Hi there, Nurse Lauren here with your Wellness Wednesday tips!
Today, let’s chat about COVID19. While things look vastly different this summer compared to the summer of 2020, everyone should still be vigilant about the COVID-19 virus. You want to make every precaution you can to avoid contracting or spreading this virus and its variants. it is very important to make sure that you are getting factual and reliable information. The best resource is to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (@CDCgov) recommendations on how to protect yourself and others. , who is at increased risk for severe illness, when to quarantine and isolate and information on the types of variants that exist.
Vaccinate
The best way to protect yourself from the COVID19 virus is to vaccinate. Vaccinations are safe, effective and free. So far 351,933,175 total doses of the vaccine have been administered in the Untied States. For more details on data particular to your region and how to find where you can get a vaccine check out the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker and the COVID-19 Integrated County View. You are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after your second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. If you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can resume daily life and activities that you enjoyed before the start of the pandemic.
To Mask or Not to Mask?
Guidance on masking has changed more than once due to the fact that the number of confirmed COVID cases are constantly being updated. Anyone older than 2 years of age, who is not fully vaccinated and fully vaccinated people with weakened immune systems should continue to wear masks in most settings and continue to stay 6 feet apart from others. Because the Delta variant is now spreading, it is now recommended that fully vaccinated people wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of high transmission. To learn more including precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, where you should be wearing a mask, how to select a mask, and how to properly wear on read Your Guide to Masks.
Travel
If you are planning travel, either domestic or international it is important to review the Risk Assessment Level for COVID-19. Every destination is ranked by the following categories: Level 4: COVID-19 Very High, Level 3: COVID-19 High, Level 2: COVID-19 Moderate, Level 1: COVID-19 Low, Level Unknown: COVID-19 Unknown. Traveling to a destination categorized as level 4 or level 3 at this time is discourage for any nonessential reasons but if you must, you should make sure you are fully vaccinated prior to traveling. There are many travel requirements at this time including proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States.
This is Nurse Lauren, contributor of NursesNOW, signing off with your Wellness Wednesday tip! Remember stay vigilant and informed when it comes to COVID19 and the variants.
ICYMI – My other Blog posts, plus Nurses NOW Weekly Roundups and Friday Fives.
