HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Even with the vaccine rollout, one local doctor warns us to do our part to protect our older and high-risk population.
Huntsville pediatrician Dr. Pippa Abston shared that her father, Dr. Philip Wylie Coulter, died from COVID-19 just a day after Thanksgiving.
Abston says he had lived in Alabama his whole life, but lived in Florida the past two years.
Coulter was 82 years old, and a physicist.
She says he did his part by wearing a mask and staying home. Abston says it takes an effort from the community.
"It's impossible to protect older people and at-risk people by only having them be careful. Unless the rest of us are all very careful, that chain of infection, you can be asymptomatic and passing it along," said Abston.
Abston believes her father was infected during the only time he left home, which was when he received medical care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a plethora of information on how to protect yourself and other from the coronavirus.
The virus can easily spread from person to person, so the CDC recommends you stay at least 6-feet apart from people not in your household. The virus is spread through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breaths or talks, according to the CDC. Because of this, the CDC recommends you wear a cloth facemask when around others and in public.
Additionally, the CDC recommends that you frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Symptoms to look out for include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, a sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.
Click here to find more COVID-19 information from the CDC.
If you suspect you have the coronavirus, you should seek out testing and self-quarantine.
Click here to find more COVID-19 information from the Alabama Department of Public Health.