Who else is ready to celebrate the holidays and wrap up 2021? This year we had some ups and downs: electing a new president, getting vaccines for COVID-19, and shifting coronaviruses, all meant to keep us on our toes!  The main concern is how are we all going to celebrate safely when there are back-to-back holidays? We just made it through Thanksgiving and we just began Hanukah. Christmas and Kwanzaa are around the corner. 

We hope everyone has been safe, but we can guarantee this because not everyone is vaccinated for COVID-19. At the same time, we have The Delta variant circulating around Massachusetts and other states. Restrictions have also been lifted in the past few months that some of us are forgetting the COVID-19 safety guidelines we once had down like the ABC's.

We can’t eliminate risk but we can mitigate it, especially by creating various kinds of accommodations for people with higher risk factors. Let’s hope vaccines and therapeutics will keep catching up with the new variants as they emerge and evolve. But the bottom line is that we still have to go on living as close to normal as possible: sending kids to school, letting them see friends, going to our jobs, socializing, eating at our favorite restaurants, consuming culture, and all the rest.

AFC Urgent Care Saugus wants you to stay COVID-19 free this Christmas with a guide on how to celebrate the 2021 holidays safely.

Holiday Plans Should Depend On Your COVID-19 Vaccination Status

Thankfully, 2021 brought us new testing options like The Rapid COVID-19 test and multiple options for COVID-19 vaccines. Your safest bet to keep everyone at your gathering safe from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. Kids ages 5 and up have recently become eligible to get the vaccine. Think of everyone else at your gathering this winter holiday. It’s not just about you. Getting vaccinated will protect others and reduce the chances of spreading COVID-19 to others at future gatherings.

The winter is also notorious for other viruses like the flu, norovirus, colds,  or hand, foot, and mouth disease, which we are beginning to see as well. You should also plan ahead by getting a flu shot and constantly washing your hands to avoid spreading germs. 

Know the differences between Colds, flu, and COVID-19 in the chart below:

Travel Safety For The Christmas Holidays

Going away for the Christmas holiday? Know your travel destination. All airports, as well as airlines, require everyone to mask up regardless of vaccination status. The CDC also updates their guidance on travel regularly. This includes travel information for vaccinated folk and unvaccinated individuals. 

Domestic travel doesn’t require a COVID-19 vaccine, but if not vaxed, you will need to prove a negative PCR test in order to travel. If you are vaccinated for COVID, you’re good to fly locally without any travel delay. 

International travel is trickier. having more restrictions because most countries around the world still have high counts of COVID-19 cases, newer and emerging COVID variants like the latest Omicron, and/or a resurgence in cases. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated for COVID-19 as the best safeguard to protect against COVID-19 and to be able to fly with fewer restrictions. If you are unvaccinated, check your destination for rules on quarantine, and when to get a COVID-19 test before you go and before coming back to the U.S.

More information on the travel guide is here.

Getting Tested For COVID-19 After Your Celebrations

It’s important and most of us don’t think about doing it. We already know the precautions for gatherings are distance, ventilation, wearing masks, and washing our hands frequently. This has been drilled in us for almost two years now. But, it’s just as important to monitor symptoms after gatherings to avoid going to future gatherings and spreading COVID-19.

It takes about 3-5 days after exposure to see symptoms. Therefore, it would be best to keep monitoring your symptoms 3-5 after your event by getting tested to ensure you’re not bringing the virus with you to your next event.

AFC Urgent Care New Bedford Can Help Test You For COVID-19

Whether you’re hosting a gathering or going to one, know that you can have peace of mind by coming to our center for continuous Rapid COVID-19 testing any day of the week. There is no appointment needed when seeing us and we’ll be able to provide results on the same day.

***Plan ahead as the holidays progress; wait times may vary depending on the demand.

If you need to get vaccinated for the flu, we also offer it 7 days a week. We offer the quadrivalent flu shot for all ages, including seniors and those 65 and over.