Got COVID Symptoms? Skip Christmas Parties to Be Safe, DOH Says
Christmas is in the air, so is COVID.
(SPOT.ph) Caught yourself coughing before a Christmas party that you're planning to attend? You might want to skip it to be safe, the Department of Health said Friday as it reminded the public that COVID-19 is still present.
Don't rely on antigen testing ahead of revelries as these could yield false positive or false negative results, said Department of Health OIC Maria Rosario Vergeire. When in doubt, skip the celebrations, she said.
"Bago kayo pumunta sa party, if you know you have been exposed to a positive individual, if you know that you have symptoms kahit sipon lang 'yan, huwag na po tayo pumunta sa party at baka tayo makapanghawa," Vergeire told reporters.
Just a recap, the common COVID-19 symptoms are fever, tiredness, dry cough, aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and/or diarrhea.
Antigen tests are only accurate when a person exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, she said as some companies require a negative antigen test result before heading to Christmas gatherings to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
"'Pag ginagamit po natin ang antigen test for screening which is really not recommended, you might get false positive or false negative results and these would just give you inaccurate management."
What to do during Christmas parties
While mask-wearing is voluntary except in healthcare settings, wearing one is still an effective way to avoid and stop the spread of COVID-19 especially in crowded areas like parties.
"Everybody has to wear their masks kung talagang gusto natin mag-ingat. That is the only way we can ensure at ma-assure din ang mga kasama natin that transmission will be kept at a minimum," said Vergeire.
"Sana po palagi natin isaisip na narito pa rin ang virus. Opo, kaya na po natin i-manage maigi ang COVID-19 dito sa ating bansa ngunit kailangan mag-iingat pa rin tayo para hindi tayo magkasakit lalo na kung may kasama tayong vulnerable sa bahay."