Read on Twitter
YESTERDAY 150,000+ people were diagnosed with COVID-19, & based on the prevailing conditions and epidemic curves... this is not the peak. The peak will come in the weeks ahead. It is going to get much, much worse...
I am terrified about the asymptomatic college students carrying covid home for Thanksgiving, the "just this once" bubble merging for the holiday dinner & as a result...
there will be empty chairs at Christmas dinners that should have had healthy, vibrant people sitting in them.
there will be empty chairs at Christmas dinners that should have had healthy, vibrant people sitting in them.
BUT unlike at the beginning of the pandemic in the United States, when we had so little knowledge of what behaviors were and weren't risky, we now have a much more evidence-based understanding of how to protect ourselves and protect our loved ones.
1) Form mutually-bounded bubbles of social partners that all adhere to the same sets of rules for movement beyond the households.
As the pandemic has dragged on, fatigue with these realities is daunting... but people relaxing the rules and hanging out, even in small groups, is what is causing this worsening COVID spread! https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/12/covid-social-gatherings/
2) When you are outside your home, wear a mask that covers your nose & mouth. Two days ago the CDC released a summary report about the ways that masks help protect others and help to protect ourselves. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
When outside one's house, any social interactions should be brief and distant, even three 5-minute interactions within a 24 hour period can cause the transmission of COVID. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6943e1.htm?s_cid=mm6943e1_w
6 feet is the minimum you should be away from other people, be better than MINIMUM. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html
3) Scientists estimate that the risk of COVID transmission is ~20 times higher indoors than it is outdoors, but being outdoors does not mean you are safe from infection. https://theconversation.com/being-outdoors-doesnt-mean-youre-safe-from-covid-19-a-white-house-event-showed-what-not-to-do-147756
If you must be social with folks outside your bubble, stay outside (see what I did there) and maintain distance and masks as much as possible.
The CDC has issued specific recommendations to guide holiday planning: but the big take away is that IF you are someone at increased risk of severe illness, stay inside your bubble for the holidays. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html
As hard and heartbreaking as this is, it is not nearly so hard and heartbreaking as getting or spreading COVID19 to vulnerable people.
If being with family & friends for the holidays is the most important thing... then make sure you can be together for holidays for years to come.
I lost my dad unexpectedly in my 20s and I would give all my worldly possessions to have just one more day with him.
& if giving up one set of holidays means maximizing the chances for many more, these are small sacrifices.
