(NPR) If you’re finding this stage of the pandemic especially confusing, you’re not alone

The omicron surge is declining fast in the U.S. One state after another is lifting their mask mandates.

But more than 175,000 people are still catching the virus, and more than 2,200 people are still dying from COVID-19, every day. And federal officials say it’s too soon to loosen restrictions.

Is your head spinning? Are you feeling anxious?

It’s not surprising, according to psychologists, sociologists and medical anthropologists.

“It’s very confusing,” says Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago. “You wake up in the morning and and you wonder: ‘Maybe we are over it and no one told me.’ Or maybe: ‘It’s terrible and I should not do my shopping in person.’ ”

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Posted in Anthropology, Health & Medicine, Psychology