Coronavirus numbers in the United States are out of control, with the month of December bringing more deaths from COVID than we saw during any other month of this year. It is important to be on high alert, which means knowing what risks you are taking now and how they can make you sick. With that in mind, an expert warns that the holiday season will be like a “dream for the virus”. Read on to find out why these meetings can be more dangerous than any other, and for more news about the coronavirus, The New COVID Strain is in the USA and is bad news for 2 reasons.
Peter Hotez, MD, physician and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN that meeting outside his home can be especially dangerous during the New Year’s holiday.
“It doesn’t take much to get it out of control,” he said. “The loud voices to make your voice heard over the music. The lack of masks. The fact that they are indoors. The fact that people are drinking alcohol, so they can be closer to each other than usual. This New Year’s Eve the parts are perfectly suited for SARS-CoV-2. This is a COVID-19 dream for the virus, unfortunately. “
Much of this behavior is typical of other reckless meetings throughout the year, so what makes the New Year especially dangerous? Hotez says it is partly because there is a lot of coronavirus transmission taking place in the country right now. According The New York Times, there were more than 200,000 new cases on December 29 alone. By comparison, the highest peak during the country’s summer peak barely exceeded 70,000 new cases in one day.
“Practically speaking, what that means is that if you go to a party with five or more people, there will almost certainly be someone with COVID-19 at that party,” said Hotez. “If you have a party in your neighborhood or if you just invite a few friends, the risk is very high.”
Hotez said any New Year’s Eve gathering could lead to danger. But if everyone gets away this year, he says we can celebrate a “much happier New Year” next year, after more people are vaccinated. Read on to find out more about why this holiday is so risky, and if you’re worried about getting sick, find out the first signs that you had COVID, according to Johns Hopkins.
The new COVID strain that is devastating the UK has arrived in the United States. A Colorado man with no travel history was diagnosed with the new strain, and now it has been found in california. This mutation of the virus is even more contagious and quick to spread than the original COVID strain, and if someone has COVID at their New Year’s party, they may be spreading this new variant. And to learn more about the mutation, Dr. Fauci says that this is how we must deal with the new COVID strain.
Even without the new strain, the coronavirus spreads easily in closed environments. Although many summer gatherings have the advantage that they can be held outdoors, it is unlikely that anyone would organize an outdoor New Year’s Eve party in the coldest weather. A November study published in Journal of Korean Medical Science found that the virus could be transferred from one person to another up to 20 feet away in just five minutes, if they were indoors. And for the most up-to-date information, subscribe to our daily newsletter.
Probably someone you met on New Year’s Eve met with others at Christmas. After all, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recorded a record 1,191,123 people traveling through airports on December 23 – probably going to a Christmas party.
Jeff Pothof, MD, a doctor and director of health quality at the University of Wisconsin, told WKOW that experts are still waiting to see if there is an increase in Christmas COVID numbers, but anyway, if anyone was exposed and infected during a Christmas party, they’ll be broadcasting in the New Year. And for more ways to stay safe, this common supplement can help you avoid COVID, says Study.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explicitly encourages anyone to “avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors” when meeting with others. It turns out that raising your voice can increase the spread of the virus. Jose Jimenez, PhD, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who researches disease transmission, said The Atlantic that people can “exhale 10 times more viruses when they’re screaming or spreading out loud”. And anyone who has ever been to a New Year’s Eve party knows that it is tradition to shout the countdown before the ball falls. And to learn more about the future of the pandemic, Dr. Fauci has just given this warning on how to stop COVID entirely.