Erica Lamberg
Special to USA TODAY
Airports are notorious for being germ incubators and during a pandemic, this risk rises. As people become vaccinated, widespread travel will become feasible again. But medical experts say there are ways to mitigate the risks while traveling while waiting for the country to reach herd immunity through widespread vaccination.
Although the availability of direct flights is improving, many travelers – especially those who live outside of major cities – have needed to book connecting flights to reach their final destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Flight layovers are a particularly vulnerable time but it is also a time when you can enact a lot personal safety measures to reduce your risk of contracting disease,” says Dr. Alaina Brinley Rajagopal, a Southern California-based emergency medicine physician, virologist and host of the Emergency Docs podcast.
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A unique new study suggests that the behavior public officials are now mandating or recommending unequivocally to slow the spread of surging COVID-19 wearing a face covering should come with a caveat. If not accompanied by proper public education, the practice could lead to more infections.
The finding is part of a unique study, just published in
JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, that was conducted by a team of health economists and public health faculty at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine in partnership with public health officials for the state of Vermont.
The study combines survey data gathered from adults living in northwestern Vermont with test results that showed whether a subset of them had contracted COVID-19, a dual research approach that few COVID studies have employed. By correlating the two data sets, researchers were able to determine what behaviors and circumstances increased respondents’ risk of becoming sick.
The COVID-19 case statistics continue to be staggering, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising Americans not to travel due to the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the nation are rising. As colder weather arrives, more people will be indoors and in close quarters, which can add to the spread.
Health experts say the best way to keep yourself safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is to stay home.
“However, as we quickly approach our first COVID anniversary, more and more people are looking for ways to leave their home and still stay safe. If you travel somewhere, consider being tested about three to five days before you go,” says MarkAlain Dery, medical director of infectious diseases for Access Health Louisiana in New Orleans. “Keep in mind, though, a negative test is not an all-clear. Until we have a widely distributed vaccine, you should not behave as if you are COVID negative.”