How to prepare for another winter of Covid-19? An expert weighs in
Winter is almost here. After weeks of steady decline, Covid-19 cases appear to be on the rise again.
Is a surge inevitable? How should families think about the winter ahead? What can they do to prepare and get through this period safely?
I discussed all of these questions with our expert, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, who is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of a new book, "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health," and the mother of two young kids.
CNN: Do we need to be resigned to another winter surge?
Dr. Leana Wen: No. If there's anything we've learned from the pandemic, it's that the future is not pre-ordained. There is a lot that is up to us.
Yes, we are dealing with a very contagious virus, the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Yes, we are unfortunately seeing an uptick again in cases. And yes, I am concerned about what will happen this winter, because we saw from last year that when the weather is colder, people go indoors, where the risk of transmission is higher. The upcoming holidays do also worry me, because of the increase in indoor gatherings.
Winter is almost here. After weeks of steady decline, Covid-19 cases appear to be on the rise again.
Is a surge inevitable? How should families think about the winter ahead? What can they do to prepare and get through this period safely?
I discussed all of these questions with our expert, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, who is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of a new book, "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health," and the mother of two young kids.
CNN: Do we need to be resigned to another winter surge?
Dr. Leana Wen: No. If there's anything we've learned from the pandemic, it's that the future is not pre-ordained. There is a lot that is up to us.
Yes, we are dealing with a very contagious virus, the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Yes, we are unfortunately seeing an uptick again in cases. And yes, I am concerned about what will happen this winter, because we saw from last year that when the weather is colder, people go indoors, where the risk of transmission is higher. The upcoming holidays do also worry me, because of the increase in indoor gatherings.
It's also vital to mention mental health, which is just as important as physical health. The pandemic has been very challenging for many people. Mental health was already an unmet need before Covid-19. Now is the time to work on mental health wellness, and to seek help if you need — just as you would for physical health issues.
CNN: Are there any supplies you'd recommend people stock up on, from a Covid-19 standpoint?
Wen: All households should have a standard set of supplies when it comes to caring for ill family members. That includes a thermometer, fever-reducing agents (acetaminophen and ibuprofen), and rehydrating solutions (like Pedialyte).
High-quality masks (N95, KN95, KF94) are now widely available. Make sure to have at least five masks for every household member. These should be worn when in indoor, crowded areas.
I'd also highly recommend stocking up on rapid tests. Your family should have at least one, ideally two, rapid tests for every member of the household. These are tests that are available for purchase over the counter at your local pharmacy. Results come back within 15 minutes. That's different from the gold-standard test, the PCR test. In many places, you need to get a doctor's note to obtain a PCR test or you may need to go to an urgent care to be seen. That adds expense; also, results may take 24 hours or more to return.
Because PCR tests are not as readily available, rapid tests can be helpful if someone starts having symptoms, especially if it takes time to get a PCR test and then obtain the results. Rapid tests are also very useful for screening purposes, for example, before you get together with friends and relatives indoors.
CNN: What do you say to those who are really sick of Covid-19 and want to get back to pre-pandemic normal?
Wen: I'd say that I hear you! I'm also sick of Covid-19 — we all are.
Here's the thing, though — Covid-19 is not quite done with us yet. We still have more than 80,000 new daily infections and more than 1,100 Americans dying every day from the coronavirus. We are at a much better place than we were last year, thanks to the vaccine, but we are not out the woods yet.
That said, there is a lot that we can resume doing to try to get back to normalcy. Consider making a list of all the things that you want to do. Go through the list and see how many things can actually be done now, with improved safety.
For example, you can have holiday meals with loved ones, even if you have children who are not yet fully vaccinated. There are some additional precautions that still need to be taken, but you can gather with friends and family again.
I know that the pandemic has been so hard for so many families. We can get through this winter — if we all work together to reduce risk, while restarting the activities we most miss.
