The most recent CDC update will greatly increase the number of people who warrant a considerable infection risk, The Washington Post reports. The previous definition of “close contact” meant spending 15 “consecutive minutes” within six feet of someone who’s infected with the coronavirus. Now, it has been changed to include anyone who has spent a total of 15 minutes over a 24-hour period with an infected person, according to the CDC’s statement....

The CDC’s update is a long-awaited one, after seemingly vacillating on the issue last month. On Sept. 18, the CDC’s guidelines were updated to include the possibility of COVID being transmitted through the air. However, on Sept. 21, the CDC claimed that the update was released “in error,” and subsequently deleted any mention of COVID being airborne from their guidelines. The agency’s Oct. 5 update, which relates COVID transmission to that of tuberculosis, measles, and chickenpox, also includes the fact that poor ventilation indoors increases the risk of airborne spread....

Launched in the last week of July, the CDC’s new tool aims “to help parents, caregivers, and guardians weigh the risks and benefits of available educational options to help them make decisions about sending their child back to school,” the CDC explains. The online tool comes in the form of a downloadable checklist, which includes three basic sections. The first asks questions regarding how schools are preparing for the 2020-2021 academic year, and has decision-makers checking either “Does Not Apply,” “Disagree,” “Unsure,” or “Agree” in response....

READ THIS NEXT: The Worst Julia Roberts Movie of All Time, According to Critics. In 1991, Roberts was engaged to Kiefer Sutherland. Their breakup was made public days before their June wedding was scheduled to take place (according to them, they’d already broken up before this), and she ran off with his friend Jason Patric to Ireland, as reported by People. Also at this time, Roberts had been hospitalized with the flu....

RELATED: If You Get an Email From the IRS With These 3 Words, Don’t Click on It. In a statement released July 13, the IRS announced that it would be issuing a new round of refunds to many taxpayers. According to the announcement, the agency is sending out refunds to nearly 4 million people who overpaid their 2020 taxes on the unemployment benefits they received last year. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 excluded up to $10,200 in 2020 unemployment compensation from taxable income calculations, but this legislation was only passed in March....

Now, the exes are in a better, friendlier place. In her interview with the podcast Divorced Not Dead, Richards spoke candidly about their past issues and the effect their relationship has had on their daughters. Read on to see what Richards had to say about deciding to end things. READ THIS NEXT: Ethan Hawke Said He “Had No Business” Marrying Uma Thurman. Richards (then known primarily as an actor who had appeared in movies including The World Is Not Enough and Wild Things) and Sheen got married in June 2002, after less than a year together, as reported by People....

READ THIS NEXT: The Most Uptight Zodiac Sign, According to Astrologers. You may think that Virgo’s type-A personality makes them too practical to be superstitious, but as author and astrologer Lisa Barretta explains, their perfectionism is actually the source of their superstitions. “They may not leave the house until they fluff their pillows or check that they turned off every light. Unless everything is in some type of order, Virgo feels that they are opening the door for some mayhem to creep into their life....

READ THIS NEXT: The Most Judgmental Zodiac Sign, According to an Astrologer. Scorpios are infamous for their intensity, and this translates to everything they do. “Scorpions are known for their fiery temper, but they are still prone to regular anxiety attacks,” according to Anastasiya Kirilchik, resident astrologer for the Futurio app. “This results from their strong desire to achieve their goals, whatever it takes,” she explains. If their plans are ruined, they’ll tense up....

Many couples who separate feel like they could’ve done more to save the relationship, and it seems Bill Gates is no different. Two years before the Gateses announced their split, the Microsoft co-founder acknowledged a regret he had in his marriage. To see what he wishes he did more during his relationship with Melinda, read on. And for more from another beloved couple, John Travolta Shares One of the Hardest Things About Losing Kelly Preston....

“Information about what medications—both prescription and non-prescription—you are taking is a critical part of your medical history and should always be provided to your doctor,” says Abi Olulade, MD, a board-certified family medicine doctor with Sharp HealthCare. “You should always keep a list of this with you as well, and you may even want to take a picture of the ingredient and dosing list. Medications are made up of chemicals that can interact and react with one another and this can lead to harmful and unwanted side effects....

