activities, all contributing to your overall well-being and happiness.


Once you’ve settled in, attending local events is a fantastic way to build connections in your new city.

Whether it’s finding a friendly face to share a cup of coffee with or someone to rely on in times of need, the benefits of fostering community connections are immense. Here are practical steps to help you quickly and effectively build these essential ties in your new city.

Ease Your Move In and Engage with the Community
Navigating the challenges of relocating to a new city involves more than just unpacking boxes. It's also about settling into a new life. One of the first hurdles many face is the logistical and emotional strain of the move itself. Companies like A2B Moving and Storage DC specializes in helping individuals and families transition smoothly to their new homes. With a comprehensive range of services, including packing, transportation, and storage solutions, they alleviate much of the stress associated with moving. By handling the physical aspects of the move, expert movers free you up to focus more on integrating into your new community and less on the details of the move itself. Hiring a professional mover ensures that your belongings are safely and efficiently relocated, allowing you to build those new community connections with peace of mind.

Build Community Connections: Join Local Groups and Organizations
After you unpack and settle into your new home, joining local groups and organizations can be a great way to build community connections. You can join various groups depending on your interests and hobbies. Hobby clubs, such as book clubs, gardening groups, or cooking classes, offer a chance to meet people with similar passions. Sports teams and fitness classes, like soccer leagues, running clubs, or yoga sessions, provide opportunities to stay active while socializing. Volunteer organizations are another excellent option, allowing you to contribute to the community while connecting with like-minded individuals.

Finding and joining these groups can be straightforward, with a few practical tips. Start by checking community bulletin boards at local libraries, coffee shops, and community centers for flyers and announcements. Online platforms like Meetup, Facebook, and local community websites are valuable resources for discovering local groups. Attend local events and ask residents about groups they are part of. Don’t hesitate to contact organizations or group leaders to express your interest. You'll quickly become a part of the community by actively seeking out and participating in these groups.

Attend Community Events
Once you’ve settled in, attending local events is a fantastic way to build connections in your new city. These events, such as festivals, markets, and town meetings, are crucial in fostering a sense of community. They provide opportunities to meet new people, learn about local culture, and discover community resources. Whether you’re interested in art fairs, music festivals, or local farmers' markets, there’s always something happening that can help you feel more integrated into your new surroundings. Town meetings are especially valuable as they offer insights into local issues and allow you to voice your opinions and participate in decision-making.

Booth at Crystal Lake Art Fair in August

Shoppers try on jewelry at the Red Ember Forge booth at the Crystal Lake Park Art Fair on August 3. There are always events in a community that can help newcomers meet new people and start networking with residents with similar interests. Art fairs and community festivals are great places to make new friends.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Finding information about upcoming events can be simple with a few strategies:

  • Community Bulletin Boards: Check bulletin boards at local libraries, coffee shops, and community centers.
  • Local Newspapers: Browse the events section in local newspapers or online editions.
  • Social Media: Follow local community groups, pages, and event listings on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
  • City Websites: Visit the official city or town website for a calendar of events and activities.
  • Word of Mouth: Talk to neighbors and new acquaintances about events they recommend.
  • Regularly attending these events, you stay informed and find countless opportunities to meet people who might share your interests, such as gardening tips or home renovation ideas, enhancing your sense of belonging in the community.

Utilize Social Media and Online Platforms
Social media and online platforms play a significant role in helping newcomers connect with community members in a new city. These tools make finding local groups, events, and activities that match your interests easier. Platforms like Facebook have numerous community groups where residents share news, recommendations, and social gatherings. Joining these groups can provide insights into local culture and events, helping you feel more at home.

Flamenco dancer teaches workshop

Dancers learn the art of Flamenco during a workshop at Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana in March 2023. Finding groups that match your social interest is relatively easy, thanks largely to groups posting activities on social media.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Nextdoor is another valuable platform specifically designed for neighborhood connections. It allows you to communicate with nearby residents, share resources, and stay updated on local happenings. Meetup is ideal for finding social groups and activities based on your hobbies and interests, whether a book club, hiking group, or a professional network.

Engage with Neighbors
Building relationships with your neighbors can greatly enhance your sense of belonging after moving to a new city. Engaging with the people who live around you not only creates a friendly atmosphere but also establishes a support network. Here are some effective strategies and activities to help you connect with your neighbors.

Initiating Conversations
Starting a conversation with neighbors can be as simple as a friendly greeting. Introduce yourself when you see them outside or during casual encounters in common areas. Ask about local recommendations, such as good restaurants or parks, to show interest in their opinions. Sharing small favors, like offering help with carrying groceries or lending a tool, can break the ice and open up further dialogue. Hosting a casual get-together at your home, like a coffee morning or a barbecue, provides a relaxed setting for more in-depth conversations.

Friends playing mixed doubles tennis
Participating in recreational sports groups is a great way to have fun and meet new people.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Neighborhood Activities
Participating in neighborhood activities is a great way to foster connections. Block parties are an excellent opportunity to meet multiple neighbors in a festive environment. You can suggest organizing one or join if there's already a plan. Local gatherings, such as community clean-ups or holiday celebrations, also unite neighbors. Joining or forming a neighborhood watch group can build camaraderie and contribute to the safety of your area.

Participate in Local Initiatives
Getting involved in community projects and initiatives can significantly impact your sense of connection in a new city. These activities allow you to contribute positively to your surroundings and help build stronger ties with residents. For example, participating in local beautification projects, such as park clean-ups or tree planting, can bring you together with neighbors who share a common goal.

Volunteering at community centers or local schools provides opportunities to meet people and make meaningful contributions. Joining neighborhood safety initiatives, like a watch group, promotes a safer environment and fosters trust among residents. These efforts can lead to lasting friendships and a deeper sense of community. Much like creating cozy spaces in your home, participating in local initiatives helps you feel more settled and integrated, making your new city feel like home.

The Importance of Building Community Connections
Knowing how to build community connections in a new city is essential for creating a sense of belonging and developing a supportive network. Engaging with neighbors, joining local groups, attending community events, utilizing social media, and participating in local initiatives can significantly enhance your experience and make your new city feel like home. These connections provide emotional support, practical help, and opportunities for social interaction, contributing to your overall well-being and happiness. Don’t hesitate to take the first step – introduce yourself to a neighbor, attend a local event, or join a community project.


5 Easy Ways to Enhance Digestive Health

Photo:Angele J/Pexels

Family Features -- As your social schedule picks up steam and you attend more social gatherings and celebrations, you may find yourself with an unexpected issue: digestive troubles. Problems like this can have a negative impact on your overall wellness, so it's important to make healthy digestion a priority.

According to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of how to live long and be healthy, the health of the digestive system is the core of optimum health. Ayurvedic medicine asserts the digestive system is based on the strength and balance of its Agni (fire), which enables the body to absorb, digest and assimilate food. The teachings suggest an imbalanced Agni creates undigested residues, which form toxins that create imbalances and can lead to disease.

