Many myths about the COVID-19 vaccines are being circulated, and there seem to be more questions than answers. We've put together these myth busters to help dispel those untruths and answer lingering questions. 

National Handwashing Awareness Week (Dec. 1-7) is more important than ever as we’re continuing to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best defenses against the spread of germs, bacteria and virus, including COVID-19. Son Dong, DO, a Family Medicine physician with Dignity Health Medical Group — North State, shares a few tips on how to most effectively sanitize and wash your hands to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses.

“Home for the holidays” may have a different meaning this year. This year has been especially stressful and everyone is looking to reconnect with family and friends this holiday season. However, assessing your loved ones risks, and determining how to celebrate this year can raise questions, bringing it’s own share of anxiety.

Patrick Cudahy, MD, a family medicine physician with Dignity Health Medical Group — Dominican, offers some advice for navigating how to best celebrate the season with others.

By now, most of us have fallen into some sort of routine and are doing our best to protect ourselves, our families and community from COVID-19. We wash our hands, we wear a mask in public, and we physically distance. Even though we know the CDC guidelines, it can be difficult to know when and how to apply those guidelines to our everyday lives. Two Dignity Health Medical Group physicians, Zachary Brewer, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Syama Varudu, MD, an Internal Medicine physician with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group, share the best practices that they use every day.

Halloween will look a bit different for many families this year as parents and kids navigate how to have a fun, safe Halloween amid the ongoing pandemic. As a pediatrician at Dignity Health Medical Group - Dominican, Komal Afzal, DO, understands there is a healthy balance we must achieve to ensure children’s safety while fostering their continued development.

With Halloween around the corner, she urges parents to continue the conversation around safety and encourages open dialogue about how the holidays will look different while finding ways to still make them special. Usual traditions such as costume parties and door-to-door trick or treating may not be happening, but there are certainly still many ways to celebrate Halloween this year.