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Spring break would be a propagating event of covid-19

2021-03-08T18:40:25.451Z


Highly contagious variants will soon have a ludicrously easy chance of spreading rapidly across the United States.


Why are you worried about the new variant?

Dr. Huerta explains 1:01

(CNN) -

Highly contagious variants will soon have a ludicrously easy chance of rapidly spreading across the United States.

Spring break begins for hundreds of colleges this month.

And the typical spring break spree could lead to many more Americans getting infected, as variants of the coronavirus threaten to overtake vaccines.

"It's the perfect storm," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

“You have variant B.1,1.7 accelerating in Florida.

You have all these 20-year-olds.

None of them are going to have masks.

Everyone is going to be drinking and having a fairly close and intimate contact.

And then, once everything is done, they will return to their states of origin and spread the B.1,1.7 variant ».

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Some universities, such as Ohio State and the State University of New York, have canceled spring break to try to minimize new infections.

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And the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently sent a direct message to all Americans: "Don't travel," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

"We would really, really advocate not traveling at this time."

So college students who have a week of freedom can help make or break the next chapter in this pandemic.

Here's what to know before going to a party or traveling to a hot place during spring break.

The coronavirus strain B.1,1.7 is really contagious

Scientists are concerned about several new variants circulating in the United States, but Hotez is most concerned about the B.1,1.7 strain, which was first detected in the United Kingdom but has already spread to at least 44 states. United.

Research shows that in the United States the variant is between 59% and 74% more transmissible than the original new coronavirus.

"Florida has the highest percentage of variant B.1,1.7 in the UK," Hotez said.

"Spring break in Florida could spell disaster for the country."

Other states with popular beaches could also become launching pads for new outbreaks, especially Texas and Mississippi, where governors lifted a mask mandate or will soon.

"A lot (students) are going to South Texas too, and that's a concern too," said Hotez, who lives in Houston.

Hotez said the removal of a mask mandate in his state will have a ripple effect across the country.

"It will accelerate the covid-19 nationwide," he said.

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You can't be sure even if you have a negative covid-19 test result

Testing can lead to false negatives, especially if you are tested too early or late and you don't strictly self-quarantine yourself before and after the test.

And yes, it could be contagious even without symptoms and with a negative test result.

Young people are definitely not immune

While young people may be more likely to be asymptomatic when infected, that also means that they can easily pass the virus on to friends and family without realizing it.

But even previously healthy young adults have suffered from long-term complications from COVID-19.

In one survey, 35% of covid-19 survivors still had symptoms two to three weeks after their tests, according to a CDC study.

In the 18 to 34 age group, 26% said they still had symptoms weeks later.

Some young people have struggled with complications months after infection, such as shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, mental confusion, prolonged fever, cough, memory loss, and an inability to taste or smell.

Alcohol plus parties often equals zero protection

Attempts to physically distance themselves and wear masks generally go out the window at parties where there is alcohol.

It's not just that drinking makes people remove their masks (if they wear one at all).

Alcohol can draw people closer than usual, Hotez said.

That's especially dangerous this spring break, when people in popular places may not only be exposed to students from all over the country, but they could also be exposed to variants or outbreaks from those parts of the country.

"So this is not the time to have a super spread event for that UK variant, which is what spring break in Florida would look like," Hotez said.

"This is not the time to send a group of 20-year-olds to Florida, then send them back and spread it across the country," he added.

Pandemic fatigue is real, but totally beatable

Not celebrating spring break the way you want this year can seem devastating.

But there will be many more opportunities to have fun after everyone is vaccinated.

"The best thing you can do now is avoid long trips unless you have been vaccinated or recently infected," Hotez said.

"Just try to keep everything we can under control until we can fully vaccinate."

Unfortunately, the vast majority of college students have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

But there is good news on the horizon:

- If enough people get vaccinated, this will likely be the last year of major covid-19 outages.

- Current vaccines "work very well" against the worrying variant B.1,1.7, Hotez said.

- President Joe Biden recently said that an increase in supply means there could be enough vaccines for all American adults by the end of May.

- The faster we get vaccinated and have the covid-19 under control, the faster we can return to normal life.

"I know it's frustrating," Hotez said.

"But they try to maximize social distancing and masks, and this may be the last spring break you have to give up."

Covid-19 Coronavirus variants

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-03-08

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