Keeping "happy" and "healthy" in the holidays

No cause for alarm but know that Covid, flu and other bugs are partying, too

A couple of news alerts got my attention today, so I thought some information may be worth sharing. There’s a lot more Covid around us right now, and we can stay safe if we get vaccinated and take a few precautions. It’s cause for caution, not alarm. There’s no lockdown in sight, because we have tests to detect, vaccines to prevent, and drugs to treat infections.

Many of us are enjoying the first “normal” Christmas season since 2019, when we were blissfully unaware of the novel coronavirus that was starting to emerge. More people are traveling — in fact, the Sunday after Thanksgiving was the busiest air travel day ever, according to the Transportation Security Administration. On that day, 2,907,378 people passed through TSA checkpoints. Two days ago was another big day, with 2,638,639 travelers.

With this kind of travel, today’s update from the World Health Organization is no surprise:

“Globally, the number of new cases increased by 52% during the 28-day period of 20 November to 17 December 2023 as compared to the previous 28-day period, with over 850 000 new cases reported. The number of new deaths decreased by 8% as compared to the previous 28-day period, with over 3000 new fatalities reported. As of 17 December 2023, over 772 million confirmed cases and nearly seven million deaths have been reported globally.”

-World Health Organization COVID-19 epidemiological update – 22 December 2023 

Worldwide, Covid deaths continue to decline - reflecting the combination of increasing immunity from vaccinations and prior infections and better ways to treat people who get sick. One of the tragedies is that many people who succumb to Covid were not vaccinated or had not gotten an updated shot in 2023. This was clear in a news article from one of my area’s local newspapers reporting five Covid-related deaths in November.

Covid vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months or older. The CDC has guidelines for those with immune or other conditions, and there are options besides the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. Information about Covid precautions, free home test kits and vaccines is available at Covid.gov.

Germs inevitably spread when people crunch close together. It’s the normal winter pattern. If people stay home when sick, diligently wash their hands and avoid coughing or sneezing when near others, we are all relatively safe.

Some of us may choose to wear an N95 or KN95 mask while on airplanes or in other close quarters. Elderly or others with higher risks may want to be careful before going to indoor public events. What’s important is that treatments like Paxlovid work very well — when started as soon as possible after infection. Don’t wait to get tested if you think you may have gotten Covid. (You can get free test kits via this link, courtesy of the U.S. government.)

For state and county level Covid risk estimates, check out the map at CovidActNow.org.