The holiday season is fast approaching and you’re likely ready to celebrate your loved ones in person.
And while you don’t need to think about it, a positive Covid test right before one of those meetings can put a real brake on your vacation.
So if this happens, what do you do? There’s a short answer and a long answer, experts say.
The short answer is simple: don’t go, even if you’re not feeling in poor health.
“People may feel smart enough to participate and think that regulations might not apply to them,” Dr. Dean Blumberg, head of the department of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Health, told CNBC Make It. “But you have to realize that if you don’t follow the CDC’s advice, you put your circle of family and friends in danger of infection. “
The long answer is a bit more complex, as your next steps may be just for many other people in your circle of relatives or social circle.
A recent survey through The Vacationer found that more than 112 million, or 43 percent, of U. S. adults plan to move this year to a vacation pickup or vacation destination for Thanksgiving, slightly more than the 109 million who said the same last year.
But fitness officials are still warning of a sudden surge of covid in the winter that can wreak havoc, much like last year’s winter wave of omicron cases.
Here’s a consultant on what to do if you test positive for Covid before a holiday get-together with your loved ones:
If you test positive for covid before an event, either a day or a week in advance, experts recommend following the Center for Disease Control and Proccasionion’s lacheck isolation guidelines:
If you end isolation after five days, you may end a collection that takes place on the sixth day or more if you wear a mask around others, says Dr. Timothy Brewer, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at UCLA Health.
But he says it all depends on who exactly you’d see at the meeting: If there’s a high risk, don’t even think about going. If not, you still want to make sure everyone is comfortable with your presence.
“It will depend on each individual circumstance. I probably wouldn’t see my 87-year-old mother-in-law if my check is positive,” she said. “But if it was my 34-year-old son and my kids in Indiana, I can still pass if it’s been at least five days and I’m wearing a mask. “
If it forces you to miss a holiday gathering, don’t despair: You can find ways to get involved, Blumberg says. You can sign up for the party by phone or video call, or ask to schedule another meeting once you’ve tested negative.
A positive Covid control means alerting other people noticed in recent days, so they can be monitored and controlled just in case. It also means alerting people you intended to see at your Christmas gathering.
This can be a “really complicated” conversation, Blumberg says: Other people may judge you irresponsibly or accuse you of ruining your plans by not participating. They might even insist that you attend anyway, saying they have a low threat of severe Covid. , up to date with their vaccinations, or simply unrelated to the threat.
In response, you can remind them that the transmitted infections are “very real,” as is the possibility of the virus becoming high-risk diseases, Blumberg says.
Of course, you can lessen your threat of contracting Covid just before a holiday gathering, he adds: get the new omicron-specific Covid booster if you’re eligible, and cover up ahead of time in crowded situations.
If you haven’t already, you can also get a flu shot for prevention reasons.
“Get both, so it’s not about being healthy and maximizing your protection,” Blumberg says.
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