Some of the dietary guidelines for healthy digestion and strong Agni include:

  • Allowing 4-6 hours between meals
  • Avoiding eating between meals
  • Avoiding foods with cold, wet and heavy qualities
  • Drinking ginger tea or hot water to stimulate the Agni
  • Starting a meal with pungent (hot), sour and salty flavors
  • Consuming a small amount of bitter taste before a meal to increase the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach

Take steps to protect and nurture your digestive health with these tips:

Add Fiber to Your Diet Plant-based foods that are high in fiber fill you up faster, so you're less likely to overeat, and they also help with digestive regularity. Increase your intake of high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Take a gradual approach to avoid upsetting your digestive tract and bump up your water intake as you go since fiber will absorb it and decrease the likelihood you experience gas or cramping.

Stay Hydrated Keeping your body well hydrated is like making sure your car's engine is well lubricated. It keeps all your moving parts in sync and operating for top performance. Some fluids can also help with detoxification, which can be especially beneficial when your social calendar is full and your opportunities to overindulge are greater.

An option like Buddha Teas' Detox Dharma contains detoxifying herbs that stimulate your digestive system. Strengthening and soothing herbs are also incorporated into this balanced formula resulting in an effective yet gentle detox tea. For another solution, Turmeric Ginger Tea contains enough black pepper to make curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) bio-available in hot water, helping build healthy Agni.

Eat Slower In today's busy world, it's easy to scarf down a meal in record time. However, slowing down gives your body more time to process food. You'll give your brain more time to communicate with your stomach and be more aware of when you've satisfied your hunger.

Start Exercising If you need one more reason to get moving, your digestive health could be it. Regular physical activity promotes better digestion. However, if you jump into a workout too quickly after eating, you could actually do the opposite. Eat light before exercising then have a protein-rich balanced meal for recovery afterward.

Manage Stress Too much stress can manifest multiple physical problems, including interrupting your digestion. Try mindful meditation or another method of relaxing and relieving stress. Getting plenty of rest can also help keep stress in check. If you're looking for a good night of sleep, consider Buddha Teas' CBD Sleepy Buddha Blend. Herbs for calming and relieving stress are paired with organic, water-soluble, THC-free CBD to leave you feeling restored and rejuvenated.

Find more solutions for enhancing your digestive health at buddhateas.com.

Balancing the benefits and risks as scholastic sports comes back

by Laura Ungar
Photo by Brandon Mowinkel/Unsplash
This spring, high school senior Nathan Kassis will play baseball in the shadow of covid-19 — wearing a neck gaiter under his catcher’s mask, sitting 6 feet from teammates in the dugout and trading elbow bumps for hugs after wins.

"We’re looking forward to having a season," said the 18-year-old catcher for Dublin Coffman High School, outside Columbus, Ohio. "This game is something we really love."

Kassis, whose team has started practices, is one of the millions of young people getting back onto ballfields, tennis courts and golf courses amid a decline in covid cases as spring approaches. But pandemic precautions portend a very different season this year, and some school districts still are delaying play — spurring spats among parents, coaches and public health experts across the nation.

Since fall, many parents have rallied for their kids to be allowed to play sports and objected to some safety policies, such as limits on spectators. Doctors, meanwhile, haven’t reached a consensus on whether contact sports are safe enough, especially indoors. While children are less likely than adults to become seriously ill from covid, they can still spread it, and those under 16 can’t be vaccinated yet.

Less was known about the virus early in the pandemic, so high school sports basically stopped last spring, starting up again in fits and spurts over the fall and winter in some places. Some kids turned to recreational leagues when their school teams weren’t an option.

But now, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, public high school sports are underway in every state, though not every district. Schedules in many places are being changed and condensed to allow as many sports as possible, including those not usually played in the spring, to make up for earlier cancellations.

Coaches and doctors agree that playing sports during a pandemic requires balancing the risk of covid with benefits such as improved cardiovascular fitness, strength and mental health. School sports can lead to college scholarships for the most elite student athletes, but even for those who end competitive athletics with high school, the rewards of playing can be extensive. Decisions about resuming sports, however, involve weighing the importance of academics against athletics, since adding covid risks from sports could jeopardize in-person learning during the pandemic.

Tim Saunders, executive director of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association and coach at Dublin Coffman, said the pandemic has taken a significant mental and social toll on players. In a May survey of more than 3,000 teen athletes in Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin researchers found that about two-thirds reported symptoms of anxiety and the same portion reported symptoms of depression. Other studies have shown similar problems for students generally.

"You have to look at the kids and their depression," Saunders said. "They need to be outside. They need to be with their friends."

Before letting kids play sports, though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, coaches and school administrators should consider things like students’ underlying health conditions, the physical closeness of players in the specific sport and how widely covid is spreading locally.

Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the high school federation, has argued that spring sports should be available to all students after last year’s cancellations. She said covid spread among student athletes — and the adults who live and work with them — is correlated to transmission rates in the community.

"Sports themselves are not spreaders when proper precautions are in place," she said.

Still, outbreaks have occurred. A January report by CDC researchers pointed to a high school wrestling tournament in Florida after which 38 of 130 participants were diagnosed with covid. (Fewer than half were tested.) The report’s authors said outbreaks linked to youth sports suggest that close contact during practices, competitions and related social gatherings all raise the risk of the disease and “could jeopardize the safe operation of in-person education.”

Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, an infection control expert in Kentucky who runs the national patient safety group Health Watch USA, said contact sports are "very problematic," especially those played indoors. He said heavy breathing during exertion could raise the risk of covid even if students wear cloth masks. Ideally, he said, indoor contact sports should not be played until after the pandemic.

"These are not professional athletes," Kavanagh said. "They’re children."

A study released in January by University of Wisconsin researchers, who surveyed high school athletic directors representing more than 150,000 athletes nationally, bolsters the idea that indoor contact sports carry greater risks, finding a lower incidence of covid among athletes playing outdoor, non-contact sports such as golf and tennis.

Overall, "there’s not much evidence of transmission between players outdoors," said Dr. Andrew Watson, lead author of the study, which he is submitting for peer-reviewed publication.

Students, for their part, have quickly adjusted to pandemic requirements, including rules about masks, distancing and locker rooms.

~ Matt Troha

Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatrics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said all sorts of youth sports, including indoor contact sports such as basketball, can be safe with the right prevention measures. He supported his daughter playing basketball while wearing a mask at her Kirkwood, Missouri, high school.

Doctors also pointed to other safety measures, such as forgoing locker rooms, keeping kids 6 feet apart when they’re not playing and requiring kids to bring their own water to games.

"The reality is, from a safety standpoint, sports can be played," Newland said. "It’s the team dinner, the sleepover with the team — that’s where the issue shows up. It’s not the actual games."

