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Ways to help 'slow the spread' of COVID-19 this holiday season

Experts say transmission of COVID-19 is well within our control if people seriously consider the importance of public health measures indoors.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sure, we would all like to get back to life as we used to know it, pre-COVID, but with numbers continuing to spike nation-wide, experts say unless behaviors change, numbers won't either.

So, especially with temperatures dropping and holidays approaching, how can we slow the spread?

Dr. David Pierce is the vice-president and chief Medical officer at Buffalo General Hospital and like many of his colleagues, he says slowing the transmission of this virus is within our control.

"The best way to decrease transmission, decrease the need for sanitizing surfaces in your home, it's to stay in your home, plain and simple," Pierce said.

Like many others, Pierce has been on the front line battling COVID-19 for months. While a return to high numbers was the last thing anyone wanted to see, the reality is, this is where the entire country is.

"Psychologically, it's going to be hard to going back to what we did several months ago," Pierce said. "But the best thing we all can do is wear our mask, socially distance and sanitize, within reason."

When it come to transmission the important thing to remember is that airborne viruses, like COVID-19, spread via mouth and nose. Which means, being in close proximity with someone without wearing a mask is a sure way to keep numbers high.

Pierce tells 2 On Your Side the key thing to remember is: the more exposure, knowingly or unknowingly, the more ill you can become... which is why wearing your mask is extremely important.

Touching surfaces and then your face is yet another means of transmission. 

"So, you touch a surface that has a droplet on it, the virus, you touch your face, you touch your eyes, your nose... you can contract it that way as well," Pierce says. 

But when it comes to sanitizing, is it possible to take it too far?

Pierce says, airing on the side of caution is always a good choice, especially when dealing with a deadly disease like COVID-19. However, if you control what's going on in your home, minimize the going and coming, and pay key attention to disinfecting high traffic areas, there is no need to sanitize every single day. 

"If you're going to use a sanitizer make sure that it's a sanitizer that has an adequate amount of alcohol, they say greater than 60 percent," Pierce said.

These are all things to keep in mind particularly during the holiday season.

Experts suggest, particularly now, to share and spread these suggestions: keep congregating to a minimum, use disposable products to minimize multi-use touching, wear a mask, remember to stay 6 feet apart, and pay attention to areas in your home or at work where people are touching these all the time.

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