Science Writer Ed Yong on the Omicron Surge — and Why He Canceled His 40th Birthday Party

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Mina Kim

Dec 21, 2021 at

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People travel through the George Bush Intercontinental Airport on December 03, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Many countries have tightened travel restrictions after it was announced the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant, named Omicron. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Last December, amid news of effective vaccines and a new administration, Atlantic science writer Ed Yong tweeted that he was “gently hopeful” about getting to celebrate his 40th birthday party in person in 2021 with a few dozen friends. A lot can change in a year. With a third wave of Covid looming thanks to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Yong made the tough call to cancel his party last week. We talk with Yong about the latest Omicron developments and preview President Biden’s planned Tuesday address to the nation on Covid.

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Ed Yong, science writer, The Atlantic. His recent articles are "America Is Not Ready for Omicron" and "I Canceled My Birthday Party Because of Omicron.”

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