YORK, Pa. — The latest CDC guidelines for isolating and quarantining may pose great difficulty for those who simply can't be alone.
Those who are living in underprivileged areas, with a household being already crowded, may not be able to separate once exposed to or infected with COVID-19. This poses a greater problem with reports of increased COVID-19 case counts and transmission of various variants of the virus.
Dr. Tirupathi says masking, vaccinations, and testing are the key to helping those who cannot follow these guidelines.
He says vaccinations will help decrease the chances of infection, hospitalizations, and death. Masking will help prevent COVID-19 transmission among households and testing will provide answers to possible infections especially with constant travel.
Medical experts say it's also important to consult your doctor on the additional health options available to you.
Dr. Tirupathi reminds people of Paxlovid, an anti-viral pill formulated by Pfizer that helps to fight mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease, and monoclonal antibodies, or laboratory-made proteins that mimic one's immune system to attack the virus.
Some drugs such as Paxlovid are only available through a prescription, so much of the work, Tirupathi says, falls on us.
"Just to keep our health care capacity functional and serving our communities," he said. "I think it's our responsibility to continue all the precautions including masking, social distancing, avoiding crowds, but most importantly, staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters."