| The US suggests a pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Brazil struggles with a new strain, and the CDC publishes a new study on airplane exposure. Here's what you should know: Headlines I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, should I be worried? On Monday, health officials recommended pausing Johnson & Johnson vaccinations after six women who had received the vaccine experienced blood clots. These clots are extremely rare—just one in 1 million people so far. Lots of people get flu-like symptoms after a vaccination, but if you got the Johnson & Johnson shot somewhere between a week and a month ago, and you get a severe headache, backache, abdominal pain, or shortness of breath, talk to a doctor—and tell them you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The situation in Brazil continues to worsen, thanks in part to a variant Cases of Covid-19 in Brazil are surging, a situation that experts say is the result of a highly infectious strain and the government's response. Not only is the P-1 strain 2.5 times more infectious than the original strain, but it's also responsible for an increasing number of patients in their twenties, thirties, and forties being hospitalized. This variant has been found in more than half of US states. The CDC releases new research on reducing risk of airplane exposure A study published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday shows that the risk of virus exposure is reduced by 23 to 57 percent when the center seat in an airplane is vacant. Although the CDC still recommends avoiding travel for anyone who has not been fully vaccinated, those who are fully vaccinated can travel at low risk to themselves. Daily Distraction Plastic rain is the new acid rain. According to new modeling, 1,100 tons of microplastics are floating over the western US at any given time, and it's not coming from where you might think. Something to Read An excerpt from The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest by Mark Synnott explores one of mountaineering's greatest mysteries: Can a drone help find a missing dead man and a 100-year-old camera? Sanity Check Have you forgotten about Mother's Day? We got you. One Question Did the pause of Johnson & Johnson vaccines have anything to do with how effective it is? Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the president, has reassured Americans that the pause has nothing to do with the vaccine's efficacy. "The J&J vaccine is still a very highly efficacious vaccine for preventing Covid-19 disease," he said in an interview with CBS. "We want to make sure that safety is a very important issue without overreacting," he added. "That's the reason why they said 'pause.' They didn't say 'stop.'" Covid-19 Care Package 📦 The Covid-19 virus can linger on objects for as little as a few hours or as long as a couple of days, depending on the surface. Here's a look at the research. 😷 If you're planning to go out in public anytime soon, you're going to need a mask. Here are the best ones you can buy, or how to make one at home. 💉 The data is in, and the vaccines are working. Here's how to get an appointment in your area. 💻 Whether or not you're a work-from-home pro, here's how to stay productive without losing your mind. 😔 It's hard not to be anxious about a global pandemic, but here's how you can protect yourself and your family without spiraling and how to not hate the loved ones you're quarantined with. ✂️ It may still be a while before you can see your hairstylist, so here's how to cut your hair at home, plus other ways to keep yourself lookin' fresh. 🦠 Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. | 
