With Thanksgiving here and big holiday gatherings looming, Wabash County Health Department administrator Judy Wissel offered a word of caution at Monday’s county board meeting. Wissel reported that while Wabash County currently stands in medium transmission for COVID, the number of positive flu cases has pushed the county into the high transmission category.
And with that in mind, the Illinois Department of Public Health is urging families to help protect loved ones from COVID-19 and other illnesses over the Thanksgiving holiday. Besides the basics of covering your cough and sneezes and staying home if you’re sick, state chief medical officer Dr. Arti Barnes suggests improving ventilation in your home during large family gatherings. That includes opening windows if possible and using fans to circulate the air. She also recommends a Hepa air cleaner….
Barnes stresses the importance of getting your annual flu shot and latest COVID booster, citing a potential surge in cases this winter. In Wabash County, Wissel said her department has given over 700 COVID vaccines in the last two months and around 900 flu vaccines.