Topic: How to reduce your risk of exposure to coronavirus after the holidays
Despite warnings from public health officials, millions of Americans traveled over the Christmas holiday. The US Transportation Security Administration reported that nearly 1.3 million people passed through airport security checkpoints nationwide Sunday.
This record-breaking development in pandemic air travel comes as the United States has surpassed 19 million coronavirus infections. And December marks the deadliest month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, explains how people can still take precautions to keep themselves safe and to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in their home communities.
Q: Christmas may be over, but New Year’s is this week. What’s your advice for reducing risk during the rest of the holidays?
Dr. Leana Wen: People should keep in mind the concept of cumulative risk, that risk is additive: The more high-risk activities you participate in, the greater your likelihood of contracting Covid-19 (and, if you are an asymptomatic carrier, to inadvertently infect other people). Just because you’ve engaged in one high-risk event doesn’t mean you should engage in others. So let’s say that you had Christmas dinner with extended family and friends. That doesn’t mean you should also now go to a bar or crowded New Year’s Eve party.
For the remainder of the holiday, if you’ve traveled, you should try to reduce risk in other ways. See people outdoors only, households separated at least 6 feet apart. If you have to be indoors, make sure you have masks on the entire time. Stay away from settings where others have their masks off and are not abiding by physical distancing guidelines. Take every precaution when traveling.
Topic Discussed: How to reduce your risk of exposure to coronavirus after the holidays
