5 Little Ways to Protect Yourself During the 2020 Cold and Flu Season
During a typical year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the average American gets two to three colds and about 8 percent of us come down with the flu. But 2020 is not a typical year. With COVID-19 being an ongoing concern, experts are struggling to anticipate what cold and flu season might be like in terms of not just the infection rate, but also the availability of resources to keep the sick from getting sicker.
On the one hand, many kids and teachers are back at school. These institutions tend to be breeding grounds for germs that can spread to families and beyond. Plus, when the cold weather comes, more of us will be in close contact indoors. This could lead to a spike of COVID cases that, along with flu cases, could stretch hospital resources, causing a rapid increase in disease-related deaths, says Pedro Piedra, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor who researches respiratory viruses at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. But on the other hand, social distancing and mask wearing have been causing a decrease in other viruses that would typically be circulating at this time of year, Dr. Peidra says. So it’s possible they could help stop the spread of the flu and cold as well.
The bottom line? The 2020 cold and flu season is still a big question mark. But no matter how you look at it, it’s vital to do all that you can to protect yourself. To help, we spoke to Dr. Piedra and Nicholas L. Pantaleo, M.D., a family medicine doctor at Westmed Medical Group in Yonkers, New York, to find out what they’re doing—and what they’re recommending to patients—to stay safe.
1. Get vaccinated.
The first and most crucial thing: get a flu shot, ideally before Thanksgiving which is when the flu generally begins to spread, Dr. Piedra says.
During the 2018 and 2019 flu season, vaccines prevented about 4.4 million flu cases and 3,500 flu-related deaths, according to CDC data. Vaccines also reduced the number of people who needed to visit a doctor due to the flu by 40 to 60 percent. “The flu vaccine protects specifically against a few strains. But it also makes symptoms less severe if you contract a different strain of the flu,” Dr. Pantaleo adds, so it brings multiple benefits.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the flu shot situation might look a bit different this year. So call your physician or pharmacy to discuss the safest way to receive your vaccination. Many locations are offering drive-through flu shots, while others are taking appointments in advance to order to reduce the number of patients in the waiting room.
2. Wash your hands.
The CDC, Dr. Pantaleo, and Dr. Piedra all say washing your hands often and thoroughly, and using an FDA-approved alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available is key to warding off colds and viruses.
To ensure you’re getting in a good scrub, following the CDC’s five recommended steps:
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails by rubbing them together with the soap.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
3. Make an effort to stop touching your face.
This is a hard one, we know! But when you’re home and mask-free, it’s vital to avoid touching your face unless you’ve just washed your hands, Dr. Pantaleo says. This will help keep any viruses or bacteria that may be on your hands from making their way inside your body through your eyes, nose, or mouth. It’s also important to cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow when sneezing and coughing to help prevent the spread of your germs to others.
4. Wear your mask and keep your distance.
You likely already have a good supply of face masks on hand. Now that it’s becoming a bit more routine (and possibly the law) to wear one when you’re out in public, keep on fighting the hygienic good fight, says Dr. Pantaleo, by wearing a mask all cold and flu season long and keeping your distance—ideally six feet or more—from others.
5. Discuss a contingency plan with your doctor ASAP.
It’s best to prevent rather than treat the flu, but even if you do get vaccinated, you might still get sick, Dr. Piedra says. So if you’re high-risk for flu complications or a parent of young kids (who are higher-risk and tend to spread germs to others), ask your physician about getting a prescription for antiviral medications before flu season. If taken within 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms (think: having a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue) these meds may help prevent more severe symptoms and shorten the length of your case by a day or two, per the CDC.
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