November 28, 2023 – With coronavirus levels in Boston-area wastewater increasing ahead of the holiday season, people should get the latest COVID-19 vaccine and use rapid antigen tests if they feel sick, according to experts.
“Each year since 2020 Thanksgiving has been followed by spikes in wastewater and cases. And we can expect that to happen again this year as the virus gets introduced to new networks through holiday travel and gatherings,” said Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, one of the experts quoted in a November 21 article in the Boston Globe.
Hanage added, “That is not going to have anywhere near the dire consequences we saw in the past thanks to vaccination, but older people remain at risk from COVID just like other respiratory infections!” He recommended that people use rapid antigen tests before attending holiday gatherings, and avoid going if they have symptoms of a respiratory infection.
Read the Boston Globe article: Levels of COVID-19 in Boston-area waste water increase ahead of holiday season
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