How To Prepare For Another Winter Of Covid-19? Dr. Leana Wen Weighs In

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(CNN) — Winter is astir here. After weeks of dependable decline, Covid-19 cases look to beryllium connected the emergence again.

Is a surge inevitable? How should families deliberation astir the wintertime ahead? What tin they bash to hole and get done this play safely?

I discussed each of these questions with our expert, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, who is an exigency doc and prof of wellness argumentation and absorption astatine the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is besides writer of a caller book, “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey successful the Fight for Public Health,” and the parent of 2 young kids.

CNN: Do we request to beryllium resigned to different wintertime surge?

Dr. Leana Wen: No. If there’s thing we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s that the aboriginal is not pre-ordained. There is simply a batch that is up to us.

Yes, we are dealing with a precise contagious virus, the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Yes, we are unluckily seeing an uptick again successful cases. And yes, I americium acrophobic astir what volition hap this winter, due to the fact that we saw from past twelvemonth that erstwhile the upwind is colder, radical spell indoors, wherever the hazard of transmission is higher. The upcoming holidays bash besides interest me, due to the fact that of the summation successful indoor gatherings.

However, dissimilar past year, we person vaccines that adhd an important furniture of protection. We besides person different tools, similar testing, that tin help.

I don’t deliberation we request to beryllium resigned to a wintertime surge. We tin forestall it if we enactment together.

CNN: What’s your proposal for families to effort to enactment arsenic steadfast arsenic imaginable this winter?

Wen: Anyone eligible to beryllium vaccinated should bash so. That includes children ages 5 to 11 years old, who are recently eligible.

Those who are eligible to person their booster shots should get them, too. There is expanding grounds that immunity wanes implicit clip and getting a booster volition assistance support against breakthrough infections — and astir apt trim the likelihood of spreading Covid-19 to others too.

Let’s besides speech astir non-coronavirus aspects of health. To statesman with, marque definite to get the flu vaccine. It tin beryllium fixed astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic a coronavirus vaccine oregon booster. The flu vaccine reduces the likelihood of contracting the flu and the severity of unwellness if you inactive extremity up getting influenza. This is peculiarly important due to the fact that past twelvemonth was a airy flu season, which means that galore radical don’t person immunity to influenza. We privation to forestall the anticipation of a “twin-demic” of the flu and Covid-19.

For children, marque definite they are up to day connected different immunizations too. And for some children and adults, wage attraction to different wellness attraction issues. Many medical appointments person been delayed owed to Covid-19. Now is the clip to get your mammogram and cervical and colon crab screenings, to get a checkup for your humor unit and diabetes, to sojourn the dentist, and successful general, to get connected apical of your different aesculapian issues.

It’s besides captious to notation intelligence health, which is conscionable arsenic important arsenic carnal health. The pandemic has been precise challenging for galore people. Mental wellness was already an unmet request earlier Covid-19. Now is the clip to work connected intelligence wellness wellness, and to question assistance if you request — conscionable arsenic you would for carnal wellness issues.

CNN: Are determination immoderate supplies you’d urge radical banal up on, from a Covid-19 standpoint?

Wen: All households should person a modular acceptable of supplies erstwhile it comes to caring for sick household members. That includes a thermometer, fever-reducing agents (acetaminophen and ibuprofen), and rehydrating solutions (like Pedialyte).

High-quality masks (N95, KN95, KF94) are present wide available. Make definite to person astatine slightest 5 masks for each household member. These should beryllium worn erstwhile successful indoor, crowded areas.

I’d besides highly urge stocking up connected accelerated tests. Your household should person astatine slightest one, ideally two, accelerated tests for each subordinate of the household. These are tests that are disposable for acquisition implicit the antagonistic astatine your section pharmacy. Results travel backmost wrong 15 minutes. That’s antithetic from the gold-standard test, the PCR test. In galore places, you request to get a doctor’s enactment to get a PCR trial oregon you whitethorn request to spell to an urgent attraction to beryllium seen. That adds expense; also, results whitethorn instrumentality 24 hours oregon much to return.

Because PCR tests are not arsenic readily available, accelerated tests tin beryllium adjuvant if idiosyncratic starts having symptoms, particularly if it takes clip to get a PCR trial and past get the results. Rapid tests are besides precise utile for screening purposes, for example, earlier you get unneurotic with friends and relatives indoors.

CNN: What bash you accidental to those who are truly sick of Covid-19 and privation to get backmost to pre-pandemic normal?

Wen: I’d accidental that I perceive you! I’m besides sick of Covid-19 — we each are.

Here’s the thing, though — Covid-19 is not rather done with america yet. We inactive person much than 80,000 caller regular infections and much than 1,100 Americans dying each time from the coronavirus. We are astatine a overmuch amended spot than we were past year, acknowledgment to the vaccine, but we are not retired the woods yet.

That said, determination is simply a batch that we tin resume doing to effort to get backmost to normalcy. Consider making a database of each the things that you privation to do. Go done the database and spot however galore things tin really beryllium done now, with improved safety.

For example, you tin person holiday meals with loved ones, adjacent if you person children who are not yet afloat vaccinated. There are immoderate further precautions that inactive request to beryllium taken, but you tin stitchery with friends and household again.

I cognize that the pandemic has been truthful hard for truthful galore families. We tin get done this wintertime — if we each enactment unneurotic to trim risk, portion restarting the activities we astir miss.

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