What You Need to Know - Week of November 28th
The most important weekly updates for you to keep your community healthy
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
2. Handwashing Awareness Month
3. Holiday Self Care
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
Updated as of: 11-28-2022
Weekly case, death, and hospitalization counts
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In the past week, there has been an average of: |
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Cases per day |
1,916 |
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Deaths per day |
9 |
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Compared to two weeks ago: |
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Cases per day |
Increased 82% |
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Deaths per day |
Increased by 55% |
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Hospitalizations per day |
Increased by 19% |
2. National Handwashing Awareness Month
Happy national handwashing awareness month! Although handwashing may seem like common sense, 97% of people fail to correctly wash their hands! Practicing hand hygiene is a simple yet effective way to prevent infections. Hand hygiene, which means cleaning your hands by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and prevent spreading germs to others, especially in the midst of the current ‘tripledemic’ with the flu, COVID-19, and RSV circulating simultaneously. Here’s a quick refresher on how to properly wash your hands:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
- Rinse hands under clean, running water.
- Dry hands using a clean towel, or air dry them.
3. Holiday Self Care
The holidays can be a time of mixed emotions and extra stress. Celebrations, special traditions, and wonderful memories can bring great joy, although there can also be unpleasant family members, grief for those who have passed, and an overwhelming to-do list. Self-care is an extremely effective way to reduce stress, improve well-being, and help you find some joy in these challenging situations.
Self-care looks different for everyone, but we’ve listed some ideas to help you in your self-care journey this holiday season:
Make time for yourself!
Although it may seem impossible to make time for yourself in the midst of the stressful holiday season, taking even ten minutes for yourself can positively impact your mental health. Take a breath outside, meditate, or chat with a loved one to help you rest.
Recite Affirmations
Affirmations can help to align yourself with your intentions for the day, week, month, or even the next 20 minutes. Affirmations are any statements that help you feel empowered, including “I am strong,” “I am powerful,” and “I will get through this.”
Stay Hydrated
It can be quite easy to forget to drink water, especially when bogged down by a busy schedule. Drinking 2.7 liters of water for women, and 3.7 liters for men, will keep you from being dehydrated and will help you be more productive throughout the day!