Though Northern California — including Woodland — can expect some illegal fireworks on New Year’s Eve, the type of celebration that most concerns doctors and law enforcement is driving drunk as well as excessive drinking.
“Moderate amounts of alcohol and binge drinking — considered four to five drinks in two hours — can have a negative effect on immune response in the body,” said Dr. Michael Vollmer, Infectious Disease Specialist, Kaiser Permanente Vacaville and regional epidemiologist for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “Drinking alcohol can lead to inflammation of organs, which can inhibit normal responses to infectious pathogens like the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Chronic alcohol use “is associated with significant alterations in the immune system that can predispose people to viral and bacterial infections and cancer development. In general, severe chronic alcoholics are considered immunocompromised,” Vollmer added.
Additionally, “alcohol can lead to changes in behavior and impair decision making. This can place people at higher risk for infection in social situations around the holidays,” Vollmer said. “People who drink tend to get closer to others, talk louder, and forget important infection-prevention measures such as hand washing and mask wearing.”
The California Highway Patrol and others in law enforcement agree with Vollmer’s assessment and are also warning drivers that they should stay home as much as possible, avoid gatherings, and not travel significant distances to reverse the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases.
To help incentivize that advice, the CHP and other law enforcement officers, including Woodland police, will be out removing impaired drivers from the road and assisting those in need.
“Heading into the new year, the mission of the CHP is unchanged to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Together, with the public’s commitment to safe and sober driving, our officers will continue to work to make California’s roadways safe for all who use them.”
This year more than ever, the safest New Year’s Eve is one spent at home. To encourage safe travel for those who are on the road, the CHP will enact a Maximum Enforcement Period starting at 6:01 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 31, continuing through midnight, on Sunday, Jan. 3.
At least three people were killed in crashes in California during the 2019 New Year’s enforcement period. During that same 2019 30-hour traffic safety effort, the CHP made 491 arrests for driving under the influence.
Meanwhile, Vollmer urges people to remain vigilant as the vaccine continues to roll out by “practicing healthy behaviors” to quell the recent surge in COVID cases in California.
“These include wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance, practicing healthy hand hygiene, avoiding crowded indoor spaces and monitoring yourself for any COVID-19 symptoms. Following these measures is crucial now to stop the rising tide of these infections,” Vollmer said.
In partnership with the California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary, Kaiser Permanente recently joined with Sutter Health and Dignity Health on a campaign called “Don’t Share Your Air.”
“Everyone needs to do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 further in our communities,” Vollmer said.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, excessive alcohol use damages the cells that line the lung surface and this damage can go undetected until an infection occurs in the lungs. Alcohol misuse is also associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). In fact, individuals who misuse alcohol chronically are more likely to develop ARDS, more likely to need mechanical ventilation, have a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit, and have a higher risk of mortality from ARDS. All of these effects of alcohol misuse could complicate COVID-19 prevention, treatment, and recovery.
If drinking “adult beverages” is part of the celebration in bidding adieu to 2020, Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams emphasized: “Keep it in the house and not in a vehicle.”
“We want our community to remain vigilant, stay safe and make responsible choices,” Williams said in a recent statement. “Drunk driving is never acceptable, and we encourage our community to take the precautions necessary to protect themselves and others.”
Not much of a chance any inebriated motorist got his or her start New Year’s Eve at a Solano County bar — all have been shut down since the summer.
Whether the closed taverns helps reduce DUIs “is hard to say. We saw a lot of DUI arrests during the Christmas weekend,” said Officer John Fransen with the CHP’s Golden Gate Division.
“Unfortunately, people are still choosing to go out and drink and then drive even though everything is shut down,” Fransen said by phone.
“It’ll be interesting to see in these unprecedented times where we’re at” after this New Year’s, said Fransen, emphasizing that CHP officers working the shift “will be especially looking for impaired drivers and not just alcohol.”
Fransen and other CHP officers learned a long time ago that a swerving motorist doesn’t always mean the driver is high or intoxicated.
“We see a lot of people driving well over the speed limit, thinking they may be intoxicated. Then we get closer and realize they’re engrossed to what’s going on with their phone,” Fransen said.
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December 31, 2020 at 07:27PM
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Doctor, CHP officer: Don’t over-drink on New Year’s - Woodland Daily Democrat
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