Memorial Day weekend: Drive safely, use sunscreen, follow COVID precautions, experts say

With COVID-19 infections rising again, health officials are asking people to keep pandemic precautions in their Memorial Day holiday plans.

"While it's not a time to panic, with the CDC moving Washington County into the 'substantial' category regarding community transmission of the virus, I would urge everyone to mask indoors, regardless of their vaccination status," Earl Stoner, Washington County health officer, wrote in an email Friday.

Meritus Health also is urging people to be careful as they commemorate Memorial Day.

“Over the past month, community COVID-19 positivity rates have continued to increase,” Maulik Joshi, president and CEO of Meritus Health, said in a news release issued Thursday. "Four weeks ago, our community sat near a 2% positivity rate. For the past 10 days, we have been well over 10% positivity. COVID continues to spread in this region."

Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have died in service to the country, also marks the unofficial start of summer.

The Meritus release reminds people to drive safely on a weekend known for vehicle crashes. It urges people to use sunscreen, to be careful around pools or other bodies of water, and to follow food safety rules.

Meritus also asks people to follow pandemic precautions to help ward off the novel coronavirus, which can cause COVID-19.

Different symptoms

“We want to make sure our neighbors who have underlying health conditions or might be considered high risk are taking precautions, and that everyone is being mindful of hand hygiene, considering using outdoor space for safer large gatherings, and of course, making sure you are up to date on your COVID vaccine and getting suggested boosters,” Joshi said.

If you’re planning to travel out of town, Joshi also recommends that you review the COVID-19 data and positivity rate of your destination.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of the U.S. population is experiencing low COVID-19 community levels. But many areas have moved into the medium and high categories.

Despite the recent rise in infections locally, hospitalizations remain low at Meritus.

On Wednesday, the most recent day for which data are available, 232 patients were hospitalized at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown. But only six of them were being treated for COVID-19.

By way of comparison, the hospital was treating nearly 100 COVID-19 patients on some days in January. Early that month, COVID-19 spiked throughout Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency, and Meritus Health said local numbers were "grave."

The current low numbers suggest that this variant of the virus doesn’t seem to be causing severe symptoms or illness, Joshi said.

He added that some people have symptoms that differ from those typically associated with COVID-19.

“This includes headaches, nausea, fever and more gastrointestinal symptoms than respiratory,” Joshi said.

'Especially important'

The rising positivity rates "should prompt our community members to evaluate their personal risk for severe COVID illness and take protective actions," Danielle Stahl wrote in an email Thursday.

Stahl is the public information officer and program manager for the Washington County Health Department.

"WCHD recommends that community members age 2 and older wear well-fitted, more effective mask options, such as KN95 masks, when in crowded public indoor settings," she wrote.

"Masking continues to be especially important for those who may be at higher risk for severe illness, such as seniors and those with chronic medical illnesses. With the rise in metrics and the start of family BBQ and vacation season, we encourage everyone to mask up at crowded indoor settings, stock up on COVID test kits, and get up-to-date on their COVID vaccination."

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The health department is still distributing free KN95 masks and COVID test kits.

Masks and test kits can be picked up at WCHD front lobbies at 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. and 925 N. Burhans Blvd. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. (The health department locations will be closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.)

According to the CDC, more than 1 million Americans have died of COVID-19. Washington County has reported 35,715 COVID-19 cases and 580 deaths, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

Mike Lewis covers business, the economy and other issues. Follow Mike on Twitter: @MiLewis.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Experts say pandemic precautions should be part of Memorial Day plans