You Don’t Always Know Who Is at High Risk.
America is in a rush to reopen and more of us are planning to get back to work and resume some of our usual activities, but nothing really has changed about the coronavirus itself. It’s just as toxic and deadly as ever, and even if the risk of hospital clogging with high-risk patients is lower, the risk for these patients is just as serious if they become infected – and it’s impossible to immediately determine who is at high risk. and who is not. The person you walk through at the grocery store, your neighbor down the street, a colleague you have collaborated with many times: all of them may be at high risk of developing complications from COVID-19 that you do not even know about.
A recent example is Pennsylvania MP Brian Sims, who is immunocompromised due to his recent kidney donation , but who only heard about his potential COVID-19 infection a full week after his colleague was diagnosed. Looking at Sims, you might not guess that he is in the high risk category; he looks healthy and strong, but the virus doesn’t care about the optics. A situation like Brian’s should serve as a harsh reminder that we can never fully know another person’s health, which means we need to be careful to constantly monitor our own behavior so as not to put others at risk.
More Americans Are At High Risk Than You Think
An estimated 92 million American adults are at risk of developing complications from COVID-19 . Of these 92 million, 51 million are at risk due to their age. Another 41 million are at risk from asthma, chronic lung disease, liver disease, diabetes and other conditions that leave the patient with a weakened immune system.
This is a lot of people who walk in high-risk conditions. Of your acquaintances – your neighbors, colleagues, friends – there are undoubtedly some, if not many, who are at high risk. More people can live with a high-risk person.
These people are also not required to tell you about their health so that you can be more careful with them. They are not required to tell you that they have an autoimmune disease, that they are undergoing chemotherapy, or that they have a rare genetic disorder. They are not required to tell you about their asthma, diabetes, or anything else that is relevant to their medical history. No one should share highly personal facts about themselves to be treated with caution.
Patient confidentiality exists for one reason, not least because no one should be required to disclose intimate details of their own medical history. At best, talking about it is embarrassing and uncomfortable. In the worst case, this can lead to discrimination.
So treat everyone with care
So what does this mean? This means that we must take good care of everyone, no matter what we think of them. It is not enough to assume that because the person looks healthy they are not at high risk. Instead, we must do our best to protect others while maintaining their privacy. This means washing your hands, keeping physical distance, wearing a mask, and giving others every opportunity to protect themselves without judgment.
Respect the privacy of others. If someone refuses to meet with physical distancing outdoors, or is extremely cautious when it comes to safety, we should not ask them questions, judge them for “sharp reactions,” or demand an answer as to why they are so careful. Coping with the pandemic means adjusting to new rules of social interaction and etiquette, but doing everything you can to keep others safe shouldn’t be too far.