In Nevada’s Clark County School District, administrators said they’d restart sports only after students in grades 6-12 trickle back for in-person instruction as part of a hybrid model starting in late March. Cases in the county have dropped precipitously in recent weeks, from a seven-day average of 1,924 cases a day on Jan. 10 to about 64 on March 3.

In early April, practices for spring sports such as track, swimming, golf and volleyball are scheduled to begin, with intramural fall sports held in April and May. No spectators will be allowed.

Parents who wanted sports to start much earlier created Let Them Play Nevada, one of many groups that popped up to protest the suspension of youth athletics. The Nevada group rallied late last month outside the Clark County school district’s offices shortly before the superintendent announced the reopening of schools to in-person learning.

Let Them Play Nevada organizer Dennis Goughnour said his son, Trey, a senior football player who also runs track, was "very, very distraught" this fall and winter about not playing.

With the reopening, he said, Trey will be able to run track, but the intramural football that will soon be allowed is "a joke," essentially just practice with a scrimmage game.

"Basically, his senior year of football is a done deal. We are fighting for maybe one game, like a bowl game for the varsity squad at least," he said. "They have done something, but too little, too late."

Goughnour said Let Them Play is also fighting to have spectators at games. Limits on the numbers of spectators have riled parents across the nation, provoking "a ton of pushback," said Niehoff, of the high school federation.

Parents have also objected to travel restrictions, quarantine rules and differing mask requirements. In Orange County, Florida, hundreds of parents signed a petition last fall against mandatory covid testing for football players.

Students, for their part, have quickly adjusted to pandemic requirements, including rules about masks, distancing and locker rooms, said Matt Troha, assistant executive director of the Illinois High School Association.

Kassis, the Ohio baseball player, said doing what’s required to stay safe is a small price to pay to get back in the game.

"We didn’t get to play at all last spring. I didn’t touch a baseball this summer," he said. "It’s my senior year. I want to have a season and I’ll be devastated if we don’t."

Your guide to enjoying the pumpkin spice season

Photo: Sabuzak Kim/Pixabay

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

DANVILLE - Pumpkin spice lattes, apple crisp macchiatos and chai lattes are staples of fall and winter. The drinks can boost your mood and energy and liven up social gatherings.

But drinker beware, says Caroline Brundage, a dietetic intern with OSF HealthCare. She says the concoctions contain more added sugar (sugar not naturally occurring in an ingredient) than you’d think. Some drinks have 50 grams or more of added sugar, she says. And Brundage has noticed more coffee shop drinks with higher levels of saturated fat.

“The biggest risk [of overconsuming these drinks] would be weight gain,” Brundage says. “That can lead to heart disease, diabetes and obesity.”

Her advice to enjoy fall drinks but stay healthy: modify the drinks, and consume them in moderation.

Ingredient swaps
Brundage suggests you do your research before getting hooked on a sugary drink. Look at the nutritional facts for high levels of added sugar, carbohydrates or saturated fat. If you’re purchasing on a coffee shop app, see how you can customize the drink. She points out a couple examples at Starbucks:
  • A 16-ounce apple crisp oat milk macchiato typically has four pumps of apple brown sugar syrup and a spiced apple drizzle topping. Ask the barista for two pumps and to skip the topping.
  • A 16-ounce pumpkin spice latte also has flavor pumps (four pumps of pumpkin sauce) and a topping (whipped cream), plus whole milk. Reduce it to two pumps, skip the topping and go with almond milk for fewer calories.

“That will probably cut your sugar intake by over half,” compared to a regular pumpkin spice latte, Brundage says. “So you can still enjoy that pumpkin spice flavor. You’re just not consuming all that added sugar.”

You can also ask your coffee shop if they have a sugar free syrup to use in your drink.

Another option is to make the drinks at home. A plus, Brundage says, is you know exactly how much of each ingredient is in the drink.

“There’s sugar free pumpkin spice creamer [at stores]. If you have an espresso machine, you could do two shots of espresso. Pour some creamer and unsweetened almond milk over that. Add in cinnamon,” Brundage suggests. She says cinnamon adds fall flavor without adding calories.

“You can also do your own pumpkin spice latte. Get canned pumpkin puree, and whisk it up with one tablespoon of maple syrup,” she adds.

Skip the whipped cream or other sugary toppings on these homemade drinks, too.

When and how we drink
Brundage says if you commit to a healthy diet and exercise then want a once-a-week sugary drink reward, the health concerns are not huge. But if you swing through the Dunkin’ drive through a few times per week, you need to keep her advice at the forefront. Consider swapping ingredients, purchasing a smaller size, making the drink at home or cutting back on the number of drinks.

Brundage also likes to pair these drinks with a protein-rich food to make her feel fuller and help prevent blood sugar spikes.


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Cuddling up: Cuffing season has started

The weather in central Illinois has started to turn cooler, the days are getting shorter and shorter. Gazing out the window, fall foliage is starting to appear. The sun's daily path crossing lower and lower on the southern horizon. This means not only that fall is here but for those of us single people not in some form of a committed relationship(s) that cuffing season is now open.


Photo: Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels


Fuel by a combination of biological need, psychology, societal pressure, and of course, creative holiday marketing, "Cuffing", is a phenomenon where men and women attach themselves to a romantic interest through the fall and winter months. According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, cuffing season is "... the time of the year when the weather starts to turn cold and single people begin the active search for romantic partners in the hope of having someone with whom to ride out the colder, snowier, bleaker months." Coincidentally, enclosed in what is considered a five-month season are the big three romantic holidays of the year.

While the practice of cuffing has probably been around since the dawn of mankind when humans migrated to cooler climates, the term "Cuffing Season" was popularized back in 2011 in the online Urban Dictionary. The phenomenon has been researched and debated by scientists and matchmakers alike. Commonly seen as monogamous winter frolicking among Millenials, cuffing knows no age barrier.

Cuffing can best be described as an extended Netflix & Chill, a winter test drive, or a four-month stand, all to stave off loneliness during the dreary winter months and fill the need for companionship under the sheets and in social settings. Depending on the expert you talk to, the season usually ends by mid-April. If you have ever started dating someone new between September and mid-November, then find yourself ghosted by your cuddle buddy around the first week of May, you were cuffed.

For the rookies and veterans alike, cuffing season closely resembles a typical championship series in professional sports. There are regular-season events like holiday office parties, dinner with the parental units, and gatherings at the homes of married friends itching to get you hitched just like them to attend. Then, there are four mandatory "championship" events - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and the Super Bowl of the season Valentine's Day - that paired up couples and companions to celebrate together.

Cuffing buddies are guaranteed dates, hands to hold, and arms to cling on as they make the social rounds during the holiday season. They are crucial in deflecting the annoying, endless queries wondering when will your serial singledom end. The best part for many is when the DJ spins a crowd favorite, they have a warm body to do the Double D or Electric Slide by their side. In addition to regular nocturnal activities and late-night footsies under the comforter, trapped cuffees with nowhere to run often must endure uninteresting minutiae from their partner's otherwise boring life, bad grooming habits, and sometimes embarrassing social grace.

Like college and pro sports, there is a recruiting process that can start as early as August. Prospective cuffs are evaluated, covertly tested, and vetted for the upcoming season during the three-month tryout period better known as 'summer flinging'. By the time Halloween - cuffing season's preseason event - is two or three weeks away, the attaching process started weeks earlier in the form of tailgating, pumpkin picking, and frequent Uber rides home together after last call.

In major cities like Denver, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, cuffing is played at another level with combines, so to speak, in the form of extravagant parties for singles to mingle and look for their winter bae. There is even a new cuffing season drink, mainly vodka and maple syrup, making a splash.

Cuffing season is Thanksgiving dinner with your new partner's family or yours. Cuffing season is a romantic romp on Christmas morning before opening gifts. Cuffing season is dinner, drinks, and New Year's Eve kisses. Cuffing season is dinner and shiny trinkets for Valentine's Day.

Cuffing season is officially over, some say, the day after Cupid has left the house on February 15. The uncuffing process usually takes another 30 days or so for one party or the other to weasel their way out of the relationship. Sometimes they will seemingly disappear completely off the face of the Earth. Sometimes, the breakups can be bitter, especially when one party develops stronger feelings of attachment.

However, cuffers sometimes beat the odds and move into a long-term, committed relationship. Couples that have enjoyed a variety of memorable shared experiences beyond the living room sofa are more apt to keep their relationship intact months longer into the summer and beyond.

Guest Commentary: Masked or not, at least say 'Howdy'

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


"Howdy," was a common everyday word where I grew up. Raised on old Stidham, now known as Milo road in rural Appalachia, I spent a lot of time at my Grandpa and Grandma Hinkle’s store. People came and went buying gasoline, sandwich meat, snacks or groceries for the week. There were cane bottom chairs in the store. Often people would sit and chat for a while.

Regardless of how many times during the week I walked down the road to that store, the opening salutation was typically, "howdy."

People were in and out of the Hinkle store doing business. A family member was often coming or going because my grandparents had raised ten children and there were many grandchildren who frequented the Hinkle business. Often, family members were buying a soda pop or just stopping in to say “howdy.”

We grew up on Milo speaking to most everyone who came and went. When a car drove by, we usually waved even though we didn’t always know them. At family or church gatherings we typically talked to everyone for a minute or two and shook hands or hugged a few people.

The only time I can remember our family being speechless was when fifteen or twenty of us were sitting on the porch and a man from New York City pulled up in an older car.

My grandpa had received an advertisement in the mail about a great used car he could buy for $500. He ordered the car to surprise my grandma and we were all really surprised when this man pulled in front of the store in an old beat up looking car. He had driven the car from New York City, which was a long drive on those roads back then.

After being drop jaw stunned silent for a few minutes, everyone loosened up and eventually started talking to the man who was just doing a job but now had to get back to New York. By this time, some of us were chuckling just a little. A couple of the family members took the guy over to Kermit, West Virginia to catch a Greyhound bus to begin his long journey back home.

A part of American culture has been hand shaking and embracing those we know. A part of most American religious gatherings has been shaking hands. One church I attended insisted on everybody hugging each other.

Covid-19 has impacted our world with death, sickness and business failures. The distancing for many of us continues to be tough. We wear our masks and seldom know who else is in the grocery store.

We’re fearful of going to the funeral home to honor and respect the deceased. Shaking hands or embracing anyone anywhere is typically totally unwelcome. Many holiday parties of large gatherings were fewer over the past holidays. People don’t want to be sick and so the distancing continues.

We do have the telephone, social media and email which helps us at least stay connected.

However, please keep in mind, when you do recognize someone at the grocery or any public place you may not feel comfortable embracing or shaking hands, but you can still convey a greeting and kindness by at least saying, "howdy."


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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of Grandpa's Store, American Issues, and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.


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Living on unemployment cannot be a long-term lifestyle

By Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


Americans hope they will never be bullied by a police officer. A man or woman with a badge and a gun can be an intimidating figure. If a cop pulls you over and bullies you, what can you do? Americans are at the mercy of bad cops.

Who hasn't been afraid of a police officer at one time or another? Police reform is obviously needed in America.

Black people or any people should never have to live in fear of a police officer who wants to prove that he or she has authority. We need good police officers who will protect us and help us. I believe the majority of officers are good people. However, this is no excuse to allow the bad ones to be out in uniform menacing anyone.

Americans hope they can work. I recently saw too many stores closed or boarded up in Cleveland, Ohio.

While visiting in the city I had hoped to stay at one hotel but learned this entire huge hotel has been totally closed due to the pandemic but hopes to reopen in August. These types of closures and boarded up businesses are good for no one.

Americans know that living on unemployment cannot be a long-term lifestyle. Unemployment runs out.

Typically, Americans can make more money working but the extra federal boost has been a major help to Americans.

Americans mentally feel better and make more money when they are working jobs and bringing home a paycheck. While Covid-19 has made it difficult for us, we must embrace all the necessary precautions and safety measures so we might ensure keeping our country working.

Americans hope for a cure to Covid-19.

Our present-day Americans have never faced anything like this before. America and the world have faced pandemics in the past but we have been fortunate to this point. Our time has come now to live through, survive and overcome this virus that has taken so many hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. We must support and pray for those who are working so hard for a cure.

Americans hope to get our lives back. We miss social gatherings. We miss going to our places of worship.

Only so much can be done at home for so long. Working at home, watching worship at home and doing everything at home is not all that much fun for many Americans. Some thought it would be great to do everything from home but many have gotten tired of never leaving the house. Many Americans will welcome the opportunity to go back to work, to church and the local gathering spots.

As we celebrate our independence, we look to God, pray for our leaders and have hope that we all will grasp and stand firm on this truth from our Declaration of Independence, "that all people are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

May we each hold to and extend this hope to every American.

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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.


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President Trump unveils new COVID-13 guidelines

Yesterday, President Donald Trump unveiled his Coronavirus Guidelines For America for the next 15 days during his White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing.

The two-page document included the routine hygienic recommendation of washing hands, sneezing into your elbow and avoiding touching one's face.

The guidelines include instructions such as avoid social gatherings of 10 or more people, avoid eating at restaurants and food courts as well as drinking in bar establishments, not to visit nursing facilities unless to provide critical assistance and to avoid discretionary travel.

The President's instructions also recommended utilizing delivery, pick-up and drive-thru options for fast food or dining. Many states like Illinois have already mandated that restaurants no longer serve dine-in clientele.

Click on this photo to see and download readable version

The President said his administration was doing "a very good job under the confines of what we are dealing with". He praised the way people working on suppressing the virus outbreak have come together to work hand-in-hand.

"It seems to me, if we do a really go job, we'll not only hold death down to a level much lower than the other way had we not done a good job," he said during the briefing while taking questions from reporters.

According to the COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard yesterday, there are 106 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Illinos. The are distributed throughout the state as follows: Cook 76; Lake 6; DuPage 5; Sangamon 4; Kane 3; McHenry 2; St. Clair 2; Winnebago 1; Peoria 1; Whiteside 1; Cumberland 1; Champaign 1; Clinton 1; Will 1; and Woodford with 1 case.

The second part of the document focus on America taking 15 days to the spread of the virus.

This page tells Americans to stay home if they feel sick and do not go to work. It also asks that if someone in your home test positive for the virus, that the entire household must stay home. No work, school or play and afflicted persons should contact a medical professional.

Click on this photo to see and download readable version

When asked how long Americans will have to endure the disruption in everyday life, President Trump responded that it was his favorite question and that he asked his team of experts that all the time.

"It seems to me, if we do a really go job, we'll not only hold death down to a level much lower than the other way had we not done a good job," he said. "People are talk about July, August (or) something like that. So it could be in that period of time."

He praised those who are taking common sense measures to avoid spreading the disease to the elderly and vulnerable population in the country.

"People are self-containing to a large extent," said. "We look forward to the day when we can get back to normal."



New mask ordinace takes effect Aug 24

In three days residents in Champaign County will be subject to a new public health ordinance requiring face coverings, specifically masks that cover the face and nose, to be worn. With thousands of University of Illinois students expected to return to campus in the four days and the subsequent expected rise in the number positive Covid-19 cases, the Champaign-Public Health District is taking a preemptive move to keep residents in the county safe.

The ordinance, which can be found here, applies to "all persons, businesses, workplaces and any other organizations within the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, which are the boundaries of Cunningham Township and of City of Champaign Township, Champaign County, Illinois." It further states that individuals shall be responsible on behalf of themselves and business on the behalf of their employees and customers are ordered to comply with the new law that goes in effect on August 24.

The new public health rule requires any individual over the age of two and able to tolerate a face covering to wear one when social distancing of six feet or more can not be maintained both indoors and out.

All businesses or facilities open to the public are mandated to require everyone, including employees and management, on their premises to wear properly-fitted masks. Masks may only be removed when eating or drinking. Individuals who refuse to voluntarily cover their face may be asked to leave the property.

Illinois became one of the first states in the country to enhance the penalty for assaulting a retail employee who request customers put on a mask or leave the store premises. Anti-maskers who become violent can be charged with a simple battery, a misdemeanor, which could possibly result in up to a year in prison and fines up to $2,500. Attacks could be charged as aggravated battery. It is a felony that can result in a sentence of up to five years in prison. The offender, if they have a criminal record, could pull as much as 10-year stint and/or fined up to $25,000.

Schools will observe the same measures as businesses. Students also permitted to remove their masks when outdoors and social distancing or while playing an instrument.

The final restriction makes it clear that gatherings of 50 or more people is prohibited until further notice or for 150 days.

Holiday celebrations are filled with triggers and temptations for those in recovery

by Lindsey Salvatelli
Rosecrance Health Network

CHAMPAIGN - It’s that time of the year when gift-giving, family gatherings, and cheers for the new year bring people together. Though it is perfectly normal to enjoy celebrations that are common around this time of year, the holidays can also be challenging for those in or new to recovery.

The holiday season is usually packed with social events, but this can cause people in recovery to feel lonely or anxious about the possibility of relapsing. For those who may have those concerns, it’s important they know that they are not alone - millions of Americans who are in recovery are also spending their holidays sober.

Although some individuals may have more experience staying sober than others, everyone needs to start somewhere. Those ready to have a safe, sober holiday should join the festivities with a plan.

During recovery, it is crucial to have a strong support network that includes 12-step meetings, sponsors, treatment centers, and loved ones, especially during the holidays. Individuals can benefit from having a list of AA or NA meetings ready and predetermined check-in calls with a sponsor or loved one to stay on track. Doing so can help establish the lifeline they need to step away from stressful social situations that could put their recovery in harm's way.

Planning how to get to holiday celebrations is crucial. Individuals need to have control over their transportation to leave quickly if needed. For those who don't have access to a vehicle, bringing a plus one who can support their recovery and be the designated sober driver can be beneficial. In an emergency, having a commuter app or a friend on speed dial who can help escape the situation can also be helpful.

Another helpful tip to prevent a relapse is to always have a non-alcoholic drink in hand. Holding a drink means there is less opportunity to be offered one, more control over what is being consumed, and avoiding a potentially awkward conversation about sobriety.

Though holiday celebrations can indeed be filled with relapse triggers and temptations, that doesn't mean that people in recovery should avoid enjoying these celebrations altogether. Spending the holidays with loved ones, free from any substances or alcohol, is worth a try. Still, it’s understandable if those new to recovery think they should avoid holiday celebrations.



Village Crier: January 6, 2021


Village community garage sale date set for April

With warmer weather still months away, the first date for community garage and yard sales is on the books. The St. Joseph Community Garage Sale will take place on April 8 - 10.


Billy Bob's settles case with the county

On New Year's Eve, Billy Bob's was issued a temporary restraining order by Judge Roger Webber for operating without a valid health permit. To avoid further unnecessary litigation, the Ogden eating establishment signed off on a settlement agreement with county public health agency on Tuesday to remain open for scaled back business operations.

After paying $50 reinstatement fee for their health permit and submitting to an inspection, starting Friday the restaurant under the water tower will be open for carryout service only. The establishment posted on Facebook their new hours for service will be Sunday thru Wednesday from 11a to 7p and Thursday thru Saturday from 11a-8p.

The settlement also included a provision that Billy Bob's submit a written plan detailing its plans to operate under current county ordinance and state COVID-19 mitigation restrictions.

Health authorities suspended the permit on December 11 for continuing indoor service for remaining open in defiance of the state mandated mitigation plan which forbid indoor dining. Billy Bob's continued to operate without a valid health permit before receiving court summons.

For more information on carryout service call (217) 582-2277.


St. Joseph youth baseball registration opens next week

Player registration for the St. Joseph Youth Baseball Little League opens on Saturday, January 23. Eligible players have until February 6 to sign up. A birthday chart to help determine which level a child will play can be found here.


Tolono studio photographer offers mini sessions

Give that special someone in your life a photo on Valentine's Day. Photographer Madeline Wilson is offering Valentine's Day mini sessions with families, kids, couples and/or pets in her studio located at 104 Main Street in Tolono. Sessions will begin on January 31 and run through February 14.

For more information visit Wilson's Facebook business page or call (217) 621-4159.


