COVID-19 rapid tests are imperfect but highly useful. Here’s what you should know.

JANUARY 3, 2022

THE BIG STORY

Two people remain missing after fires swept through Colorado, destroying almost 1,000 homes

The remains of a home destroyed by wildfires is draped by nearly a foot of snow in Superior, Colorado, on Jan. 1. David Zalubowski / AP

A fast-moving wildfire in Colorado last Thursday destroyed some 991 structures and damaged 127 others in Superior and Louisville, as well as unincorporated Boulder County. Officials say at least two people whose homes were destroyed are missing. A third person who had been missing Saturday has since been accounted for.

The fires burned over 6,000 acres, and were ultimately extinguished when 8 inches of snow began falling in the area on Friday. Jennifer Balch, a fire scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told the Denver Post the fires were exacerbated by a climate change–related dry spell that turned grassland into highly flammable kindling.

"Climate change is definitely a part of this story in that fire seasons are longer," Balch said. "We don't have a season any longer. We are now looking at yearlong fires."

Local, state, and federal officials are on the ground in Colorado to assist people in finding housing and dealing with insurance companies, but Gov. Jared Polis said many residents are still in shock. "Just a few days ago, you were celebrating Christmas at home and hanging your stockings, and now home and hearth have been destroyed," he said. "The reality, I know, hasn't even set in for so many folks who've lost everything."

😷 STAYING ON TOP OF THIS (PANDEMIC)

The latest on CDC guidance and rapid tests in three bullet points

The CDC might recommend asymptomatic people test negative for COVID-19 before breaking isolation. The guidance released by the CDC last week halved the number of days that people infected with the virus who are not exhibiting symptoms need to isolate themselves from 10 to five. But scientists told BuzzFeed News they were surprised and alarmed there was no recommendation that people produce a negative test prior to reentering public life.
This is what you should know before taking a rapid COVID-19 test. Rapid tests give fast results — in about 15 minutes. But they may not be as accurate very early in an infection compared to PCR tests, which can take a day or more to get results.
It's taking longer for tests to show a positive result than at the beginning of the pandemic. Now that millions of people have either had COVID, been vaccinated, or in some cases both, symptoms generally start sooner.

SNAPSHOTS

The BBC said interviewing Alan Dershowitz, who allegedly sexually abused one of Epstein's victims, was actually "not suitable." The network has come under fire for airing a segment about the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict that featured commentary from Dershowitz, while failing to disclose his abuse allegations to viewers.

A business owned by an FBI agent in the Michigan kidnapping case should be fair game at trial, defense attorneys claim. Attorneys for all five federal defendants argued that they should be permitted to explore the topic of agent Jayson Chambers' business at trial because it represents an "apparent conflict of interest."

The 32 most defining memes of 2021. Long live that boat that got stuck in the damn Suez Canal.

BLOCKED

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Twitter account has been permanently suspended

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, with Republican colleagues Matt Gaetz and Louie Gohmert, at a press conference on Capitol Hill last month. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

Twitter permanently blocked the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday for her repeated violations of the website's policies on COVID-19 misinformation. Greene's account had more than 465,000 followers at the time of its suspension.

The suspension was prompted by a tweet Greene authored on New Year's Day in which she called COVID vaccines "dangerous" and falsely said that "extremely high amounts of covid vaccine deaths are ignored." According to scientists and medical authorities, COVID vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious illness, even against more contagious variants, such as Omicron and Delta.

Greene is the first member of Congress to have her personal political account banned from Twitter. The Georgia Republican is not technically banned from Twitter, since she will still have access to the account for her congressional office, @RepMTG. In a defiant message posted on Telegram after her suspension, Greene said, "Twitter is an enemy to America and can't handle the truth."

GOLDEN GIRL

A look back at Betty White's iconic career

Betty White at the media preview for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's Beastly Ball fundraiser on June 11, 2015 Vincent Sandoval / WireImage

Beloved TV icon Betty White died Dec. 31 just weeks before she was to turn 100. Los Angeles authorities confirmed that officers responded to her address for what was believed to be a "natural cause of death," but did not provide further details.

White was best known for her role as naive St. Olaf, Minnesota, native Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 to 1992 and earned White an Emmy Award and six nominations. While her part on the endlessly rerun series may have gotten her the most name recognition, White's career began long before The Golden Girls and went on for decades after:

White looks over her shoulder in a canvas chair with her name on the back in 1956. Hulton Archive / Getty Images

White and Allen Ludden pose together on Feb. 14, 1972. Ludden proposed twice before White accepted. Their romance blossomed and they remained together until Ludden's death. White never remarried. ABC Photo Archives / Getty Images

The cast of The Golden Girls. From left: Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, and White as Rose Nylund. Ron Tom / NBCU Photo Bank

Do something today that you want to carry with you into the new year,

Alexa

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