The holidays are upon us – and so is the Omicron variant.
With Omicron spreading at an increasingly fast rate, people are worried about gathering with friends and family this holiday season.
We’ve connected with Michael Sinensky, Co-Founder and CEO of medical supply company, WeShield, a leading PPE and COVID testing supplier in the field.
WeShield is a nationally recognized company that provides safety supplies to some of the largest government agencies (DLA, VA, NYCHA), hospitals and healthcare networks (Wellstar, Mt.Sinai, Planned Parenthood), and retail and hospitality brands (GAP, Gucci, Hard Rock) in the US.
See Also: Transport Yourself To A Tropical Vacation While You're Stuck At Home
Keep reading for Michael’s expert opinions on how to stay safe and healthy this holiday season.
If you have both doses of the vaccine and the booster shot, you should feel safe enough – especially if you are under 50 years old and have a clean health sheet. With the surge of Omicron, if you are double vaccinated with a third shot, are immunocompromised, and/or a senior, I suggest wearing PPE at holiday gatherings as well as social distancing. Children should feel safe regardless of them being vaccinated and if they are not immunocompromised.
People in their later stages of life should consider wearing PPE at all times, along with social distancing when they can. Before getting together for any holiday gatherings and festivities, it is critical that people are tested. This will allow everyone to know that the people they are with are healthy and there are no traces of COVID.
Two weeks after Christmas and New Year’s gatherings we should expect to see big surges in cases. We will not see the worst of it until late January.
Since COVID is our new normal, most discussions are centered around what’s going on with the pandemic and what’s going to happen next. The best advice I can give is to keep calm and carry on as well as try to avoid bringing up these types of conversations. The holidays are a time to be with friends and family who you might not have seen in a while, so it’s important to focus on that.
The most critical tip I can provide on this is just being responsible with the knowledge you have on the pandemic. Follow the appropriate protocols that are being enforced, wear PPE when indoors and in big crowds of people, social distance from one another, test before and during the holidays, and practice great hygiene by washing your hands. This is a scary time where we are seeing cases surging fast in such a short amount of time. Following these steps will keep people accountable and safe, while also enjoying the holidays.
Photography by: Kelly Sikkema
