Gathering for Thanksgiving? Here's how to stay safe from COVID, the flu

Thanksgiving is less than a day away and while it’s an exciting time to gather with family you haven’t seen in a while, the same things that make the holiday so great are also what makes it rife with sickness.

As we travel and gather for Thanksgiving, flu has the opportunity to spread under one roof across different generations, putting many people at risk. If you’re feeling sick, you should probably spend Thanksgiving at home this year. If you’re feeling fine and are traveling, here’s everything you need to ward off sicknesses such as COVID, RSV, and influenza, as well as ways to recover if, despite your best efforts, you come down with something.

Symptoms of the flu

Potential symptoms of influenza include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Symptoms of COVID-19

Symptoms that are found across COVID-19 variants include:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Coughing
• Changes to sense of smell

Symptoms of RSV

• Runny nose
• Decrease in appetite
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Fever
• Wheezing

In young infants, RSV can also present irritability, decreased activity, and breathing difficulties.

Products to protect yourself from illness this Thanksgiving

A mask

Whether you’re warding off the flu or COVID-19, a mask is effective at blocking the particulates that cause their spread. A KN95 or N95 mask is the best way to block these airborne particles.

A COVID-19 test

The flu can also be spread by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after touching a surface coated with influenza particles. With this in mind, it’s good practice to wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer when you cannot.

Hand sanitizer

COVID-19 can also be spread by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after touching a surface coated with COVID-19 particles. With this in mind, it’s good practice to wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer when you cannot.

A thermometer

Running a fever is one of the many symptoms of the flu, so if you feel yourself uncomfortably hot for no discernible reason, you should break out the thermometer. Our pick for the best thermometer you can buy is Femometer’s Digital Infrared Thermometer, since it gives accurate results in an instant.

An electric kettle

Sipping a cup of tea can work wonders when you’re sick. To brew tea quickly and easily while you’re sick, we recommend using a quality electric kettle such as our favorite, the Cuisinart PerfecTemp. This kettle is intuitive to use, has several presets to make brewing even simpler, and boasts the fastest brewing times of the kettles we’ve tested.

An air purifier

A quality air purifier can filter pollutants from your home, including the ones responsible for COVID-19 and other sicknesses. Beyond viruses, an air purifier eliminates pollutants that can contribute to allergies and lung complications, making it a good investment for the home. The best we’ve tested is the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max. This quiet purifier boasts excellent particle filtering, simple controls, and a washable prefilter, which reduces the frequency and cost of filter changes.

A sleep mask

Getting plenty of restful sleep will help you recover if you find yourself sick. If you need to sleep during the day (which you often do when you’re sick) we recommend using a sleep mask such as the one sold by Mzoo. This mask is the best we’ve tested, and it's great at blocking light. Unlike other sleep masks, it doesn’t put any pressure on your eyes.

Tissues

Make sure you throw your used tissues into isolated trash bags to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. To make the experience less uncomfortable, we recommend using the best tissues we’ve tested, Puffs Ultra Soft, which we love for their durability and, of course, softness.

A pressure cooker

Using a pressure cooker, you can keep the chicken soup flowing even when all you want to do is lie in bed. The best pressure cooker we’ve tested is the Ninja Foodi OL701 which cooks well, has lots of features, and is easy to clean.

A weighted blanket

Another way to make sure you get the rest you need if you come down with something is to use a weighted blanket. Studies show that using weighted blankets can lead to easier and more restful sleep. The best weighted blanket we’ve tested is the Gravity Blanket because it’s easy to clean, durable, and provides the perfect amount of pressure.