We’ve all had to adapt to a lot of changes in 2020, with masks being one of our daily life adjustments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend everyone continue to wear masks to help lower the risk of spreading COVID-19, which has been found to be transmitted mainly through respiratory droplets from simply talking, coughing, sneezing, or even breathing. The use of masks is particularly important as COVID-19 can be spread from individuals who are not experiencing any symptoms but who are unknowingly infected with the virus. According to the CDC, not only do masks help prevent you from releasing respiratory droplets, but they also help reduce the risk of you inhaling  these droplets.The CDC reports that multi-layer cloth masks effectively block the exhalation of most large droplets (i.e., 20-30 microns and larger) in addition to up to 50-70% of aerosols smaller than 10 microns that are common when individuals speak.

National Handwashing Awareness Week is coming up (each 2nd week of December), and clean hands have never mattered more! With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting all of our daily lives, it is of utmost importance to have excellent hand hygiene to help slow the spread of coronavirus and other infectious diseases.

As the pandemic still remains as we approach the holidays and a new year, we know that we must all continue to do our part to avoid increasing our and other people’s risk of contracting COVID-19. Although normal family gatherings and celebrations will be different this winter, we must not forget about our mental and physical health (including the health of our teeth!)