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The pandemic rebounds: how to take care of the new wave of infections

2020-10-18T11:25:06.714Z


The experts ask to respect the sanitary recommendations and warn of the danger of being infected in festive gatherings with family and friends. Read several recommendations from specialists to face an autumn and winter that are expected to be tough due to the pandemic.


With the arrival of autumn, coronavirus infections have rebounded in the United States, where this week exceeded 8 million confirmed positive cases and more than 220,000 deaths from COVID-19. 

The increase in infections is being especially severe in seven states of the country, according to NBC News: these are Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota and West Virginia, where it is contemplated to

resume restrictions

to contain the pandemic.

"We are clearly in a third wave of growth [of infections], which will probably last throughout the winter," Jaime Sepúlveda, an expert from the University of California, told Noticias Telemundo.

This specialist called for consideration of the idea of ​​carrying out

“more energetic closures and confinements”

.

One of the main concerns in the face of the cold season is that people will spend more time indoors, where the possibility of transmission of the virus is greater.

Also the reopening of schools and meetings or leisure trips on the occasion of holidays and vacations are generating concern about the possibility that

more risk situations are combined in people's lives

, experts consider. 

Learn here some recommendations to take care of yourself in this situation. 

Don't let your guard down: keep protecting yourself with a mask and keep the recommended social distance

As the current situation in the United States and several other countries in the world that are also registering spikes in infections shows, as many experts argue, the coronavirus pandemic is far from over.

Faced with this perspective, many people feel tired from having to continue living in uncertainty and having to change plans and customs to adapt to this time, explain media such as The New York Times. 

This, specialists and authorities warn, causes many to be overwhelmed by exhaustion and expose themselves to the dangers of contagion by abandoning or loosening the necessary precautions to take care of themselves. 

[Epidemiologist Anthony Fauci Warns Fall May Bring More COVID-19 Cases]

But the recommendations of health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect yourself from contagion have not changed: keep a distance of at least six feet from other people, wear a mask at all times when in contact with a non-cohabiting person and frequent hand washing are the most important behaviors to follow to be safe, they indicate. 

In addition, several experts are proposing to take into account additional precautions due to the arrival of the cold season and the reduction of times when you can be outdoors.

Dr. Peter Hotez, for example, recommended in conversation with CNN this fall and winter limiting physical contact to a small and select group of friends or family, and avoiding close contact with anyone outside of that group.

Look for alternatives to limit or avoid dangerous holiday gatherings

Many infections occur precisely in situations in which family or friends get together and relax health security measures, according to experts in infectious diseases in several countries. 

[It's a lie that the CDC canceled Halloween.

What they do offer are tips for celebrating it safely]

Heading into a season of the year where various traditional festivities such as Halloween, Day of the Dead, and Thanksgiving are anticipated, a common recommendation among these specialists is to avoid festivities where it is difficult to maintain the recommended social distancing of at least six feet.

Although it may not be the same for some, there are alternatives to not having to give up the festivities entirely, they insist. 

In California, for example, authorities have asked for several weeks to avoid festivals and typical Halloween walks.

As an alternative, they proposed holding online meetings and holding open-air film festivals or costume parades from the cars. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, suggested canceling typical Thanksgiving celebrations.

In his personal case, he said this week on CBS, he will avoid meeting with his children who do not live where he does: "it is due to concern for me and my age," he said. 

Fauci said he understands the emotional bond people have with certain holiday gatherings, but urged everyone to be careful this year.

In his opinion, it is important to assess the risks, especially with family members who arrived by plane, and protect the elderly and people who already have health problems.

According to the news agency The Associated Press, there are then those who, like Nina Bryant or Jeannine Thibodeau, have decided to move on to alternative plans so as not to stop holding some kind of celebration on a day as important for many Americans as Action de Thank you. 

A woman wears a Halloween costume that includes a mask to protect herself from the coronavirus in Denver, Colorado. AP / AP

They will both prepare food in advance and distribute it to their loved ones in a less traditional way: the first will be sent to family members who live far from their home in Florida by mail, the second will be left in portioned packages outside their door so that your loved ones pick it up without contact. 

Others, AP adds, have decided to bring Christmas celebrations forward to a time when the cold is not yet so overwhelming as to be an insurmountable obstacle to partying outdoors. 

The CDC has posted on its website several suggestions to help you celebrate the holidays in safety. 

Calculate risks and take precautions if you decide to visit family and friends

If even so, by necessity or will you decide not to give up visiting family or friends in person, it is advisable to calculate risks and take precautions in anticipation of traveling, argues the CNN chain. 

One of these precautions is to avoid, as far as possible, risky situations such as dinners in restaurants or parties in the weeks prior to the scheduled date of the trip or to undergo a coronavirus detection test in advance of the day scheduled for it. 

However, the Health System of the University of Pennsylvania recalls that these tests in some cases give not accurate results, so that a person who tests negative could actually be infected.

This is an additional circumstance to take into account when visiting loved ones. 

Don't forget to watch your mind too

The pandemic has already left devastating havoc on the mental health of millions of individuals: one in two people in the world, according to a recent Red Cross study, saw theirs affected by this situation. 

Along with the arrival of the coldest and darkest days of the year for many people in the United States and other countries, the arrival of a new harsh phase of the pandemic and the consequent impacts on mental stability may also coincide, experts warn. 

Study: the pandemic has affected the mental health of one in two people in the world

Oct. 10, 202001: 57

Several ask then not to lower our guard.

"Let's face it and recognize that this winter, November, December, January, February, could re-present the worst moment of our epidemic," Hotez told CNN.

In his opinion, the ideal is to make sure you can contact a specialist if necessary. 

The psychiatrist Marlette González Méndez suggested in an interview with Noticias Telemundo "identifying when there is a change in our behavior pattern." 

With information from CNN, AP, The New York Times, NBC News, CDC. 

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2020-10-18

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