State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box is worried about a post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 spike. During Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference, Box stressed that bringing together large groups of people who aren’t part of your household puts all of them at risk.
“We know that many people are ignoring our pleas and the CDC’s pleas to stay home and limit Thanksgiving to your immediate household,” Box said. “You can see that in the video images coming out of airports around the country. Based on the spikes we’ve seen after our holidays, I’m concerned that many of these orange counties will wind up in red over the next two weeks.”
Governor Eric Holcomb noted that the seven-day positivity rate has decreased slightly over the past four days, but the number of people hospitalized and daily hospital admissions continue to go up. Dr. Box was also concerned by the number of deaths with more than 100 reported on Tuesday alone. “Seeing these numbers is beyond heartbreaking,” she said, “especially when we realize that about half of the deaths in the last week occurred among our vulnerable residents in long-term care facilities.”
IU Fairbanks School of Public Health Dean Dr. Paul Halverson said everyone in public health is worried about this holiday. “We like to think if we’re a part of the same family, we can share the germs, everybody will be protected. But the reality is just because you have a genetic connection does not mean that if you’re not in the immediate household, that you can relax and not wear a mask,” he said. “You need to be sure that we are isolating appropriately, trying to reduce that exposure. Be careful.”
Governor Eric Holcomb said he and his wife Janet will celebrate Thanksgiving alone this year. “Better safe than sorry. Maybe we’ll make up for it next year, with family from around the state and around the country coming in and maybe doing two Thanksgivings next year.”
The governor and first lady are quarantined until Tuesday. They recently testing negative for COVID-19, after several members of their security detail tested positive.
