SALISBURY, Md. - With Christmas five days away COVID continues to be a concern as many of us will gather with friends and family for the holidays. Health experts are recommending layers of protection to limit risk. The first and most effective layer according to doctors is to get vaccinated. They also say to stay home if you are not feeling well, even if symptoms appear to be from cold or allergies. Leslie Peyton got her booster shot today since she got COVID around the holidays last year.
“This time last year, our whole family got COVID right before the Holidays, right before we were planning to travel and visit all our family. So we don't want a repeat of last year,” Peyton said.
The CDC recommends avoiding crowds, staying 6 feet apart from people outside the household, and washing hands often. Travis Brown with the Worcester County Health Department says the best defense from COVID-19 is getting vaccinated.
“Just having some protection is better than none of it and usually when you're catching COVID with a vaccination the symptoms will be less severe there. So right now it's the best thing to do bar none to improve health and safety for the holidays,” Brown said.
Another way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to consider how many guests will be at the gathering-- something Brain Black is doing for his Christmas celebration.
“Well we are not having the usual amount of guests this year. We usually have 25 to 30, it's probably going to be cut into a third, or just the immediate family this year,” Black said.
For people using at home test kits before the holidays be sure to read the instructions as some test kits require a second test two to three days after the first test.