1 Her Mother Had a Spending Problem Gareth Russell, author of Do Let’s Have Another Drink, claims that the Queen was “in despair” of one member of the royal family’s spending habits: Her own mother. Known for 50 years as the Queen Mother (and for the 15 before that, the Queen of England) the matriarch apparently had a bit of a problem when it came to managing money. Keep reading to see how she spent....

Antoine Fuqua directed Smith in the upcoming movie Emancipation, and he explained in a new interview with Vanity Fair that he believes what Smith endured during filming may have played a role in the slap. He also defended Smith’s character, saying that he “saw a different person” during their work together than he did on the Oscars stage. Read on to learn more about why Fuqua thinks Emancipation may have led to Smith’s actions that night....

Kate’s rapid ascent from her upper-middle class (and very comfortable) upbringing as the eldest daughter of Carole and Micheal Middleton was helped along with her parents’ successful mail-order and online party supply business, Party Pieces. The family’s upward mobility allowed the duchess—as well as Pippa and their brother, James—to attend exclusive private schools and ultimately landed Kate at the University of St. Andrew’s, where she met William in 2001.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Kate and her younger sister have always been each other’s best friends and were among London’s young socialites who were regulars at the city’s poshest clubs and parties before the future duchess met William (and again, during their short break-up in 2007)....

Lacey Adams, the wife of U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, had recently been admitted to the hospital as she developed complications from cancer treatments she was receiving. During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on Jan. 3, Adams told host Jake Tapper that the current realities of the pandemic made the experience entirely different than it would have been otherwise. “I want people to understand that if you don’t take precautions against COVID because you don’t feel at risk, it can impact you, your family, your community in so many other ways,” Adams warned....

“Phrases such as ‘I can’t live without you’ trigger an unconscious bias in which the listener is given a heavy psychological load of responsibility that the speaker may not realize they have imparted,” explains Lori Lawrenz, PsyD, a clinical psychologist with the Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health. “When one partner uses an ‘all or nothing’ statement like this, there is a heaviness underneath that puts accountability on the one who is praised....

READ THIS NEXT: The Most Complex Zodiac Sign, According to Astrologers. Speaking of stoic, that’s usually how Capricorns are perceived. This hardworking sign is motivated by reaching the top of the corporate ladder and can seem “cold, unemotional, detached, and composed,” says Alice Alta, resident astrologer for the Futurio app. However, “Caps tend to suppress their emotions, as they see their manifestation as a weakness,” Alta explains. When the pressure of those bottled-up feelings becomes too much, there’s a good chance they’ll combust, shocking those around them with their sudden bout of crying....

READ THIS NEXT: The Most Romantic Zodiac Sign, According to Astrologers. Aries and Aquarius are very compatible for a number of reasons. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries, you have a bold and adventurous spirit that isn’t for the faint of heart. You like a partner who has a unique streak and plenty of confidence to spare. Aries, you may feel the most romantically connected to an Aquarius, which is the unique rebel of the zodiac....

RELATED: Moderna Just Made This Major Announcement About Its COVID Vaccine. On Sept. 21, Johnson & Johnson released new data on its vaccine’s efficacy and potential boosters, and the company’s Global Head of Research and Development Mathai Mammen, PhD, broke down some of the key aspects of the findings in an interview with Good Morning America. “[The] single-shot gives strong and long-lasting protection out past six months with no evidence at all of waning effectiveness,” Mammen said....

“We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately,” the president tweeted. “We will get through this together!” And while most people do go on to recover from the coronavirus, there are certain factors that can make it harder to do so. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are various high risk categories a person can fall into, including their age or other underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to severe COVID....

The states with the highest fatality rates were among the first to see the lion’s share of coronavirus cases, when medical experts were struggling to figure out how best to treat the deadly contagion. It is a novel coronavirus after all, with no similar predecessor. As time has passed, however, states that have seen later spikes in cases have benefited greatly from the medical advancements that’ve been discovered since the start of the pandemic....