Tips From Stamford Health On How To Stay Safe During The Holidays

STAMFORD, CT — With a large number of people vaccinated, there are sure to be more holiday gatherings in the coming days than there were a year ago.

As the omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread both around the country and locally in Fairfield County, Stamford Health is offering some tips on how to stay safe this holiday season.

Dr. Asha Shah, head of infectious diseases at Stamford Health, said the first order of business is to get vaccinated and/or boosted.

"Booster shots have been shown to be effective in preventing symptomatic COVID, especially from the omicron variant, which is circulating more around the state and around the country," Shah said.

The other piece of advice is when in doubt, sit it out.

"Stay home if you're sick. Even mild symptoms — runny nose, congestion, feeling under the weather, especially in individuals who are vaccinated — that could be COVID. Kind of avoiding contact with individuals, particularly those who may be high risk, would also be advisable," Shah added.

Getting tested prior to a large gathering is also a good idea, Shah said. Opening windows to increase ventilation is suggested.

"It's not to say people should not be going, or should not be gathering, but smaller scale gatherings where you know people's vaccination status and that people are feeling well and have no symptoms, is really the safest way to enjoy the holidays," Shah said.

Shah said she expects to see a continued increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in January after the holidays are over. She also expects to see more cases of the flu.

Similar to the rest of the country, Stamford Health has mostly seen cases of Influenza A, Shah said, adding that there has been one flu-related hospitalization per week in Stamford. Most infections are seen in those 40 and younger.

Therefore, it's important to practice mitigation measures even after the holidays are over, Shah explained.

"We're almost two years into this. We all know what to do. Beyond getting vaccinated and boosted, wear a mask when you're indoors," Shah said. "That will help mitigate some spread of this, and potentially make January a little better than what it's predicted to be."