Most plan to continue health precautions after the pandemic

Americans are ready to maintain the behaviors implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, even after the virus is brought under control.

According to a press release, a national survey of more than 2,000 respondents by the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University found that 72% of Americans plan to continue wearing masks in public, 80% will still avoid crowds and 90% say they will. continue to wash and disinfect hands frequently.

“While the progress we are making towards recovery is exciting, it is critical not to relax the precautions that we know have worked so far,” Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, Quality and Safety Manager of patients at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, said in the statement. “Masks and physical distancing are still our best weapons in limiting the spread and, now that we have a vaccine, will make these precautions even more effective and reduce new cases if we stay the course.

He said the results were promising given the positive effect these health efforts had during this year’s flu season.

“Influenza cases and hospitalizations are well down from the last few years. This is probably because precautions such as masking, physical distancing and hand hygiene help prevent influenza,” says Gonsenhauser in the press release. “I think a lot of people are realizing that what we have learned from COVID-19 can be applied more generally to keep our population healthy.”