Contents
Another month has passed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is not about to stop. In Poland, the Ministry of Health informs about over 20 thousand. new infections. Each of us already knows someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. At this point, is it possible to create a safe “social bubble” without risking contamination? Experts tell you how to do it.
- Creating a “social bubble” requires some sacrifice. It cannot be too large, and it should also not include people at risk of severe COVID-19
- During meetings, ensure proper ventilation and, if possible, maintain social distance and cover the mouth and nose.
- The network should not be larger than 6-10 people, but remember that each of these people also has a life “outside” the bubble and the safety of others depends on how this life is outside
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
Creating “party bubbles”
The Christmas season is approaching, many of us have not seen our loved ones for a long time. No wonder we start to wonder if and how to safely spend time with our loved ones. Creating the so-called “Bubble bubbles”, that is, small groups that agree to spend time only in their company, may be the answer to the pandemic feeling of loneliness.
However, experts warn that it is not so easy to create a safe “bubble”, especially when the country has around 20 jobs every day. new infections with a very high positive test rate, which means that the infection is common in society.
‘You have to remember that there are no zero risk scenarios and most people’s bubbles are bigger than they think,’ Dr. Anne Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, told Business Insider. You will have to trust the people you enter the bubble with to speak up honestly about any suspected exposure to coronavirus ”.
Business Insider asked several infectious disease experts for advice on creating a safe social bubble. Some of these recommendations are more conservative, but all the experts agreed on a few key things to note.
First, there should be few people in the bubble. Ideally, it is about avoiding close contact with people we don’t live with. If we decide to expand our network of contacts, it is best to limit it to a few other households.
“It’s a good idea to check your local guidelines on how many people can legally meet each other,” explains Rimoin.
In Poland, it is currently forbidden to organize family celebrations and special events (except for funerals), which makes it difficult to contact people from outside our household. However, there is no ban on visiting or moving.
Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease expert at George Mason University, recommends creating a social bubble with up to one or two households. Other experts agreed that a good rule of thumb is to limit yourself to around six to ten people.
If we want to create a larger bubble, everyone inside should follow stringent safety measures, such as routine testing or restriction of life “outside”.
– The NBA was very successful in creating a bubble that covers all 30 teams. It’s more a question of what goes on inside the bubble and how its participants ‘outside’ behave than how big the bubble is, Dr. Murray Cohen, a retired CDC epidemiologist and medical advisor, told Business Insider.
Another piece of advice for creating a social bubble includes a mandatory 14-day quarantine before starting social networking. Why 14 days? During this time, symptoms may appear after infection, so experts recommend waiting two weeks before joining the bulb. During this time, the entire potential group should also avoid unnecessary activities.
«Everyone has to be very careful these two weeks before they end up in one group. As a result, they will minimize the risk of infection »explained Scott Weisenberg, infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health.
Some experts even say that before we decide to create a limited social network, everyone who will belong to it should have a negative COVID-19 test result. This is a fairly rigorous approach. In Poland, you can take advantage of commercial tests, but their price is often prohibitive. RT-PCR tests are the most expensive, while those detecting COVID-19 antibodies are slightly cheaper.
Experts also advise on how to prepare for meetings with people from your social bubble. Of course, it is best to meet outdoors, but we all know that the weather outside the window does not inspire you to long walks. If we meet in a room, adequate ventilation should be ensured. It is enough to open the window during the meeting and to ventilate the apartment after the guests have left. If only the household members are in the bubble, air out as often as possible.
Experts also agree that ideally people in the bubble should adhere to the principles of social distancing and use mouth and nose protectors.
“The bubble is just a strategy to reduce overall exposure and empower people to socialize, but it doesn’t mean we can lose our vigilance,” added Weisenberg.
See also: The latest Polish recommendations for the treatment of COVID-19. Prof. Flisiak: it depends on the four stages of the disease
There are a number of pitfalls that could prevent our “social bubble” from working on its goals. First, it is better to avoid forming a social network with the elderly, pregnant women, and others at risk of developing severe COVID-19.
Second, the bubble shouldn’t contain people who spend a lot of time outside their home and have a lot of interaction with outsiders. It is primarily about school workers, students and people who have direct contact with people suffering from COVID-19. If they are in your social group, the risk of contracting the coronavirus increases significantly.
It is also worth knowing that it is impossible to completely limit interactions to just one group of people. Probably every person in the “bubble” has contact with people outside of it. Often there are also overlapping social bubbles. If done carefully, you can enlarge your group without increasing the risk of infection. That is why it is so important to limit interactions and focus only on those within the group.
How do you like this advice? Do you form groups with your loved ones? How do you reduce the risk of infection? Please tell us your ideas at [email protected]
The editorial board recommends:
- Vitamin D influences the course of COVID-19. How to wisely supplement its deficiency?
- Sweden: infection records, more and more deaths. The author of the strategy took the floor
- Almost 900 deaths a day? Three scenarios for the development of the epidemic in Poland
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.