As covid restrictions are being lifted most of us are breathing a sigh of relief with the prospect that we can soon get back to “normal,” whatever that new normal may look like. However, we need to keep in mind that covid is not gone. It is still here and there are still millions of Americans who are at serious risk if they should catch it.
As Kaiser Health News reports, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a strict definition of who is considered moderately or severely immunocompromised, such as cancer patients undergoing active treatment and organ transplant recipients. Still, millions of other people are living with chronic illnesses or disabilities that also make them especially susceptible to the disease. Though vulnerability differs based on each person and their health condition — and can depend on circumstances — catching covid is a risk they cannot take.”
In addition to those who are immunocompromised, seniors are the group who have been, and are, most at risk of severe consequences from covid. We still need to be careful and mindful of safe health practices when we are around those still at risk.