But getting through life doesn’t have to mean throwing caution to the wind. Covid is still here and cases are rising in some communities.We all have to learn to live with covid.
Life with covid is easy if you take simple, regular precautions. Jay Varma, a physician, infectious disease expert, and professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, sees this new normal as the adjustments we have had to make regarding post-9/11 safety. compared. As an inconvenience to ensure safety, we have become accustomed to additional restrictions on travel, such as removing shoes in airline screening lines.
I have spent nearly three years talking to many of the world’s leading experts on public health and viral infections and reporting on life with covid and the pandemic. You don’t have to choose one or the other. You can do both. Here are 10 helpful tips, including some steps I take to protect myself.
- Get a booster shot. Start by getting vaccinated or getting booster shots.Read this Q&A for answers to common questions Questions about new boosters.
- Wear a mask when you’re comfortable. No one wants to wear a mask all day long, so think strategically. I don’t usually wear masks at work, but I do wear them in crowded meetings. You may want to mask at the grocery store. It’s a building full of strangers and covid is probably there too. If you use public transport, wear a mask to the clinic or to work. Risk is cumulative, so every time you wear a mask in a high-risk situation, you are less likely to catch the virus.
- Mask while traveling. Increased risk of coming into contact with covid while traveling. Wear and lower your mask at security lines and crowded terminals. The plane has an effective ventilation system, filtering the air every five minutes, but I still wear a mask.If you don’t want to wear a mask on long trips, consider wearing one The ventilation system may be switched off during the boarding and disembarkation process. Here are some travel tips from virus experts: During flight, the fan nozzles are turned on and positioned to blow against the face to keep stray virus particles at bay.
- Avoid crowds. Whether or not you heed this advice probably depends on your overall risk. Young, healthy people who have been vaccinated may choose to spend time in crowded indoor areas. Choose an outdoor area for dining, sporting events, concerts, etc. Also, for indoor events such as going to a movie or theater, cautious people may still want to wear a quality mask.
- Check the infection level in your community. Tracking the number of cases within the community may guide selection. In the United States, looking at a map of infection levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please use the dropdown menu to check “community transmission” instead of “covid-19 community level”. This is an indicator of how the hospital is managing and has little to do with individual decision-making.
- Pax Robid Make a plan. People over the age of 50 and those at high risk are eligible to take Paxlovid, a highly effective antiviral drug. Must start within 5 days It takes several days from diagnosis or onset of symptoms, so it’s important to talk to your doctor and plan to have your prescription readily available if needed.
- Think about indoor air. Adding a portable air purifier to your space can effectively double the ventilation in your room. Ask your employer to provide portable air purifiers for office spaces and conference rooms. Ask how often to change the filters. You can also ask your employer what steps are being taken to improve indoor air quality in their offices. Many workplaces upgrade their air filters to hospital grade quality filters. (Ideally at work he uses what is called a MERV-13 filter, but on some systems he can only handle MERV-11 filters.)
- Use your home test wisely. A negative home test means you’re probably not infected, but it’s no guarantee you don’t have covid. If you know you have the virus or have been in a high-risk situation such as travel or an indoor concert, stay away from others or wear a mask. Even if your test results are negative, wear a mask until your symptoms subside.
- Take time off from work and stay home when you are sick. One of the great lessons of the pandemic is that you shouldn’t go to the office with a runny nose or sore throat. Stay home and zoom in when you feel good enough to work.
- Plan your life around the most vulnerable person in your orbit. If you are in regular close contact with someone who is older, has a chronic illness, or has a weakened immune system, take more precautions, masking, testing, and avoiding high-risk situations. You should be more vigilant about avoidance.
The bottom line is that it’s not all or nothing, said Greg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. “There are many reasons why we shouldn’t just get a vaccine and be done with it. There is a possibility that
3 questions. . . about smarter exercise
This week, I spoke with Your Move columnist Gretchen Reynolds. active couch potato and Morning or evening is the best time to exercise.
Q: Why is it difficult for people to establish a regular exercise routine?
A: Most people, myself included, say it’s because they don’t have time. But most behavioral science says it’s because we don’t enjoy it.People who don’t like exercise don’t exercise. Luckily, there are many ways to get active. Do you enjoy jogging? Swim, hike, mountain bike, weight train, pickleball, do yoga online, or go for a walk with friends. Reframing your workouts as “me time” or healthy procrastination can also help. You’re taking a mental health break and want to get back to work refreshed and agile, procrastinating more tomorrow.
Q: Which is more important for your health, exercising or sitting less?
A: Can I answer “both”? There is no doubt that sitting is bad for your health. It affects our bodies in ways that increase our risk of everything from weight gain to heart disease. And short workouts don’t reverse these effects, according to new research: To combat long periods of sitting, he’ll need to exercise at least an hour a day. Alternatively, you can spend less time sitting and moving around. Divide your sitting time into gentle activities, not formal exercise. Both approaches are healthy, and combining them — doing more exercise and sitting less — is healthier than anything else if you can.
Q: What’s your favorite short workout?
A: That is, pick a tree or other landmark while walking or running and increase your pace until you reach it. My fartlek sessions are usually short, about 15 minutes. But it’s a fun and easy way to add intensity and speed up your workouts. I never get bored when I fart.
This week’s daily life coach is Toshiaki Masuno, a monk and author of the new book I’m reading.Don’t Worry: 48 Lessons for Relieving Anxiety From a Zen Monk“
advice: Soothe your nights “One of the keys to calming down the night is to avoid making decisions at this hour as much as possible,” writes Masuno.
Reasons to try: in one study, researchers tracked the decisions of 184 chess players. The study, published in Cognition, found that the most accurate decisions were made between 8am and 1pm.
How to: Everyone has a different way of adding tranquility to your night. Evenings can be hectic for parents and sometimes they have to take work home. Whatever the situation, try to take some time to calm down before bed. Some people like to read books or listen to music. Make time for crafts and hobbies at night. Light the candle. take a bath. “When you make time for fun, you naturally become more calm and relaxed,” writes Masuno. “Ultimately, you will sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.”
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