We have all been in this deadly situation: the family is outside of the house on a seemingly beautiful, warm summer day when dark clouds quickly gather, lightning begins to flash, and thunder begins to roll. Of course, without hesitation, we gather the family and head quickly inside to avoid the potential danger.
After all. lightning is one of the leading causes of weather-related fatalities. And, although we understand no one would likely be harmed by staying outside during the storm – the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are only around 1 in 500,000 – we yield to caution and retreat indoors. We completely understand how some factors put us at greater risk for being struck.
The National Center for Environmental Health advises us “When thunder roars, go indoors.” To escape danger, people know to avoid open areas and immediately seek a safe, enclosed shelter when they hear a thunderstorm approaching.
We have an unprecedented storm of a different nature that threatens us all during this holiday season – the deadly COVID-19 virus. The coronavirus is now responsible for over 281 thousand deaths in the United States. As infections spike to their highest levels before Christmas, the “thunder” of the spread should make us take extra precautions to help assure that we and our loved ones avoid being struck by the dangerous “lightning” approaching.
The risk of dying from COVID-19 is impossible to answer definitively at this time. However, we do know that the risk grows between 12 and 13 per cent with every year of age. This means the risk doubles every five to six years and by the time a person reaches old age it is pretty extreme.
Death from COVID-19 disproportionately affects the elderly. Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those older than 85 are 314 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those aged 25–34; those under 15, by contrast, are 43 times less likely to die of the disease than those aged 25–34.
(Avik Roy. “The Chances of Dying From COVID-19.” freeopp.org. July 17, 2020.)
Of course, to some, warnings are not sufficient to follow safety directives. They understand most people who contract the virus will have mild symptoms and get better. These people create unnecessary risks by flirting with exposure. But about 1 in 6 of those infected will have severe problems, such as trouble breathing, and the odds of more serious symptoms are higher if you have another health condition like diabetes or heart disease.
This Christmas we all face the furor of the COVID-19 tempest raging at our doors. How do we safely celebrate the holiday without needlessly exposing our families and friends (and innocent strangers) to COVID-19? How do we safely shelter from the storm in an environment that limits the spread?
A Christmas During COVID
With the COVID-19 pandemic in a full rage, we need much more caution. The safest thing you can do this Christmas season is stay home. Limit in-person contacts during holiday preparations and celebrations to the people in your household.
To keep everyone as safe as possible, your best bet is following Centers for Disease Control recommendations and avoiding indoor get-togethers. (An outbreak of COVID is the Christmas gift that no one wished for.) And that means if you live in the northern part of the country, your time together will probably need to be briefer (and chillier) than you’d probably like.
So, brief outdoor gatherings could be an option. Or, postponement of celebrations until a later, safer date is a possibility. I wonder what better conditions might exist in 2021 on Easter or on the Fourth of July?
“It will be a different Christmas, but that does not mean that it cannot be a merry one,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of the World Health Organization’s Europe office.
“Cherish the festive season with those close to you. If it’s a large gathering, with vulnerable people, you might postpone that gathering until you can safely gather. Despite the cold, if local restrictions permit, gather outside with loved ones for picnics in the park,” he said.
Of course, organizers and attendees of larger events should consider the risk of virus spread based on event size (number of attendees and other factors) and take steps to reduce the possibility of infection.
Several factors can contribute to the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 at small in-person gatherings. In combination, these factors will create various amounts of risk:
Community levels of COVID-19
Exposure during travel
Location of the gathering
Duration of the gathering
Number and crowding of people at the gathering
Behaviors of attendees prior to the gathering
Behaviors of attendees during the gathering
(“Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings.” CDC. Details at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html.)
Perhaps, too much emphasis is being put on having a near-normal Christmas this year. Respiratory infections peak in January, so throwing fuel on the fire over Christmas can only contribute to this.
Consider this part of the problem during the surge – good news surrounding a vaccine has created a disorienting mix of long-term hope amid increasing short-term danger – all at the moment Americans face pressure to gather with loved ones this holiday season.
That jumble of information tends to confuse people and can lead many to make bad decisions. In situations like this, humans tend to throw out the bad news and focus on short-term joy.
Compounding the problem: Pandemic-weary Americans are starved for pleasure, Melanie Greenberg, a clinical psychologist and author of The Stress-Proof Brain, told USA TODAY. That can lead people to over-value it, making comforting holiday rituals seem more appealing than ever, despite their danger this year.
(Joel Shannon. “A full table at Christmas this year may mean an empty one in the years ahead, experts warn.” USA TODAY. December 5, 2020.)
This is not a normal America in 2020. We should not expect to celebrate a “normal Christmas” during the pandemic. As difficult as it may be, we must take precautions to insure the safety of all. A decision not to gather in person may be the most loving one a family can make this holiday season. This is especially the case if its members include individuals in higher-risk categories, such as older adults and people with diabetes or cancer, to name just a few. We must have faith that 2021 will bring brighter days.
In Memoriam A. H. H. (Arthur Henry Hallam) OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII: 106
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850)
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment