Stigma is COVID-19′s silent complication | Morning Newsletter
And, your guide to the high-stakes Pa. 2022 U.S. Senate race.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
First: The unseen stigma of having COVID-19 has evolved since the pandemic started.
Then: We’ve got a full guide for you on the high-stakes 2022 U.S. Senate race in Pa.
And: Defending the lives of their players amid extraordinarily traumatic experiences has taken its toll on high school coaches in the Philly area for years.
P.S.: Our homepage got a new look.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
When the virus began to spread a year ago, so much was unknown. For some who tested positive, they felt a stigma.
As we learned more and more about the virus, there were feelings of guilt. On top of symptoms, people dealt with the internalized shame of being associated with the coronavirus. Others were terrified that neighbors might even mistreat them based on an assumption that they hadn’t been responsible about keeping their social distance. It all illustrated the prevalent fear of the societal perception that they pose a danger to the public health.
But the more open the dialogue has become, the more that’s changed. Experts say “confronting stigma begins with admitting we feel a certain way about COVID-19 and being candid with others.”
To get a sense of how things have evolved in a year’s time, reporter Sarah Gantz spoke with people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic about their experiences.
Control of the U.S. Senate is at stake. This determines how much President Joe Biden can possibly get done when it comes to passing laws and appointing judges.
John Fetterman and Malcolm Kenyatta got in the race early in Pennsylvania, and Val Arkoosh is expected to jump in soon, but it could still take months before the contest comes into full view. And there are plenty more factors hovering at the edges of this story. Washington groups are lying low, and a two-tiered timeline has already emerged. One highly relevant question that’s already in play is this: How will congressional redistricting affect the race?
Let reporters Jonathan Tamari and Andrew Seidman be your guides. They spoke with roughly two dozen public officials, political operatives, and campaign donors — most of whom requested anonymity to discuss internal party deliberations freely. Here’s what to keep an eye on when it comes to the 2022 U.S. Senate race.
Daily coronavirus case counts in Philly have doubled in the last month. Track the spread here.
A fear of needles or injections may keep some from COVID-19 vaccine. This treatment can help.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
This is a step-by-step process on how the COVID-19 vaccines work.
Is indoor dining safe once I’ve had the vaccine? Experts are split on the risk involved.
What you need to know today
Amid extreme circumstances facing players, many coaches find themselves seeking answers no teaching or coaching manual would have.
This is how Philly’s pandemic budget hole compares with other cities’.
Today, Joe Biden is returning to Pittsburgh, the place where he held his first presidential campaign rally.
Rapper Dark Lo pleads guilty to threatening a witness who helped put North Philly rap star AR-Ab in prison.
A man and a woman were charged with murder after a Northeast Philly man’s body was found in U-Haul truck.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Thanks for this masterpiece in a puddle, @staceyelle.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
🌸 We’ve got the best spots to see cherry blossoms in Philly and when they’ll be in peak bloom.
🧠 Go to the brain gym with the exercises for a naturally aging mind.
🥘 Craig LaBan introduces us to the new restaurant Li Beirut, which offers a taste of the chef’s home country to “show support for the Lebanese people.”
💰 Yelp can be an effective tool for small businesses as the economy heals, but there are some crucial things to know first.
💻 Meet the Zoom posse rolling deep with 107 members from the region who helped each other get jobs and support in the pandemic.
🐴 We talked to Idris Elba about how his star turn in Concrete Cowboy all started with a surprise Philly encounter. It hits Netflix this Friday.
🎙️ The Philly-based Entercom radio station owner is rebranding as Audacy multi-platform audio content and entertainment organization with a big podcast push.
Opinions
“The slaying of a beauty queen seeking her Ph.D. is another sign of how out of control gun violence is,” columnist Jenice Armstrong writes about a story that stopped her.
“I visited her and her two daughters at her Kabul home in 2011. Her life story shows how much has changed in 20 years,” columnists Trudy Rubin writes about no peace in Afghanistan unless women’s rights are protected.
In his newsletter, columnist Will Bunch writes that he is boycotting Coke, Delta, UPS, and the Home Depot over a Georgia law.
What we’re reading
South Philly’s singing fountain could get a whole new look, and that’s started a bit of a conversation, Philly Mag reports.
One post-pandemic possibility in Ireland? Working from the pub, and the BBC has the story.
Physicists think they finally have a totally inexplicable, totally glowing mystery in the Milky Way pegged.
This extracurricular club at Temple creates human and animal prosthetics and other bio-mechanical devices for people who might not be able to afford them. Students of various disciplines have joined in on the club full of up-and-coming leaders.