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The United States is in the midst of a coronavirus rally, with more than 50,000 new cases a day over the past week, as reported by CNBC. Small indoor gatherings appear to be partially to blame, according to virologist and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield, MD
“In the public square, we are seeing a greater degree of vigilance and mitigation steps in many jurisdictions,” he said during a call with US governors on October 13 in an audio obtained by CNN. “But what we are seeing as a growing threat right now is actually acquiring the infection through small family gatherings.”
Dr. Redfield seemed concerned about the upcoming holiday season, especially Thanksgiving, and stressed that state leaders must emphasize how important “vigilance” is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through family gatherings.
In fact, some doctors are already warning people that unless the weather permits for Thanksgiving outdoors and from afar, people should find a way to come together that doesn’t put people from different homes around. from the same table.
“The consequences of this virus, particularly for the elderly, the people that we really want to meet on Thanksgiving, can be really dire,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine at George Washington University, to CNN “New Day”. on Wednesday. “And frankly, I’d rather do a Thanksgiving Zoom with the people I love than expose them to something that could kill them.”
The CDC updated its guide to holiday gatherings in mid-October, saying that anyone who has COVID-19 or has been exposed to it in the past 14 days should not attend a holiday gathering. That includes people who have tested positive and have not yet met the criteria for when it is safe to come out of quarantine, people waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test, or people with COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough. or insufficiency. of breath.
People at risk of serious illness should skip in-person vacation gatherings entirely, the CDC warns, or choose a meeting option that is low-risk. Honestly, given the rampant state of the spread of COVID-19 in the US, even those of us who are not at risk of serious illness should reduce our risk of contracting or transmitting this infection.
To reduce the risk of holiday gatherings, the CDC offers several recommendations, including:
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Avoid indoor gatherings by organizing outdoor activities (which, of course, can be difficult depending on the weather you’re in)
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Open windows to improve ventilation if an outdoor gathering is not possible
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Keeping six feet away from people you don’t live with, especially when eating and in places where it is normal to gather, such as near the bathroom.
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Inviting only people from your local area
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Limit the number of attendees
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Encourage (and perhaps even provide) masks and hand sanitizer among guests
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Ask guests to avoid contact with other people for 14 days before the event.
These changes to the holiday season are understandably heartbreaking. At a time when many of us already feel incredibly isolated from our loved ones, having to be apart or adopting a strange new routine feels pretty bad. But you still need to follow these steps. More than 216,000 people in the United States have died from the virus. Although our devastating and frustrating government response has contributed to many of these deaths, it remains critical for us, as individuals, to take all the steps we can to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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