ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — We’re all hoping for a happy and healthy holiday but amid cold and flu season and continued COVID-19 concerns, it’s a good idea to take some precautions as you’re gathering with loved ones to celebrate the holidays.
Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Naomi Jean-Baptiste says to start simple by washing your hands to keep germs at bay.
“The most important precaution is really maintaining good hand hygiene. So washing your hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer really frequently to minimize the spread of germs. If you do have to cough or sneeze or whatnot, minimizing coughing or sneezing into your actual hand itself, but maybe using your elbow, the sleeve of your elbow would be optimal.”
If you’re hosting a gathering she says to keep the windows open to increase ventilation and lower your chances of catching something contagious.
But Dr. Jean-Baptiste warns, “if you are actively spiking fevers, you’re extremely contagious and please reconsider traveling.”
She says, “what we tell parents in daycare is, if your baby has a fever they’re not supposed to go back to daycare until they’ve not had a fever, without giving them Tylenol or ibuprofen for 24 hours.”
She says to keep that in mind for anyone who’s recovering from an illness.
When it comes to traveling via plane or train, where you’re surrounded by a crowd of people, she recommends resorting to the mask.
“You don’t know what other people have, so do your best to protect yourself,” Dr. Jean-Baptiste said.