Last week we wrote about how to support a loved one who is immunocompromised.
Let’s continue the conversation.
Recently we reviewed a post with suggestions from a person with a family member who is immunocompromised.
We wanted to share the readers’ suggestions here as food for thought.
1. Require people to always mask in medical or dental settings. If we don’t, people who are immunocompromised may skip appointments or put themselves at increased risk of getting COVID or other illnesses.
2. Make one car on trains or subways mask required. It would be hard to require them to all be, but it would be reasonable to have an option.
3. Make ventilation better in public spaces. We know this makes a big difference and is easy to do. (See below if you want to see how one reporter did this in her shared office space.)
4. Fund more research on treatments for people who are immunocompromised. If we know what we have isn’t working as well, why aren’t we trying new things? If treatments are available that might be better (see most recent study on convalescent plasma), why aren’t we discussing risks and benefits publicly?
5. Increase public education about people who are at risk, who they are, what risks they face, and how we can all support them. Many people don’t understand why people are taking additional precautions and what is at stake. Increasing direct messaging on this could help increase awareness and understanding.
These are examples of practical and common sense strategies that would help protect people who are at risk. And they remind us that it isn’t hard to keep people at risk centered when we are thinking about policies and practices to implement.
Let us keep looking for examples of how to take action to support people at risk.
Stay safe. Stay well.
Those Nerdy Girls
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