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Doctors predict health cost of holiday travel

Doctors say what we do for the holidays will determine if we see more COVID restrictions for Christmas.

MEMPHIS, Tenn — If you're among the millions who traveled for thanksgiving hopefully you did it safely, but health experts are pretty certain too many people did not and they expect a post- Thanksgiving COVID spike.

Doctor Anthony Fauci says what we all do from this point forward could determine how the Christmas holidays will look.

The TSA reporting 1.17 million screened at airport checkpoints Sunday, a record high since the beginning of the pandemic in mid-March of this year.

"I think there is a considerable risk that in a couple or 3 weeks from now we might start seeing yet another surge because what was happening in some states," said Fauci.

Fauci himself in contact with hospitals across the nation over the weekend that are at critical capacity when it come to COVID-19 cases and so close to running out of beds for patients.

"Or even more importantly than beds, because you can always have beds shipped in, is personnel, particularly skilled intensive care personnel," said Fauci.

Many people got tested for COVID-19 ahead of their travels.

Fauci says it's a good idea to take a similar approach on the return home.

Doctors recommend you wait several days to make sure you don't get a false negative.

"You might want to come back, quarantine yourself for a few days, get tested and figure that you're okay at least for now. But I don't think every person needs to do that," said Fauci.

Even so, Fauci already suggesting more restrictions ahead for the Christmas and New Year holidays ahead. 

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