Stan Novak, of Valencia, California, has been hunkering down this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, spending little beyond the bare essentials.
But after a flurry of positive news reports this month about COVID-19 vaccines, Novak ventured out to department stores on a recent weekend and splurged on new sneakers, sports and T-shirts, and a tablet.
“I felt better about everything,” Novak, 75, says. “Like this is coming to an end and we could go back to the way things were last year.”