As tens of millions of Americans are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving, there is a rise in new COVID-19 cases at the end of the fall season and they are projected to last during the winter months of 2021 and 2022.
One benefit to celebrating this year is that there are more vaccines available today than there were at this time last year.
Instead of being isolated during the holiday season, many families are having gatherings, but are taking precautions to mitigate the risks of catching or spreading the coronavirus.
According to the Washington Post, a poll conducted by Monmouth University declares that two-thirds of American families will gather to celebrate Thanksgiving.
“We are past the phase of broad mandates and telling folks not to gather. But I think Americans still need to be smart,” said David Rubin, a medical expert for the PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Americans, as fatigued as they are and as much as they’d like to see covid in the background and no longer relevant to their lives, for this holiday season, it remains relevant in so many places across the country,” Rubin added.
In his last briefing before the holiday, Dr, Anthony Fauci-the country’s leading infectious disease expert-claimed that vaccinated people can expect to be safer during this Thanksgiving than the one from 2020.
With such positive messages coming from the White House, families have one more reason to be thankful during their celebrations.
While the pandemic is becoming more manageable for the vaccinated, it still remains a liability for the unvaccinated, particularly in the Mid-West where many of the states have seen a recent spike in new cases.
The Washington Post also confirmed that six of every 10 Americans are vaccinated. The country needs it to be eight out of every 10 in order to achieve herd immunity.
While the delta strand of the coronavirus is becoming more prevalent, scientists are recommending for Americans to continue to wear masks and apply social distancing measures.
They are basically asking citizens to continue to do what they have been doing to safe, get vaccinated should they choose, and understand that if they continue to follow these measures they will have a lesser chance of catching or spreading the coronavirus this holiday season.
