Are there any risks of infection after returning from various places after the holidays? CDC reminds: These types of people should postpone their return to work!

The Spring Festival holiday is over and many people have returned to work. But at the same time, many people are worried that their colleagues who have returned from all over the world will be at risk of infection when they return to work after the holiday.

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01

Is there an infection risk?

Expert: The probability is very low

Is there a risk of reinfection when returning to work after the holidays? Zhao Wei, director of the Biosafety Research Center of the School of Public Health of Southern Medical University, said in an interview with the People's Daily Health Client on January 27 that all the valid genome sequences of local cases of the new coronavirus reported nationwide are the Omicron variant.

"According to this situation, people who have been infected in other places should still be within the effective protection period of six months. In addition, the current prevalent strain is still the Omicron variant, and the possibility of immune escape is very small. Therefore, the risk of infection after returning is also very small. " Dr. Zhao Wei said that if you pay attention to staying at home as much as possible after returning home, reduce going out and gathering, or do not have unprotected contact with symptomatic infected people, the risk of infection will be even smaller.

"Judging from the performance of the whole country, this worry is unnecessary. The Spring Festival holiday is already halfway through, and there has been no large-scale epidemic." Hu Yang, deputy director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, also told the People's Daily Health Client reporter that the risk of reinfection after returning from hometown is very low. "Everyone has just been infected and still has antibodies in their bodies. The probability of reinfection in the short term is relatively low. "

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"Based on the data published so far, the sources of infection in society have been greatly reduced, which has objectively greatly reduced the risk of infection on the way back to work from hometown. Of course, out of a cautious attitude, in order to avoid infection, it is recommended to wear a mask throughout the journey in enclosed places on the way back, such as when taking public transportation, except during meals. After returning to your residence, it is recommended to wash your hands and change your coat immediately. At the same time, pay attention to your physical condition and seek timely treatment if clinical symptoms of new coronavirus infection appear. " said Dr. Zhao Wei.

02

Primary medical institutions in many places:

The number of people seeking medical treatment for positive infection during the Spring Festival has dropped significantly

During the Spring Festival holiday, reporters from the People's Daily Health Client called community health service centers, township health centers and other grassroots medical institutions in many places. During the Spring Festival, grassroots medical workers took turns to stay at their posts and made emergency preparations, but the number of positive infections seeking medical treatment during the Spring Festival decreased significantly.

"Most people who come to community hospitals during the Spring Festival are there to get prescriptions or solve some minor problems. But there must be staff on duty in general practice, nursing, pharmacy, and administration. This is the responsibility of the medical unit." The doctor on duty at the Second Health Service Center of Hujialou Community in Chaoyang District, Beijing, told the reporter of People's Daily Health Client. "On New Year's Eve, the first and second days of the New Year, there were relatively few people who came to the community hospital for consultation and prescriptions. Starting from the third day of the New Year, there were about dozens of people."

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The doctor on duty said that people with 11 suspected COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, dry cough, fatigue, and sore throat, are the ones that community hospitals need to pay special attention to during the Spring Festival. "If such people come to the community hospital for treatment, as well as patients who have experienced some new symptoms after COVID-19 infection, we must pay special attention to medication and treatment."

The Dongyuan Town Health Center in Jiexi County, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province was much quieter during the Spring Festival. "Except for some emergency cases due to gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea, there were almost no people coming." The doctor on duty at the health center told the reporter of the People's Daily Health Client that in order to cope with various possible cases, every department of the hospital had someone on duty during the Spring Festival, and more than a dozen medical staff took turns on duty every day.

"It's a good thing that fewer people come to the hospital." The doctor on duty told reporters that most people in the town have tested positive, and fewer people come to the health center for treatment than before. But fearing that the epidemic will recur during the Spring Festival, the health center has stockpiled medicines and corresponding medical equipment in advance, and the number of staff on duty has also increased compared with previous years.

03

Disease control reminder:

These types of people are temporarily postponed from returning to work!

Recently, the Hunan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other local centers for disease control and prevention issued reminders that people with symptoms of COVID-19 infection such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, loss of smell and taste, and sore throat are advised to postpone travel and return to work. At the same time, suggestions for safe return to work were given.

1. Before returning to work

Make good plans for your return trip, try to avoid peak travel times, pay attention to the weather and route conditions of the places you pass through, and in case of strong winds and heavy rain, adjust your return time and route in time, and pay attention to driving safety.

Pay attention to your health and do antigen testing. If you feel unwell, especially with fever or respiratory symptoms, or if the antigen test is positive, it is recommended to seek timely treatment or rest on the spot and adjust your return time.

Prepare protective items such as masks and hand sanitizers before traveling.

2. On the way back to work

Try to travel safely by self-driving or other means.

If you take public transportation such as airplanes, trains, and buses, you should observe order and obey the management requirements of the crew. If conditions permit, open windows for ventilation as much as possible.

On the way back, you must take good self-protection measures, wear a mask throughout the journey, pay attention to hand hygiene, touch public items on public transportation as little as possible, wash your hands in a timely and correct manner, or disinfect with hand sanitizer. Do not touch your mouth, eyes, or nose with your hands before cleaning your hands.

Wear a disposable medical mask or N95 mask throughout the process. Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing, do not spit, and wrap oral and nasal secretions with tissue and discard them in the trash.

If you need to queue up during the return journey, you should keep a distance of 1 meter. When talking to people, you should maintain a certain social distance.

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3. After returning to work

Do a good job of antigen testing. Take another antigen test after returning. If the antigen test is positive or you feel unwell, it is recommended to postpone your return to work.

Wear masks regularly. Wear masks regularly on the way to work, on public transportation or in elevators, and in the office. It is recommended to carry masks with you and choose appropriate masks according to different crowds and scenes.

Keep the office air flowing. Open windows and use natural ventilation. If conditions are unavailable, use exhaust fans and other exhaust devices to increase indoor air flow. Clean and disinfect air conditioners before use. When using centralized air conditioning and ventilation systems, ensure that the indoor fresh air volume meets hygiene standards.

Maintain personal hygiene and wash your hands frequently. During work, when handling express deliveries, cleaning garbage, before meals and after defecation, you should wash your hands or disinfect your hands in time. Do not touch your mouth, eyes, or nose with unwashed hands. Be sure to wash your hands first when you return home from outside.

Keep the environment clean and remove garbage in time. Elevator buttons, time clocks, desks, conference tables, microphones, door handles and other public items or parts should be cleaned and disinfected. They can be wiped with alcohol or chlorine-containing disinfectants.

Safe dining. Minimize the number of people in the employee cafeteria, and disinfect tableware after each person's use. Pay attention to hand hygiene when buying (taking) meals, and maintain a safe social distance. It is best to sit in separate seats and avoid crowding when dining.

We should also take good protection after we recover from COVID-19. We are currently in the peak season for respiratory infections in winter and spring. If we continue to take good respiratory protection after recovering from COVID-19, we can effectively reduce the chance of contracting other respiratory infectious diseases.

Source: Health Times Comprehensive People's Daily

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