Virus season is raging at its worst right now. And it will get worse when we meet during the Christmas and New Year holidays. How do these diseases affect us – and how can we best avoid getting infected and infecting others?
– The best Christmas present you can give is not to show up if you feel crass, says Björn Olsen, professor of infectious diseases, in Nyhetsmorgon.
We are in the middle of the virus season and right now both covid, rs virus and flu are rampant. Where all three diseases are spread through the air. The fourth disease that is spreading right now is the winter sickness. It is also difficult to protect against.
The diseases are, in other words, a proper cocktail.
And Björn Olsen notes that winter sickness can be experienced as a “near-death experience”. Now he urges all Christmas celebrators to think twice before going to celebrate Christmas with the family.
– This is how it is around Christmas. We change our behaviors quite properly. We meet across generational boundaries, we meet closely and everyone wants to join in, says Björn Olsen.
Diseases spread
Covid, rs and flu are both droplet and airborne infections. They are also already spread a few days before you have become ill. Once you have become ill, the disease spreads further. The Covid vaccine does not provide absolute protection, but it does protect against severe disease. This also applies to flu vaccines.
If you were vaccinated in October-November, protection against the flu drops dramatically.
– The first three months you have good protection, but after that it drops, says Björn Olsen in Nyhetsmorgon.
Then you should stay at home
Although you may feel sick, some people think that it is not so dangerous. But it is important to remember that many who visit the Christmas celebration are unprotected, Olsen continues.
– These are old people, maybe not vaccinated and then it has completely different consequences than in a normal, adult person.
In short: Enjoy Christmas and New Year, but if you feel the slightest bit ill – stay at home.
– You can postpone it for a few days and come a couple of days later. But don’t sit and cough on the Christmas ham. If you have just had diarrhea or vomiting, don’t go! concludes Björn Olsen.