Fire, fumes and flu—Nurse Cota shares some health and wellness tips

There’s a lot going on in our world right now and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. So let’s take it one thing at a time.

The Bobcat fire and possible evacuations: Being prepared and knowing what to do can help relieve stress and anxiety. Communicating your plan to your daughters can help them feel more at ease with the situation. It’s important for everyone in the family to know your plan; communicate it so everyone knows what to do. Most of us know the simple steps to take, including gathering important papers, pictures and sentimental items, and having them ready to take out the door quickly. Some people have these things already stored in the trunk of their car. For more information on how to prepare your home, see the CalFire site.

Poor air quality: The fires have created unhealthy air quality. Anyone who has breathing or heart issues should take the extra precaution of staying indoors as much as possible. Anyone who has asthma should be sure to take their daily medication and keep their inhaler with them. Smoke and ash can be harmful to health, even for people who are healthy. Right now, it’s best to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure and limit physical exertion, both indoor and outdoor. The South Coast Air Quality Management District website gives frequent air quality updates with an interactive map. Smoky air can cause sore throat, stuffy nose, irritated eyes and headaches. Washing your face and eyes and using a room air purifier can help. 

COVID-19: The good news is that the number of new cases and our positivity rate are decreasing. This is due to people limiting their activities, wearing face coverings and not mixing households, so keep up the good work. Our public health officials greatly appreciate the sacrifices and changes everyone has been making, and we need to maintain these to help our numbers continue to improve. As fall and winter approach, our public health organizations ask everyone to begin to think ahead about how they will navigate these seasons carefully. This includes getting a flu shot. Flu and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, and both can cause severe illness and require hospitalization. It is important to remove influenza as a possible diagnosis while COVID-19 rates are still high. It's also important to keep influenza patients from mixing with COVID-19 patients in ERs and spare our health care system. For these reasons, it is more important than ever to get a flu shot this year. It’s already available—ask your doctor and immunize your entire family. 

With all the uncertainties we’re experiencing right now, it’s comforting to know that we’re part of a caring community. Let’s show our care for each other through our actions: getting a flu shot, not mixing households, wearing face coverings and practicing physical distancing. 

Stay healthy!