Tier 2 on the horizon

Earlier this week Governor J.B. Pritzker said any region below the required metrics can move into Tier 2 restrictions a week from tomorrow on January 15. That is welcomed news for athletes and restaurants in regions around the state, especially those that have done well at slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pathogen.

"We are watching closely in this incubation period post-Christmas and New Year’s. I am cautiously optimistic as there are some early signs that some regions have made real progress," Pritzker announced during an afternoon press briefing. The news comes after he extended the emergency COVID restriction Monday, requiring people to wear a mask for another 150 days.

In order for a region to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must experience less than 12 percent test positivity rate for three consecutive days, have more than 20 percent available intensive care unit (ICU) hospital bed availability and have declining COVID hospitalizations in 7 of the last 10 days. The Governor's team is waiting to see if there is a surge or spike of COVID-19 cases seeded from New Year's gatherings.

Locally there have seventeen new case identified in the past 48 hours. The Sentinel area saw the lowest number of active cases in over 51 days on Tuesday with 59. The number of infections have climbed to 71 likely from New Year's Eve revelry.

As of Wednesday night, 3,921 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. According state records, 783 of those patients were in the ICU and 450 patients on ventilators.


The Sentinel will help promote your business

If you own and operate a business located in Tolono, Sidney, Philo, Ogden, St. Joseph or Royal, fill out the form below to list your business or the services you offer in The Sentinel Business Directory. To list your business' contact information complete the online form here...


Send your business, social or community organization's press release or event information to The Sentinel at editor@oursentinel.com.

A college education is gift we can give to children of our American heroes

Audrey poses with a photo of her father
Ashley Audo, a student at Eastern Illinois University, poses with a photo of her father U.S. Army Major David Audo, who died while serving in Iraq in 2009. Audo is a recepient of a scholarship from the Children of Fallen Patriots.
Photo provided

NAPSI - While the holiday season is generally a time of joy and celebration, military families can often experience a very different range of emotions. Active service members and veterans returning home for the holidays might struggle to participate in family gatherings or even find the season particularly distressing. And, for the families of those service members who do not return, the holidays can be an agonizing reminder of a loved one’s absence. 

In the spirit of the season, honoring the sacrifice of all men and women who proudly served in our armed forces through charitable giving can make a big difference, especially for students like Ashley Audo.

"It means that he was willing to put his life on the line for his country, as well as his family," Ashley Audo, a student at Eastern Illinois University, said in her student spotlight on the Children of Fallen Patriots website. "My Dad loved what he did, and I am proud that he was able to find happiness in life."

Audo added: "Receiving this scholarship from Children of Fallen Patriots has impacted my life because, without it, I would not be able to reach my goals and achieve my dreams of being a nurse.".

Children of Fallen Patriots, a foundation that honors the sacrifices of fallen military heroes by helping ensure the success of their children through college education, has outlined several ways that showcase how charitable giving ensures strong futures. 

Support Veteran-Serving Organizations

Tens of thousands of non-profits exist in the United States dedicated to serving veterans and their families. With so many different veteran-serving organizations in the States, it’s crucial to ensure donations are doing the most good for heroes in need. 

A good way to evaluate an organization is to use Charity Navigator, a renowned nonprofit evaluation site. The site rates charities on the cost-effectiveness and overall health of their programs on a four-star scale, evaluating their measures of stability, efficiency, and sustainability. 

Care for Military Families in Need

Service members selflessly put their own lives on the line to ensure better lives for all Americans, but their families sacrifice much as well. While many organizations offer support directly to veterans, the family back home can get lost in the shuffle. 

Children of Fallen Patriots provides college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who lost a parent in the line of duty. Studies show that almost 25,000 children have lost a parent in the line of duty over the last 35 years. A college education is a significant financial burden, and the majority of surviving military spouses make less than $50,000 annually. 

Since 2002, Children of Fallen Patriots has provided over $61 million in support to over 2,700 children, including over 1,300 graduates. Additionally, the Gold Star family-focused nonprofit earned a perfect rating from Charity Navigator—an accomplishment less than 1% of the 200,000 rated charities have earned. 

"The best way to honor the sacrifice of our service members is to ensure better futures for their children," said David Kim, co-founder and CEO of Children of Fallen Patriots. "A college education is the single most important gift we can give to the children of our fallen heroes, especially during the holiday season—a particularly difficult and stressful time for Gold Star families."

Generosity Goes Beyond The Wallet

Making a donation is one of the easiest ways to support veteran-serving organizations, but plenty of options exist. 

More and more people give their time by coordinating fundraising events, such as bake sales and 5k runs. They also spread the word on social media so the country’s veteran community is supported and speak up about the issues that adversely affect them. 

For more information on how you can support the foundation, visit www.fallenpatriots.org. 


Update: This article has been updated to reflect that Maj. Audo lost his life in a non-combat related incident as reported by Military Times. Press release at the time of his demise indicate that Audo, 35, of St. Joseph, died on October 27, in Baghdad, from injuries sustained while assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 22nd Military Police Battalion, 6th Military Police Group.

A case for why opening restaurants and bars was a bad idea


by Caroline Chen, ProPublica


On Jan. 29, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was promoting "marital bliss" at a coronavirus news conference.

Announcing that indoor dining would reopen at 25% capacity in New York City on Valentine's Day, and wedding receptions could also resume with up to 150 people a month after, Cuomo suggested: "You propose on Valentine’s Day and then you can have the wedding ceremony March 15, up to 150 people. People will actually come to your wedding because you can tell them, with the testing, it will be safe. … No pressure, but it's just an idea."

Cuomo isn't alone in taking measures to loosen pandemic-related restrictions. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed indoor dining to resume at 25% capacity starting Feb. 1. Idaho Gov. Brad Little increased limits on indoor gatherings from 10 to 50 people. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is raising business capacity from 25% to 40%, including at restaurants and gyms. California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted stay-at-home orders on Jan. 25.

To justify their reopening decisions, governors point to falling case counts. "We make decisions based on facts," Cuomo said. "New York City numbers are down."

But epidemiologists and public health experts say a crucial factor is missing from these calculations: the threat of new viral variants. One coronavirus variant, which originated in the United Kingdom and is now spreading in the U.S., is believed to be 50% more transmissible. The more cases there are, the faster new variants can spread. Because the baseline of case counts in the U.S. is already so high — we’re still averaging about 130,000 new cases a day — and because the spread of the virus grows exponentially, cases could easily climb past the 300,000-per-day peak we reached in early January if we underestimate the variants, experts said.

Furthermore, study after study has identified indoor spaces — particularly restaurants, where consistent masking is not possible — as some of the highest-risk locations for transmission to occur. Even with distanced tables, case studies have shown that droplets can travel long distances within dining establishments, sometimes helped along by air conditioning.


Let’s pretend that politicians wake up and don’t reopen restaurants and we avoid a big wave in March. Then we’re running downhill on the vaccines because the pipeline gets better and better. Then we can get our lives back.

