My how the years roll on — the fifth Thanksgiving with the possibility of covid-19 showing up as an unwelcome guest. This year should be fairly mild for covid, since we have just come down from the unusual August-September covid surge. (See the right-most low point on the curve below from J.P. Weiland.)
But the normal winter episodes of colds and flu will be gaining steam. Remember, all “these viruses travel through the air, so when people who are infected exhale, talk, or sing, then they expel the particles on which the virus is attached, and that goes out into the air.” (Note 1.)
Luckily, Thanksgiving-spread illness can be reduced or completely avoided with these three simple measures, as have been advocated for years.
- Stay home if you’re sick. “We know it's hard to miss those family functions, but if you're sick with the flu, fever, or a cough that won't go away, stay home. … Someone can bring you a plate of leftovers rather than spreading those germs.” (Note 2.)
- Have plenty of fresh air — every reader of this blog will know all about this by now! Real fresh air per your heating system, or partially opened windows, and also clean air from portable air purifiers. As we said in 2022, “good fresh air ventilation is always a good thing — with a house full of more people than usual, having a few windows cracked open provides fresh air and prevents overheating if you’re in a cool climate.”
- And, for complete safety, everyone can do an in-home covid-19 antigen test before traveling to the family gathering. As we said in 2022, “For the antigen testing, all that is needed is for all participants (including children age 2 and older) to do the testing on the same day, prior to gathering together.”
Wishing you all a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
Note 1 - Per Susan Arnold, PhD, associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, as quoted in:
Note 2 - Per Kevin Hall, communication chief for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, as quoted in:
https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/spread-cheer-not-germs-a-holiday-recipe-for-illness
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