Alabama healthcare providers are looking to make sure tomorrow Thanksgiving is a healthy occasion. The point is to stay safe from COVID-19 and the flu as you visit family and friends. Health experts say it’s important to know if individuals at high risk are attending and to take precautions. Dr. Wes Stubblefield is the District Medical Officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health. He says there’s one how to be safe during the holiday gathering.
“There are several things that can be helpful when thinking about planning to be, potentially, around large groups of people or around family members,” said Stubblefield. “One is to receive vaccines for the diseases we have vaccines for. Right now what is circulating is COVID and Influenza. Both of those are available. And if you haven’t got this year’s Flu vaccine you should go and get that.”
Alabama public health officials are offering tips to keep tomorrow’s Thanksgiving as healthy as possible. Healthcare providers are recommending safety precautions during holiday events, which include washing your hands frequently and coughing into your arm. Stubblefield says Thanksgiving gatherings can happen without being at risk for diseases.
“It is possible to gather safely, we figured that out in COVID. It is possible, even for people that are at high risk of severe risk to interact with their family. It just take a little bit of pre-planning.”
Dr. Stubblefield also says it’s important to know if individuals that are high risk are attending to plan ahead and take the necessary precautions. He says this may include wearing masks.