We’re just in the opening stage of the new variants’ arrival in the United States. Experts say we could speed viruses’ spread by providing them with superspreading playgrounds or slow them down by starving them of opportunities to replicate.

"We’re standing at an inflection point," said Sam Scarpino, assistant professor at Northeastern University and director of the school’s Emergent Epidemics Lab. Thanks to the arrival of vaccines, he said, "we finally have the chance right now to bring this back under control, but if we ease up now, we may end up wasting all the effort we put in."

Dr. Luciana Borio, an infectious disease physician who was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team’s COVID-19 advisory board, put it more bluntly at a congressional hearing on Feb. 3. "Our worst days could be ahead of us," she said.

I interviewed 10 scientists for this story and was surprised by the vehemence of some of their language. "Are you sure it could be that bad?" I asked, over and over.


Once in a while, when a virus replicates, a mistake occurs, and a letter in the strand of RNA is copied inaccurately. That’s called a mutation.

They unanimously said they expected B.1.1.7, the variant first discovered in the U.K., to eventually become the dominant version of coronavirus in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that B.1.1.7 will become dominant in March, using a model that presumes it’s 50% more transmissible than the original "wildtype" coronavirus. The model’s transmission rate was based on experience in the U.K., which first detected B.1.1.7 in September and saw an increase in cases that became apparent in December, straining hospitals despite stringent closures and stay-at-home orders. So while our country appears relatively B.1.1.7-free right now, the situation could look drastically different in a matter of months.

Experts are particularly concerned because we don’t have a handle on exactly how far B.1.1.7 has spread. Our current surveillance system sequences less than 1% of cases to see whether they are a variant.

Throwing an even more troubling wrench into the mix is that B.1.1.7 is continuing to morph. Just this week, scientists discovered that some B.1.1.7 coronaviruses in Britain had picked up a key change, known as the E484K mutation. That mutation had previously been found in the B.1.351 variant, which was first discovered in South Africa. Scientists have hypothesized that it’s the E484K mutation that has reduced the efficacy of some vaccines in South African trials, so this is incredibly worrying news.

"It’s really hard to thread this needle without sounding like a prophet of doom," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Science and Security. While vaccines bring hope, she said, governors who are moving to expand indoor dining are "completely reckless"; if they don’t course correct, "I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say the worst could be yet to come."

The choices that our federal and state leaders make right at this moment will determine if we can bend the curve once and for all and start ending the pandemic, or if we ride the rollercoaster into yet another surge, this one fueled by a viral enemy harder to fight than ever before.

All of us have agency in deciding this narrative, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stressed. "Certainly you need to be prepared for the possibility that things might get worse in the light of the variants, but that is not inevitable because there are things that we can do to mitigate against it,” he said in an interview. “We're not helpless observers of our own fate."

Fauci urged states to "double down on your public health measures … to have virtually everybody wear masks, to have everyone maintain social distance, to have everybody avoid congregate settings, and to have everybody wash their hands very frequently."

And don’t wait until it’s too late, warned Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

"We are so good at pumping the brakes after we’ve wrapped the car around the tree," he said. The new variants aren’t being complacent. "There’s still a lot of human wood out there for this coronavirus to burn."

To understand the epidemiologists’ warnings, it helps to understand what variants are, how they have been behaving and our limitations in knowing exactly how far they have spread.

People have a bad habit of anthropomorphizing the coronavirus: ascribing human-like intentions to it, as if a microbe can discern that we finally have a vaccine and try to evade it. But viruses don’t really have any schemes; they just reproduce. "Coronaviruses are a single strand of RNA in a sac of fat," epidemiologist Larry Brilliant reminded me. "They’re preprogrammed to replicate and continue replicating. That’s their job."

Once in a while, when a virus replicates, a mistake occurs, and a letter in the strand of RNA is copied inaccurately. That’s called a mutation. Many times, those mutations are neutral. Sometimes they are detrimental to the virus, and that lineage will quickly die off. Other times, they’re beneficial to the virus in some way, such as by making it more transmissible. When a version of the virus becomes functionally different, that’s when scientists consider it a variant.

As of Feb. 4, according to the CDC, the U.S. has found 611 cases of B.1.1.7, the variant first discovered in the United Kingdom, five cases of B.1.351, first identified in South Africa, and two cases of P.1., first identified in Brazil. But that’s almost certainly an undercount.

Part of the reason why epidemiologists are advocating for us to stay hunkered down is because the U.S. doesn’t know exactly where all the variant cases are.

The term that public health uses is "surveillance." I like to think of it as having eyes on the virus. In order to have good eyes on where coronavirus infections are in general, all you need is the regular swab tests that we’re all familiar with. But in order to tell whether a positive case is the wildtype coronavirus or one of the more nasty variants, an additional step is needed: genomic sequencing. For that, the sample needs to be sent on to a lab that has specialized machinery capable of conducting sequencing.

Until recently, sequencing in the U.S. was a patchwork effort, conducted by a mix of academic and public health agency labs keen to track the evolution of the coronavirus. Though the CDC hosted a weekly call where those scientists already conducting sequencing could compare notes, there was no dedicated federal funding or coordination to ensure that samples were routinely gathered from across the country.

Today, the U.S. sequences less than 1% of its total cases. This is a pittance compared to the U.K., which sequences around 8-10% of its positive test results. But volume alone isn’t the only thing that matters. Representation, meaning where the samples come from, is another crucial factor. Since most of the sequencing so far has come from voluntary efforts, the U.S. has suffered from uneven visibility, with a whole bunch of eyeballs in parts of the country that are biotechnology and academic hubs, like Boston, San Francisco and San Diego, and less in “surveillance deserts” like North and South Dakota. There, barely any samples have been sequenced at all, even when those states had explosions of COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Phil Febbo is chief medical officer at Illumina, one of the world’s biggest sequencing technology companies. Like so many parts of the coronavirus response, keeping a lookout for variants has suffered from a lack of federal leadership, Febbo said. As early as March of last year, Illumina representatives began meeting with federal agencies, advocating for a national genomic surveillance system.

"We talked to any three-lettered agency we could," Febbo said. "Those conversations were cordial: They said they heard what we were saying, but then they’d say, ‘But we need more tests, but can you do it in five minutes, can it be point-of-care?’" It wasn’t until Dec. 18, when B.1.1.7 was taking off in the United Kingdom, that Illumina finally got a call from the CDC offering to sign a contract with the company. (Since December, CDC has engaged Illumina to do surveillance work by signing twocontracts potentially worth up to $4.6 million.)

Today, Illumina sequences positive samples that are passed on from a diagnostic testing company, Helix. Each RNA strand of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has about 30,000 nucleotides, each represented by one of four letters. Illumina’s sequencers read through each sample’s code and compare each letter to a reference sequence, looking for significant changes. The data gets passed back to the CDC, which uses location data stripped of personal identifiers to map the spread of any variants that Illumina has picked up.

