To assure loved ones are around to celebrate Christmas, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said it may mean forgoing a large in-person family get together for Thanksgiving.
“Do we want to sit with people at Thanksgiving, and weeks later attend their funeral?” Ezike said. “Then the funeral spreads the infection, and there are more funerals.”
Ezike spoke about the danger of large family holiday gatherings and other issues related to the coronavirus pandemic during a virtual discussion of the impact of the disease on the Hispanic and Black communities Monday sponsored by Mano a Mano Family Resource Center.
Rafael Malpica, the president of Mano a Mano’s board of directors, moderated the discussion where Ezike offered her ideas on those issues as well as traveling safely, deciding whether children should go to school remotely or in person, vaccine distribution and more.
As soon as Ezike completed her warning about large gatherings of family and friends, Malpica endorsed her position.
“Do we want to see someone at Thanksgiving and never see them again?” Malpica said.
Mark Pfister, the executive director of the Lake County Health Department who spoke after Ezike, offered his advice on holiday gatherings. He said anyone getting together with people living outside their household must know those persons very well.
“Know your bubble,” Pfister said. “Do they wear masks, keep their distance and wash their hands. Do they go to bars? If they do, keep your distance. You don’t want your Thanksgiving to turn into a super-spreader event.”
The first question of the evening came from Malpica, who said 39% of Lake County’s coronavirus cases infected the Hispanic community while it only represents 22% of the population.
Ezike said there were a variety of reasons for the disproportionate impact of the disease on members of the Latinx population. Many are essential workers who are exposed to the public on a daily basis. Others live in multi-generational households, where there are more people at home who can catch the virus if one of them is infected.
“Many have jobs where they are in touch with the general public,” she said. “They aren’t able to work from home. There are fears of being tested. Contact-tracers must be representative of the community.”
In the African American community, Ezike said the incidence of severe cases and deaths are higher than with other groups. She said some of it comes from a larger incidence of heart conditions and obesity, which are COVID-19 risk factors.
“It can also be because of racism from lack of access to health care,” she said.
With the Lake County Health Department issuing a strong recommendation Oct 20 for all public and private schools in Lake County to offer only remote learning, questions came virtually from the audience seeking Ezike’s opinion.
“It’s very complicated,” she said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.”
While Ezike said some large schools may be able to keep students properly distanced with masks constantly worn, some buildings may not be able to accommodate even a small class because they are already overcrowded. In the end, parents can make a choice whether to have their children learn remotely or send them to class.
“You can do everything right, and there’s still a risk,” Ezike said.
Travel, especially on an airplane, requires a high degree of caution from the time a person leaves home until they return. Ezike said she has flown and takes steps to make sure there is no one sitting beside her. She tries to be the last to board, and one of the final ones to deplane.
While airborne, she said her mask never comes off, hands are washed frequently and distance is kept as much as possible. Ezike said she eats and drinks nothing. She never leaves her seat for any reason, though she confessed to shorter trips.
The event was the first of three organized as part of the Mano a Mano This Is Us program in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Ezike’s final two words of the evening were a continued emphasis on what she believes everyone can do to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Mask up,” she said.
