TEXAS — With hospitalizations and deaths going up across the state, the Texas Medical Association (TMA) is releasing new guidelines to help people assess the risk of dozens of common, everyday activities.
TMA’s COVID-19 Task Force and Committee on Infectious Diseases created the chart, which ranks activities on their risk level for contracting the coronavirus. Physicians and public health experts made the determinations and worked on the assumption that participants were taking as many safety precautions as possible.
Topping the list for highest risk is going to bars, even while wearing a mask. Attending a religious service with more than 500 people is also high risk. The chart puts attending a wedding or a funeral at moderate-high risk, while going to the beach or shopping at a mall is listed as moderate risk. Activities like getting gas, opening the mail, or getting takeout are categorized as low risk.
Doctors still say however, staying home whenever possible is best, and if you need to go out, wear a mask and maintain six feet of distance.
The guidance from the TMA comes during a week when Texas set records for hospitalizations, deaths, and single day new cases. Spectrum News’ Reena Diamante spoke with Dr. Diana Fite, the TMA president. Fite said while she appreciates the way Gov. Greg Abbott reopened the Texas economy, she points how there was a difference in behaviors after it happened.
“By Memorial Day weekend there were a lot more activities going on without social distancing and masks and large numbers of people together. That's when we really start to see an increase in the cases, of course, the good news is a lot of those cases are in younger people who are able to handle the consequences of the coronavirus a lot better than older people or people with chronic illnesses,” Fite said.
Leaders of Major Texas cities have also been warning people that hospitals in their regions are nearing capacity.
“A lot of these COVID patients who end up in the ICU do end up staying for days if not weeks and then you can't have a very fast turnover, so it's worrisome. But everyone seems to have a plan still in place to be able to handle an extra surge," Fite said.
Click the video above to watch Reena Diamante’s interview with Dr. Diana Fite.