The CDC said it has contracted with several large commercial companies with the goal of sequencing up to 6,000 samples a week by mid-February. Through another program, called the National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance System, state public health labs are supposed to send a total of 1,500 samples to the agency every other week. This program went into effect on Jan. 25 and is still ramping up, according to a CDC spokesperson.

Febbo says more can be done to increase surveillance. He notes that the Biden administration, while clearly more invested in variant surveillance than the Trump administration, hasn’t set a public target in the same way it has for vaccinations with its "100 million shots" campaign. Illumina estimates that sequencing 5% of all samples would allow us to be confident that we are catching all variants of concern, and he would like the Biden administration to make that a public goal. It can be done, Febbo says: "It hasn’t been the lack of capacity, it’s been the lack of will."

Having clearer information about where variants are would give governors and local officials actual information with which to make decisions. Then they could say with confidence, "We can open indoor dining because we know that the variants aren’t circulating in our community." Absent that information, the only thing we can do is act like the variants are here.

The good news is that so far, the vaccines that have been made available to the public appear to be reasonably effective against the coronavirus variants. They may be slightly less effective against B.1.351, the variant discovered in South Africa, but none of the variants are total "escapes," so a vaccine should offer you at least partial protection against any form of the coronavirus you encounter.

All of the available shots give your immune system some familiarity with the virus, allowing it to be more prepared to meet the bug in the wild, whether it’s the original strain or a variant. Having a savvier immune system, in turn, means that even if you do get infected, you’re less likely to need to be hospitalized, and less likely to die.

"Regardless of what’s happening with this variant, we’re much better with [people’s immune systems] seeing SARS-CoV-2 after seeing the vaccine than not," said Derek Cummings, a biology professor at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute.

However, we’re not very far along with vaccinations yet. As of Feb. 4, only 2.1% of the U.S. population had been reported to have received both doses of the vaccine; 8.5% had received one dose. That means we’re in a precarious moment right now where the vast majority of the U.S. hasn’t had a chance to get protected, and the variants have a window to multiply. (Of course, those who have already gotten sick with COVID-19 have natural immunity, but some scientists are concerned that those who develop only mild symptoms may not gain as much innate immunity as those who receive a vaccine.)

Of the scientists I talked to, Caitlin Rivers, a computational epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, was the most optimistic about a potential variant-fueled surge. "I do think that B.1.1.7 has the possibility to precipitate a wave, but it probably won’t be as bad as the last wave, because we have a lot of preexisting immunity and we are rolling out the vaccines," she said. Thanks to the vaccines, the U.S. will have more population immunity by March, when the CDC predicts B.1.1.7 will become dominant, than the U.K. did when the variant hit there late last year. "It’s a low likelihood that we will have a gigantic fourth wave, but not impossible," she said.

Still, Rivers said, "now is not the time to relax." She, too, was critical of state policies to loosen restrictions. "When you create the same conditions that allowed the last surge, you should expect the same results," she said. “Our main move should be to reduce transmission as much as possible while we vaccinate as much as possible."

Time is not on our side, as the morphing B.1.1.7 variant showed us when it picked up the E484K mutation. While we are lucky that our vaccines still work against the current variants, we have to keep in mind that in this race between vaccines and variants, the variants aren’t staying static.

The big fear is that eventually, a variant will come along that provides the virus with a complete immune escape, preventing our vaccines from working against it. Even though we can update our vaccines, that would take time. The only way to guarantee that the virus won’t mutate into a variant that our current vaccines don’t cover is to lower transmission significantly, said genomic epidemiologist Alli Black: “The virus will continue to mutate as it continues to spread. We’re not going to stop that biological fact unless transmission stops.” And vaccinating everyone quickly is one key way to make it harder for the coronavirus to get from person to person in the first place.

“We need to start responding like the variants are going to take over and they are one of the biggest threats,” said Cummings, “or we won’t have vaccinated enough people when this rolls through.”

Throughout this pandemic, the U.S. has often been in the fortunate position of not being first when it comes to novel viral encounters. We weren’t the country where SARS-CoV-2 originated. We weren’t the place where B.1.1.7 was spawned. We’ve had the opportunity to look to other countries and learn from them, if only we’d choose to.

Epidemiologist after epidemiologist pointed out that the U.K., Denmark and Portugal required drastic measures — the dreaded L word, “lockdown” — to get B.1.1.7 under control. "We’ve seen that multiple different countries in Europe have had to close schools after making it a policy that schools would be the last to close," Rivers, from Johns Hopkins, noted.

If we don’t want the same fate to befall the U.S., now is the time to act, the scientists urged.

Improving surveillance can help. Utah Public Health Laboratory has a robust state sequencing program, analyzing a random sample of cases sent by the state’s two largest hospital groups. Kelly Oakeson, its chief scientist for next generation sequencing and bioinformatics, has set a goal of sequencing 10% of all cases in the state; his lab is currently doing about 3%. They could do more, he said. The only problem is that they don’t have enough pipette tips due to a national shortage. Oakeson said he’s hoping that the Biden administration will leverage the Defense Production Act to produce more pipette tips so he can increase his state’s surveillance capabilities.

“We can’t get transmission down through vaccination alone,” said Rasmussen, the Georgetown virologist. “We need to be encouraging leadership, both at the state and federal levels, to protect people, to have paid sick leave for people if they become symptomatic.”

A restaurant server in New York City, who was laid off early in the pandemic from a high-end steakhouse, told me he understood what the epidemiologists were saying from a scientific point of view. But, he asked, “if you want to shut everything down, who’s going to pay the bills?”

He continued, "In order to do what the epidemiologists want to get done, you can only do that with policies to support the people and make it worth their while to do it." He’s job hunting, and he said that if he was offered a position that put him indoors on Valentine’s Day, “I would have to take it.” He’d put on a double mask and go to work.

Whenever we have options, though, individual decisions can make a difference. Black, the genomic epidemiologist, encouraged everyone to limit travel as much as possible: "It just really facilitates introductions of these circulating variants."

Hang in there, urged Scarpino, the Northeastern professor, painting a hopeful picture: "Cases are coming down, vaccines are going up. Let’s pretend that politicians wake up and don’t reopen restaurants and we avoid a big wave in March. Then we’re running downhill on the vaccines because the pipeline gets better and better. Then we can get our lives back."

That sounded so tantalizing. Dream-worthy. Just a matter of good science-based public policy and collective compliance driving down the case counts until those little mindless RNA-filled fat sacs have nowhere to go, no one to infect, no way to replicate, no chances to mutate. I imagine them bumping around, lost without crowded indoor spaces to breed in, thwarted by vaccine-boosted immune cells, unable to find a host, dwindling, going, gone.

This story was originally published by ProPublica on February 6, 2021. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.




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