1/ Q: I hear that the @CDCgov recently published tips on “personal and social activities.” Can you please provide an overview?
A: The CDC urges people to consider these four factors prior to engaging in any given activity...
2/ 1. Extent of disease burden in your community; 2. Likelihood you’ll come into contact with exposed individuals; 3. Your personal/household risk for a bad #Covid_19 outcome should you be exposed; 4. Ability to adapt personally protective behaviors (or as we say, #StaySMART!)
3/ Along with these principles, the CDC also offers tips and best-practices for activities like
🏦 going to a bank
🍴eating out at a restaurant*
🍔 hosting a cook-out/dinner party
💪going to the gym
💅visiting a nail salon
🏨 traveling overnight
📕visiting libraries.
4/ (* Also, see our previous post on safely eating out! Linked at the end of this thread)
Activities not covered (at least not yet):
🧑🤝🧑safer dating/sex
⛪️church-going
👵visiting grandparents.
5/ As quoted by @NewsHour: pbs.org/newshour/healt…
CDC’s Dr. Jay Butler importantly cautions that these guidelines are “not intended to endorse any particular type of event” and that activities should be pursued “in accordance with what local health officials are advising.”
6/ The good news is that each of us has the power to protect ourselves and our communities by adapting simple #harmreduction strategies such as those put forth by the CDC.
Thanks to our awesome community for keeping up the good work with #handwashing and staying #SMART!
1/ Q: Has almost everyone been infected with COVID by now?
A: Recent estimates suggest around 58% of the population in the US and over 70% in England have been previously infected, with BIG increases during the Omicron wave.
3/ ➡️ During the Omicron wave from December 2021-February 2022, this estimate increased from 33% to 58%.
➡️ Rates vary a lot by age, ranging from 33.2% for those over age 65 to 75% for those under age 18.
2/ Not likely. If your kids are suddenly getting sick a lot, this is likely due to “catching up” on exposures rather than a weakened immune system.
3/ Many families w/ young kids have been hunkered down for the better part of 2 years– a good % of a young child’s entire life. While isolation had *many* downsides, we can agree that not having to suction snot out of infant noses or clean up norovirus puke was a happy upside.
1/ Q: Are cases peaking? That means it’s all downhill from here, right?
A: Sort of…. Remember that even if cases come down as quickly as they rise, there will be as many cases *after* the peak as before (think area under the curve).
2/ ➡️ And if the downward slope is *slower* than the rise, we will see *more* cases during the decline from a surge.
3/ Burning fast could be a silver lining of super transmissible #Omicron. Cases rose & fell quickly in S. Africa (w/ hospitalizations & deaths still lagging). The UK appears to have turned the Omicron corner. Many US states appear past their peak in cases, w/ regional variation:
Unfortunately, this includes New Year’s Eve plans. The perfect storm of a new variant & holiday get-togethers is hitting communities & health care w/ FORCE! Testing is in short supply.
3/ Health care is under extreme pressure with surging cases. If you can avoid even one additional contact, you are helping. This is a temporary and urgent request (from a health care provider).