The world has lost a hero. Archbishop Desmond Tutu led with his values, empathy and optimism. He put everyone he met at ease with his incredible laugh and energy. He inspired me with his sense of purpose to build peace out of the struggle of oppression. I will miss him greatly.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is sharing books with family and friends. Here are 5 books I loved reading this year: https://t.co/lhvffVsmgC

Mamello Makhele is a hero from Lesotho who traveled by foot and donkey to bring health services to women in need during the pandemic. Her story is nothing short of inspiring: https://t.co/UyI4x0VxhK https://t.co/3MLP5nvm5l

I know it’s frustrating to go into another holiday season with COVID looming over us. But it won’t be like this forever. Someday the pandemic will end, and the better we look after each other, the sooner that time will come.

If there’s good news here, it’s that omicron moves so quickly that once it becomes dominant in a country, the wave there should last less than 3 months. Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022.

There will be more breakthrough cases in people who are vx’d, which sounds concerning but is purely a factor of how many people are vx’d and how fast this variant is spreading. Vaccines are designed to prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying &amp; are doing that well.

In the meantime, we all have to look out for each other, especially the most vulnerable, whether they live down the street or in another country. That means wearing masks, avoiding big indoor gatherings, and getting vaccinated. Getting a booster gives the best protection.

The big unknown is how sick omicron makes you. We need to take it seriously until we know more about it. Even if it’s only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it’s so infectious.

Omicron is spreading faster than any virus in history. It will soon be in every country in the world.