Spectrum News: Thanksgiving travel brings health risks
UC expert says COVID-19 is not the only current concern
The Thanksgiving holiday is traditionally one of the busiest travel times of the year. With travel comes increased risk of being exposed to viruses and Spectrum News reported that the American Automobile Association predicts travel for Thanksgiving this year will have numbers not seen since before the pandemic, which could spread a lot of unwanted illnesses.
One of the experts interviewed by Spectrum News for this story was Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC College of Medicine.
Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Joe Fuqua II/UC Marketing + Brand
"If you do not feel perfect yourself, then take a stop, right there, do a little check for yourself and say 'what am I feeling?'," said Fichtenbaum.
COVID is not the only concern. Influenza and the common cold become more prevalent as the weather gets colder.
“It is possible to pick up many of these different viruses and so I think the prudent thing to do there is, I do recommend wearing a mask because there’s just so many viruses around,” he said.
The CDC recommends getting tested for COVID-19 no more than three days before traveling.
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