专家权衡：如何为 Covid-19 的另一个冬天做准备？
冬天快到了。经过数周的稳步下降后，Covid-19 病例似乎再次上升。
暴涨是不可避免的吗？家庭应该如何看待未来的冬天？他们能做些什么来安全地准备和度过这个时期？
我与我们的专家、CNN 医学分析师 Leana Wen 博士讨论了所有这些问题，她是乔治华盛顿大学米尔肯研究所公共卫生学院的急诊医师和卫生政策与管理教授。她还是一本新书“生命线：为公共卫生而战的医生之旅”的作者，并且是两个年幼孩子的母亲。
CNN：我们是否需要接受另一次冬季激增？
Leana Wen 博士：不。如果我们从大流行中学到了什么，那就是未来不是预先注定的。有很多事情取决于我们。
是的，我们正在处理一种传染性很强的病毒，即冠状病毒的 Delta 变体。是的，不幸的是，我们看到病例再次增加。是的，我担心今年冬天会发生什么，因为我们从去年看到，当天气变冷时，人们会去室内，那里的传播风险更高。由于室内聚会的增加，即将到来的假期也让我感到担忧。
冬天快到了。经过数周的稳步下降后，Covid-19 病例似乎再次上升。
暴涨是不可避免的吗？家庭应该如何看待未来的冬天？他们能做些什么来安全地准备和度过这个时期？
我与我们的专家、CNN 医学分析师 Leana Wen 博士讨论了所有这些问题，她是乔治华盛顿大学米尔肯研究所公共卫生学院的急诊医师和卫生政策与管理教授。她还是一本新书“生命线：为公共卫生而战的医生之旅”的作者，并且是两个年幼孩子的母亲。
CNN：我们是否需要接受另一次冬季激增？
Leana Wen 博士：不。如果我们从大流行中学到了什么，那就是未来不是预先注定的。有很多事情取决于我们。
是的，我们正在处理一种传染性很强的病毒，即冠状病毒的 Delta 变体。是的，不幸的是，我们看到病例再次增加。是的，我担心今年冬天会发生什么，因为我们从去年看到，当天气变冷时，人们会去室内，那里的传播风险更高。由于室内聚会的增加，即将到来的假期也让我感到担忧。
提及心理健康也很重要，这与身体健康一样重要。这场大流行对许多人来说都是非常具有挑战性的。在 Covid-19 之前，心理健康已经是一个未被满足的需求。现在是致力于心理健康并在需要时寻求帮助的时候了——就像处理身体健康问题一样。
CNN：从 Covid-19 的角度来看，您是否建议人们储备任何用品？
温：所有家庭在照顾生病的家人时都应该有一套标准的用品。这包括温度计、退烧药（对乙酰氨基酚和布洛芬）和补液溶液（如 Pedialyte）。
高品质口罩（N95、KN95、KF94）现已广泛使用。确保每个家庭成员至少有五个口罩。在室内、拥挤的地方时应佩戴这些。
我还强烈建议储备快速测试。您的家人应该为每个家庭成员至少进行一次（最好是两次）快速测试。这些是可在当地药房柜台购买的测试。结果会在 15 分钟内返回。这与黄金标准测试、PCR 测试不同。在许多地方，您需要获得医生的证明才能进行 PCR 检测，或者您可能需要去紧急护理处就诊。这增加了费用；此外，结果可能需要 24 小时或更长时间才能返回。
因为 PCR 检测不是那么容易获得，所以如果有人开始出现症状，快速检测会很有帮助，尤其是在进行 PCR 检测然后获得结果需要时间的情况下。快速测试对于筛查目的也非常有用，例如，在您与朋友和亲戚在室内聚会之前。
CNN：您对那些真正厌倦了 Covid-19 并希望恢复到大流行前正常状态的人有什么想说的？
文：我会说我听到了！我也厌倦了 Covid-19——我们都是。
不过，事情就是这样——Covid-19 还没有完全结束。我们每天仍有超过 80,000 例新感染病例，每天有 1,100 多名美国人死于冠状病毒。多亏了疫苗，我们的处境比去年好得多，但我们还没有走出困境。
也就是说，我们可以继续做很多事情来尝试恢复正常。考虑列出你想做的所有事情。浏览列表，看看现在有多少事情可以做，而且安全性得到提高。
例如，即使您的孩子尚未完全接种疫苗，您也可以与亲人共进节日餐。 仍然需要采取一些额外的预防措施，但您可以再次与朋友和家人聚会。
我知道这场流行病对很多家庭来说是如此艰难。 我们可以度过这个冬天——如果我们齐心协力降低风险，同时重新开始我们最想念的活动。
