Don’t Make Waves: Why Now is an Important Time to Take Precautions
You might have heard that daily COVID infection rates are currently lower than during other parts of the year. Did you know that wastewater data tells us that we typically experience two large waves of COVID infections annually? While low infection rates are an encouraging sign, relatively low COVID levels actually make now a great time to take precautions. Early action will allow us to prevent or slow a summer wave.
This is why the World Health Network has launched a new campaign: Don’t Make Waves! Its purpose is to encourage everyone to take precautions now so that we can suppress this year’s summer COVID wave.
The relative lull between COVID waves is an important time to further reduce transmission. Mitigation efforts can extend the period of low transmission as much as possible and potentially blunt the impact of another wave. Since the second COVID wave at the start of 2021, wastewater data indicates that there have been two major COVID waves annually, driven by human behavior. Is it possible to break this trend while COVID infection rates are relatively low? Possibly, but we need collective buy-in.
It might not surprise you to learn what can be done to prevent another COVID wave. Avoid exposure to COVID as much as possible, wear an N95 in spaces where there is risk of exposure, ventilate by opening your windows and clean your air by running HEPA purifiers, test regularly, and stay up to date on vaccinations. These are all prevention strategies that work, especially when you apply them together (layering protection). Staying home if you know you’re sick and encouraging others to take precautions are also important.
Why take precautions now, while COVID rates are lower? It’s easier to lessen the impact of a COVID wave before it happens or as it’s just beginning, rather than trying to reduce transmission once a wave has already begun spreading widely. As we’ve seen in past years, when we wait until hospitalizations rise to act, the virus has already gained momentum, leading to avoidable illness, strain on healthcare, and disruption to work and school. Taking precautions now might just help us break the trend of seeing multiple COVID waves annually. In the process, you and those around you will experience less illness, less major organ damage, and less Long COVID.
Now is not the time to let your guard down. It’s as important as ever to take precautions to prevent COVID infection. Let others know why taking precautions is effective. The more we take collective action now, the more we can slow the spread of COVID. Together, we might just be able to stop the next wave—or at the very least, lessen its severity.
WHN calls on individuals and organizations to spread this message, share content from our Don’t Make Waves Campaign, and create new content that gets this message out there. It’s an invitation to turn these intentions into action, whether that means choosing to mask in indoor events, improving ventilation where you live or work, sourcing HEPA purifiers to your schools, or helping your community, workplaces, faith communities, etc. share and model these protections.
Don’t make (COVID) waves!
