(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Cook County health official is suggesting ways to keep this Thanksgiving as COVID-free — and as free of arguments about vaccines — as possible.
This will be the first Thanksgiving most Americans will be gathering in larger numbers with family and friends since 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“We don’t want people to go crazy. It is much better than last year, but we still want people to be cautious,” said Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal, associate chair of family and community medicine for Cook County Health.
She said the larger the group, the larger the risk of spreading COVID-19. The physician suggests people set expectations ahead of time about whether guests should all be vaccinated or whether masks will be worn at the gathering.
“It’s better to say just we’re going to kind of follow the rules and recommendations, we’re going to follow what the CDC says and maybe not delve into the discussion about you should or should not get vaccinated, so that everyone can still enjoy the holiday without it getting too political.”
Rajagopal adds that it’s best not to spring requests on guests.
“Have that conversation in advance, right, so that someone’s not showing up to the door either shocked because everyone’s masked or shocked because everyone’s not masked,” she said.
Dr. Rajagopal said there could be children who are 11 years old or younger who will not be fully vaccinated by Thanksgiving Day. While some children aged 5-11 have received their first COVID shot, they will not be considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second shot.
Related
