Have a very wary Christmas: What KC needs to do to stay safe from COVID-19 this year
No one wants to play the Grinch again this Christmas, but the truth is the COVID-19 pandemic still has a death grip on humanity. It’s not over. You still need to be cautious, even if it puts off your relatives.
It just might be their health or life that you preserve.
The first thing you need to do is to be vaccinated. If vaccinated, get the booster. It’s not a bad idea to get tested either way, to know whether you’d be spreading the virus.
Next, have the gumption to ask those who will be at your family gathering what their vaccination status is. It’s not at all rude to find out. It’s for your safety, and the safety of those you love — some of whom are old or young or infirm enough to be more in mortal danger from COVID-19.
“I know that’s a very uncomfortable question to ask at times,” says Kansas City Health Department interim director Frank Thompson. “But if people are serious about protecting their family members as they gather over this holiday season, that is one of the essential conversations that you have to have.”
“It is a good idea to know what your risks are, wherever you are this holiday season,” agrees Johnson County Department of Health and Environment director Dr. Sanmi Areola. “And it is important to have open and honest conversations about how to protect each other.”
Yes, we’re all suffering from pandemic prevention fatigue. But this thing is far from over. Consider: Kansas City’s most recent COVID case rate was 275 per 100,000 population, and the city’s positivity rate stood at 12%. Both are well above what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be high transmission rates: just 100 cases per 100,000, and a 10% positivity rate.
Think about that before you head out: In cases per 100,000, Kansas City is more than double the threshold for high transmission. And there are already fewer available hospital beds than there were a year ago at this time. You really think this is the time to let down our guard?
Common sense says no, but Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt says an emphatic yes — going to court to fight every COVID-19 prevention measure known to mankind. And growing numbers of local elected officials in the two-state area have been dropping mask mandates or urging their elimination. At the odd behest of newly inaugurated Mayor Ty Garner, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas last week ended its mask mandate. And in a letter to Johnson County commissioners, 26 elected officials asked to end the countywide school mask mandate for grades K-6.
All that, despite the fact, as Thompson says, “There was a definite increase in cases after Thanksgiving, and we expect another increase after Christmas.” Hey, why not make the case spike even bigger?
Even if you’ve been fully vaccinated you can still be infected and pass the virus along to others, Thompson notes. What being vaccinated does, and very effectively, is severely limit your chances of serious illness, hospitalization and death. But that won’t necessarily protect those around you.
If you’re hosting a Christmas gathering — and this goes for New Year’s Eve as well — you should also make it clear to invited guests that they should decline the invitation if they’re not feeling well. And if you’re under the weather, stay home.
“Do not tough it out just because you want to see family members that you haven’t seen in a while, because what you could end up doing is putting your loved ones at risk,” Thompson says. “As much as we want to get back to ‘normal life,’ we are still in the middle of a global pandemic. Until we take the steps to put this pandemic behind us, we’re going to need to remain vigilant.”
Sadly, our leaders have clearly given up trying to protect us. That puts the onus squarely on us.
That means getting fully vaccinated; getting tested before attending events; wearing masks at indoor celebrations and even crowded outdoor ones; maintaining a safe distance; and frequent hand washing, especially before meals.
And don’t just throw on any old mask. Make sure it provides protection. If you can’t wear surgical masks, Thompson suggests sturdy cloth masks with at least two layers. He also adds filter inserts to his mask, which you can purchase online and in some stores. Many commercially made masks even feature a pouch for filters.
No one would wish you a very wary Christmas. But being extra careful is the best gift you can give yourself this year.