BATON ROUGE – Freezing temperatures have arrived in Baton Rouge and as locals search for ways to stay warm, health officials are concerned that the cold winter months might contribute to an increase in the transmission of COVID.
However, it isn’t the cold weather itself that has health experts worried.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), weather and temperature seem to have little impact on the transmission of novel coronavirus.
So, the weather isn’t the problem, it’s our response to the cold weather and holiday season that has officials worried.
The concern comes as holiday shoppers who engaged in in-person Black Friday shopping stood in lines outside of stores with crowds of other individuals.
In addition to this, many holiday celebrants chose to travel and spend time with extended family.
This, despite repeated warnings from medical experts to the public, urging them to continue social distancing and avoid group settings with individuals outside of their own household during the holidays.
Officials say that in addition to the possible transmission of COVID, but the threat of pneumonia and influenza are also a concern.
Some researchers say people interacting indoors, in hopes of avoiding cold weather, with individuals who are not part of their own household may increase the likelihood of spreading these viruses.
Joseph Kanter with the Louisiana Department of Health warned that an increase in the spread of COVID and other viral illnesses may eventually become so rampant that Louisiana hospitals will run out of enough health care workers to respond to the situation.
Should that happen, it would be a challenge to get help from medical personnel in other states, as other states would be dealing with the same problem.
Kanter said, “We are near lockstep with the rest of the country and almost every other state is seeing increases. Almost every other state is seeing runs on hospital care and demands of their hospital staff at the same time we are, which means that if we get into a position where we have to ask for help, ask for doctors and nurses from other states they might not be available. In fact I don’t think they will be available because they’ll be caring for their own state’s patients. So, we have to act now.”
Health officials say the best way to avoid such a dire situation is to continue practicing social distancing when outside of your home, to always wear a mask in public, and to avoid gathering with individuals who don’t live in your own household.
Click here for more detailed advice from the CDC on how to protect yourself and others from COVID.
