By Juliet Fang
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Dr. Michelle DuMond examines a baby during a well-child visit at the ICHS International District Medical and Dental Clinic, on Oct, 29, 2021. (Photo provided by ICHS)
For the third year in a row, the Lunar New Year, the ultimate celebration of family, food, and good fortune, is taking place during a global pandemic.
Despite these circumstances, millions across the planet will fly home to their families, teach grandparents how to use online video chatting systems, and eat fried spring rolls, nian gao (a glutinous rice cake), and sweet rice balls to welcome the Year of the Tiger.
With Omicron pushing a record-high surge in COVID-19 cases, individual and community safety has become of critical importance when concerning one of the planet’s biggest holidays.
“Whenever we have in-person gatherings, there’s a heightened risk of transmission,” says Dr. Jessica Lu, a physician for Seattle’s International Community Health Services (ICHS), a clinic geared towards providing culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare to the Asian Pacific Islander community.
“Especially since a lot of our patients come from multi-generational families, including grandparents and young children, we have to be very mindful of people more at risk to COVID-19 infections.”
Though one of Lunar New Year’s most important traditions is to gather with extended family, Omicron has made traveling problematic and possibly dangerous. Indeed, because children under 5 are still ineligible for vaccination and elders are more at risk of serious infection, many officials are urging people to, once again, refrain from traveling.
For the people that do decide to travel, Lu recommends they be “very cognizant of the risks and benefits associated with returning home.” She added, “It’s important to protect yourself by getting vaccinated and boosted, but we must also be wary about protecting others by wearing masks as well. Meanwhile, medical clinics and centers like ICHS will continue to make vaccinations, on-site testing, and testing kits available.”
Armed with testing instructions in Chinese, ICHS Patient Services Representative Minh La explains to Mai He how to use her at-home COVID-19 test kit. (Photo provided by ICHS)
Lu also emphasized the importance of testing if people are in-person gathering or traveling. “The tests most people are acquainted with are rapid tests and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. Rapid tests are beneficial in that they are easily done at home and give quick results. They are also very accessible to most people. However, they’re not very good at detecting early illness, and thus have a higher possibility of false negatives. That’s why the protocol is to test yourself twice with a rapid test if you experience COVID-19 symptoms.”
“On the other hand, PCR tests are much more sensitive to early illness and often yield accurate results. But because they must be administered by a clinic or testing site, they are not as readily accessible to people as rapid tests are. At the end of the day, getting tested if you’re having symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 after a large gathering or traveling is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself and others, as well as self-quarantining.”
“The CDC has also recently recommended upgrading to surgical masks, as cloth masks have been shown to be less effective at filtering out airborne particles. If you’re able to access a standard surgical mask or KN95 mask, you can reduce risk of transmission during any in-person gatherings.”
Like the fearless, tenacious Tiger—this year’s animal on the Chinese zodiac—people have continuously adapted to new circumstances to accommodate for COVID-19 during celebrations. Specifically, online video services, such as Zoom and WeChat, have made virtual celebrations an option to safeguard against any disease transmission.
“Technology has really bridged a lot of barriers—certainly, I’ve used a lot of WeChat video calling to stay connected with my family abroad. It’s just a matter of deciding what will personally work best for you and your family.”
Regardless of in-person or online celebrations, Lunar New Year will always be a time of celebration and reunion. Like Lu said, we will continue to “connect with our families, count our blessings, and hope for the best for the new year,” embracing our inner Tiger strength and looking forward to a post-pandemic era.
Juliet can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.