Protect yourself and loved ones during the COVID pandemic

The rates of COVID are higher now than they had been in March when restaurants, stores, and other businesses shut down. It is a difficult dichotomy as the holidays are approaching. Several families/social groups have one or more members who are high-risk of developing fatal consequences from the virus, but there is also the cultural goal of wanting to spend this time with family. My colleagues and I have been discussing the logistics of traveling, quarantining, and whether we should even visit loved ones for our Christmas break. 

The decision of traveling should involve checking the regulations and rules of your state or country, as well as the health of those you intend to visit and your personal level of potential exposure. For example, my classmates and I may have a higher risk of exposure from being on the wards compared to somebody who has been working from home.

If you have symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, or loss of taste/smell, do not travel. It is recommended that if you have these "COVID-like symptoms," you should self-quarantine for 10-14 days. Do not go into work so you can minimize the risk of spreading the virus to your colleagues and their families. Do what you can to work remotely during your quarantine period, even if your symptoms resolve before the 2-week window.

Additionally, if there is somebody who you are traveling to has pre-existing lung disease, is elderly, or immunosuppressed/immunocompromised, please consider seriously whether you will visit them or not. Exposing these populations to COVID could have serious consequences.

[Refer to the CDC for additional list of symptoms: CDC, Coronavirus Disease]

However, if you are asymptomatic decide to travel, here are some tips for reducing your risk of contracting COVID during travel and spreading it to your loved ones. Links to sources are provided in-text.

The risk of spreading COVID if you're symptomatic is highest to household contacts (versus non-household contacts), estimated at 4-36% (Fung HF et. al., 2020). Those who are at highest risk of exposure to the virus include healthcare settings without sufficient PPE (Wang et. al., 2020), college dormitories (Wilson et al., 2020), food processing facilities (Steinberg et al., 2020), choirs--essentially, places where many people are gathered.

There is also likely a higher risk of COVID transmission when symptomatic individuals have in-person conversations, hug, and share food (Ghinai et al., 2020). These activities are especially seen in dine-in restaurants (people can't really wear masks while eating). 

Which brings us to Tip #1: Maintain social distancing standards. Avoid going to restaurants and unnecessary trips to the store. Reducing your potential to exposure to the virus now could protect yourself and your loved ones during the holidays. I know this adjustment is difficult. Many of us are starting to get exhausted from these changes, but with cases rising it is more important than before to stay vigilant! 

Tip #2: Wear a mask and practice good hand hygiene. These practices limit the spread of COVID and work best if everybody in the population participates. Masks are meant so that if you are asymptomatic, you do not unknowingly spread disease to others. Regular hand-washing limits the spread of germs. Typically, we wash or sanitize our hands before and after making contact with another person, upon getting home, before eating, and after using the restroom.

Tip #3: Clean your home and ensure there is adequate ventilation. Maintaining a clean environment in your home could be beneficial for personal and mental well-being, and it will also decrease the chances of you and your loved ones getting sick. Additionally, because COVID is an airborne disease, having ventilation in the home can also increase the cleanliness of the air you breathe.

Tip #4: Get COVID tested before and after your trip. Accessibility to COVID tests may vary depending where you live. Also, COVID tests do not have perfect sensitivity. However, a negative test may help give you a peace of mind.

It is difficult to balance the risks and benefits during this COVID season, but we can continue to be vigilant and take steps to protect ourselves and those we love during this holiday season. Stay safe, everyone!