Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us continue to take unnecessary and downright foolhardy risks. In some instances, people genuinely don’t realize they’re acting recklessly. Other times, people take a twisted sense of pride in their refusal to take simple precautions. Even with an increasingly widespread vaccine rollout underway, we’re not out of the woods yet. The homestretch may be underway, but people are still contracting, spreading and dying of the novel coronavirus on a daily basis. Responsible citizens who want to minimize their risk of becoming COVID-19 statistics and/or spreaders are urged to heed the following tips.
Seeking Medical Advice Remotely
Venturing into a medical facility – or any crowded public setting, for that matter – during an active pandemic comes with a number of risks. So, if you find yourself in need of non-emergency medical advice in the age of COVID-19, it may be in your best interest to speak to a doctor remotely. Sites like https://everydaydoctor.com/ make it easy for people to speak with seasoned medical professionals without placing their health or safety at risk.
Being Responsible if You or Someone You Live with is Symptomatic
Although you may find doing so extremely inconvenient, it is imperative that you stay home if you or someone you live with is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Even if you genuinely believe these symptoms to beindictative of something else, you need to isolate until getting tested. While COVID tests were virtually impossible to come by a year ago, they’re fairly easy to get now, regardless of where you happen to be based. Should you require testing, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your healthcare provider. Additionally, if you’re found to be COVID-positive, you must isolate until getting the all-clear from your doctor.
The novel coronavirus hits some people differently than others. While some of us experience mild to moderate symptoms, others find themselves struggling to breathe and sicker than ever before. Furthermore, some people are completely asymptomatic. However, even if you have a mild, moderate or asymptomatic case, you must still avoid going anywhere until receiving the go-ahead from your doctor. For starters, there’s no guarantee that your condition isn’t going to worsen over time. You may be feeling okay now, but that can change very quickly. Secondly, even if you’re completely asymptomatic, the people you infect aren’t likely to be so lucky.
Avoid Interaction with Unmasked Individuals
At this point, there’s no excuse for not wearing a mask. Now that the benefits of masking up and the dangers synonymous with refusing to do so are well-known, anyone who refuses to take this basic precaution simply isn’t worth your time. Whether they’ve been swayed by disinformation or are just plain inconsiderate, people who consistently refuse to wear masks or wear them improperly continue to make this pandemic worse at every turn. While you may not be able to control their behavior, you can certainly control yours – and you’d be wise to avoid interaction with unmasked individuals. This means staying away from them if you see them in public and, if you live in a state without a mask mandate, avoiding stores and private businesses that don’t require customers to be masked.
In some instances, you may be tempted to indulge unmasked individuals simply to avoid potentially awkward situations. For example, if a repairman shows up to your home without a mask on, your immediate instinct may be to take your chances and let him in. Don’t do this. A single unmasked individual has the potential to inadvertently spread COVID-19 throughout your entire household, and if someone can’t be troubled to do something as simple as wearing a mask, they have no business entering other people’s homes. Similarly, avoid being drawn into conversation by mask-less friends and neighbors. Again, this may make you feel slightly uncomfortable, but this type of discomfort is preferable to COVID-19.
There’s no question that this has been a frightening – and outright inconvenient – time for most people on the planet. The pandemic created by the novel coronavirus has upended our lives to a degree that many of us have never experienced. Unfortunately, some people desire a return to normalcy so badly that they consistently place themselves and others at risk. While there’s no question that the pandemic has been a beast to deal with, taking unnecessary risks during this time is liable to have far-reaching consequences.