The third U. S. pandemic, Thanksgiving, might seem like the biggest overall holiday gathering in a long time. AAA expects that over the long weekend it will reach 98% of pre-pandemic levels, with an estimated 54. 6 million people driving and flying to see enjoyment in fact, 2022 is on track to be the third busiest Thanksgiving since AAA began tracking those numbers in 2000.
At the beginning of the pandemic, celebrating Thanksgiving meant virtual meetings or very small in-person meetings. Now that COVID-19 vaccines and drugs are available, it’s less difficult to see more family members, “which is a wonderful thing,” says Dr. Brown. Juanita Mora, allergy and immunology specialist at the Chicago Allergy Center and national spokesperson for the American Lung Association. new set of Omicron subvariants, a strong influenza season, and peak rates of RSV infection in young and old.
Mora tells TIME how he’s doing this holiday season. “I try to stick to exactly what I tell patients,” he explains. “Our precautions revolve around the most vulnerable user who will be at our Thanksgiving table: that grandpa undergoing chemotherapy, that diabetic parent, or a child with asthma, or that new baby logo. “
For Mora’s family, their precautions “revolve around my father, who is 76 years old. He’s pretty healthy, but we need to make sure we keep him healthy. ” The first step is to make sure everyone is up to date with their snapshots. I’m the kind of doctor who is very proactive with his family,” Mora says, meaning he makes sure “everyone is flu vaccinated and has up-to-date COVID-19 boosters, adding kids. “
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Mora’s sister and her little ones will be visiting from California and will have been vaccinated before traveling. He asks that all members of his family circle wear a mask when traveling: “Mask on the plane, mask at the airport, mask at the station, mask in exercise too, because all this is going to be essential to keep the members of our circle of relatives safe.
Donald Milton, a professor of environmental and occupational fitness at the University of Maryland, is also hosting a circle of itinerant family members this year, and they’re taking a similar approach. indoor air quality,” he says. Most sensibly, “we will use HEPA filters and Corsi-Rosenthal DIY boxes to decrease the threat of COVID and flu transmission,” he says, adding that “everyone, adding the 8-month-old-grandchild, has been vaccinated and reinforced several times. “when eligible.
Those who collect for Moorish Thanksgiving will also do a “mini-quarantine” in the week leading up to Thanksgiving dinner, she says; This means seeking to restrict the number of other people they are in contact with. “So, there are no big events. Try not to go to bars, don’t go to restaurants, buy groceries at the grocery store when there are a lot of other people,” Mora says. . ” I’m a 7 a. m. woman guy at the grocery store.
Then, the day before the rally, everyone will have an immediate COVID-19 checkup, Mora says. The same will happen with Milton’s family: “We will ask everyone to check on two consecutive days, adding the morning of the rally or earlier. “arrive and stay away if they have a positive check-up or symptoms,” he says.
It’s also worth taking some extra precautions once the holiday is over. Mora recommends wearing a mask for a week afterward if it’s a giant circle of family members gathering or holding a circle of relatives, “just to make sure” no one accidentally spreads viruses. Also get checked immediately five days after collection or if other people start to feel sick. Taking all those precautions to minimize the threat of infection will be essential, he says, to getting through and enjoying the holidays.