Before You Head Home, You May Want to Dig Out That N-95!

LANA SMITH – With the holidays upon us, the spirit on campus is buzzing! And whether you’re excited to head home or you’re dreading it, the one thing you definitely don’t want is to come back sick. But it may be more difficult to dodge those common winter viruses this year than in the past. After nearly two years of nationwide lockdowns, social distancing, and masks slowing the spread of typical winter colds, flu, and of course, Covid-19, seasonal viruses are flooding back through communities with a vengeance not seen by the medical community in over a decade. And while there may not be much you can do to completely avoid them, you can definitely limit your exposure.

Know what you’re up against:

According to the CDC, influenza is hitting communities much earlier this season than in typical years, and in higher numbers.  Over 120,000 people have already been hospitalized for influenza this Fall. This could be due to a widespread lack of natural immunity that people would normally have from being exposed to small amounts of the virus over time. This year, that natural immunity could be lower due to steps people have been taking over the past two years to limit their exposure.

Another now-familiar virus, Covid-19, is surging, with hospitals reporting a 30% increase since Thanksgiving. While the current Omicron variant seems to come with milder symptoms than previous variants, even a mild case of Covid-19 can cause symptoms that make you feel miserable, during a time you had planned to be celebrating with family and friends.

What you can do:

One of the easiest and most effective steps you can take to avoid influenza is getting your annual flu shot. Although the effectiveness of the flu vaccine varies from year to year, the CDC believes that when this year’s data comes out, it will show that the 2022 shot is a “very good match” to the circulating strains, according to CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky. There couldn’t be a better year for the flu shot to be highly effective, and it isn’t too late to protect yourself if you haven’t been vaccinated yet. While full protection from a flu shot can take as long as 14 days, partial protection begins much earlier. And if you’ve already contracted the flu this year, don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re in the clear. With many strains of both Influenza A and Influenza B circulating each year, contracting it twice in a season isn’t as uncommon as you’d think.

Another unsurprisingly effective way to keep the germs away is those pesky N-95 masks many of us learned to live with during the pandemic. While their exact effectiveness at preventing Covid-19 has been controversial, they seemed to be extremely effective at preventing colds, influenza, strep infections, and other seasonal illnesses during the covid pandemic. So much so, that they may be partially responsible for the current predicament with Americans’ low immunity levels to these diseases. During my routine physical last year, my own physician told me that during 2020, their practice saw only 2 cases of Strep Throat infections, a number so low, he never imagined it would have been a possibility. While there were most likely a variety of factors at play in preventing traditional seasonal illnesses during that time period, high-quality masks seem to be a no-brainer for protecting yourself from these infections. I’ll admit, I hate the feeling of wearing N-95s, but during two plane trips I took in the past month, I regretted not having one of these with me, as both flights had people dispersed throughout the plane (including the seats next to me) who had hacking coughs and all but gave up on covering their mouths by the end of both flights. The masks may be uncomfortable, but a well-fitted non-surgical N-95 can help ease anxiety about feeling trapped in close quarters with coughers, and according to the CDC, they keep enough of the microbes out of your body to prevent illness.

Other recommended steps to preventing seasonal illnesses include frequent hand washing, avoiding touching your face, keeping up to date with Covid-19 boosters, eating healthy, and getting plenty of rest. So, make sure you are caught up on vaccines, dig that N-95 out of whatever drawer you stashed it in, and stay healthy this holiday season. See you next year, Dawgs!

Copy Editor – Jared Solovei

Photography Source – https://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-lincoln-laboratory-tests-verify-if-uncertified-n95-masks-are-effective-0513