It was something we all feared would happen in our lifetimes: a worldwide pandemic of record-setting proportions. And by “all,” I mean all of us who are immunocompromised. I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about COVID. Believe me, we are too. But before you tune everything plague-related out, hear our side of things.
419 Days.
That’s how long it was for me. 419 days of staying at home, leaving only for important medical visits. 419 days of the only faces I saw being my parents, brother, and doctors and nurses. 419 days of complete and total isolation.
But I’m one of the lucky ones- thanks to living with my family, I had that ability to do so. I didn’t need to be out in public. I didn’t need to literally risk my life just to go to the grocery store. I don’t exaggerate when I tell you that the pandemic made my anxiety the worst it’s been in a decade to the point where I needed to be prescribed something for it. And I’m not alone. This is the case with all my other zebra friends. But things changed when the vaccines became available. At least, things partly changed when vaccines became available.
The vaccine worked on me. At least, partially. At least, we think so. Seeing as I’m a zebra, my doctor had me take a blood test a few weeks after my second dose to see if it had any effect on me. That’s one of the not-so-cool things about being immunocompromised- it’s a crapshoot for if the vaccine will work on us. We’re just that lucky.
But anyways, I’m one of the lucky ones. My antibody test came back positive. See? Positives aren’t necessarily negatives. But there’s a lot of immunocompromised people who aren’t so lucky. And even with me, I don’t know how well the vaccine is actually protecting me.
We Can’t Just Live in a Pandemic Forever, Though, Right?
I’d be the first to agree with you there. We can’t! Once my antibody test came back positive, one of the first things I did was go and get a job (well, after I recovered from shoulder surgery- more on that another time). I’m lucky in that where I live, at this point, 84% of the eligible population has received at least 1 dose, and 74% are fully vaccinated. I felt that it was safe for me to do so, given the high vaccination rate, my own positive antibody test, and the fact that I’ve got a really, really cool mask (hey, Vogmask, wanna sponsor an article?).
But let me tell you, it’s still terrifying to be out in public. Where I work, employees have a mask mandate. Which is fantastic. But even when there was a state-wide mandate in place, we couldn’t enforce that. When there was the mandate, we’d still get more than half of the people coming in not wearing a mask. And now that there’s no more mandate, it’s the even more so the exception than the rule to see a customer wearing a mask.
When I see someone come in without a mask, I always feel a little panicked. Even more so if they’ve got a cough or the sniffles. What if they’re infected? What if they’re a carrier? After all, even though I’m triple-vaxxed, who knows how well it actually worked on me? Those of us who are immunocompromised make up almost half of all breakthrough hospitalizations.
But I Don’t Want to Deal With it Anymore!
Me neither! But let’s not forget the fact that there’s still 87.71 deaths per million people in the US over the last 2 weeks. That may not sound like a lot, so let’s convert that to Big Number-ese: 28,900 people over the last 2 weeks. Or, 2,064 people per day. That’s three times the size of my high school graduating class. Every day.
But how do those numbers look for us immunocompromised folks? Well, while the general population may have a mortality rate of around 2% of all hospitalization cases, we have an almost 10% mortality rate. If we end up in the hospital from this pandemic, we have a 1 in 10 chance of dying. If you make it to the Olympics, you’re more likely to win a medal (12.6% chance). More adults in the US don’t have a high school diploma (15.625%). You’re more likely to be an illiterate adult in the US (21%).
We don’t want to deal with it. But it’s a fact of life for us. And it isn’t going to be going away anytime soon, thanks to how poorly it was handled early on.
But The Flu/Cold/Illness of Choice!
Flu numbers were at a record low during the first year of the pandemic. With most people wearing masks, washing their hands, and not going out as much, it wasn’t as big an issue. Now, are we saying that everyone should avoid going out until the end of time? No, not at all. But what we are saying is that we’ve been arguing for years that it should be more common to get the flu shot and wear masks during the flu season or when you’re sick (or hey, novel idea, have things in place in society so if you’re sick you don’t have to go out at all).
That aside, though, let’s not forget that the flu isn’t some measly virus that can easily be ignored. For those who are healthy, you may not think much of it. But for those of us who are immunocompromised or have other serious health issues, it can quickly take a turn for the worse. In 2020, it was the 9th highest leading cause of death in the US, with 53,544 deaths. The flu isn’t some “light” comparison so many seem to think it is.
Then What Are You Suggesting? We Can’t Live in a Pandemic Forever!
Don’t let society leave us behind, for a change. Don’t see us as expendable. What you view as your personal “freedoms” are not more important than us staying alive. Enduring some shutdowns and being told to wear a mask and get a vaccine is not the same as what we’re living. And yes, I know there are issues with shutdowns- if they’re going to happen, aid needs to be supplied, between rent freezes, guaranteed basic income, and a variety of other support measures to ensure that people can afford a shutdown.
But we do acknowledge that shutdowns aren’t going to be a be-all, end-all at this point. That ship has long since sailed, ever since things were so badly handled at first. Eradication is no longer an option. So what can we do?
Well, we can have enforced mask mandates- they don’t have to be permanent. They can switch on and off, depending on a region’s infection rate. We can have more realistic accommodations for those of us who are immunocompromised- more work from home options, fewer customer-facing options, paid time off during spikes, just to name a few.
There Are Options.
We just need to recognize that they’re there, and collectively, as a society, decide to make those options a reality. Society isn’t about “survival of the fittest.” The whole point of a society is to join together to ensure those who need the most help have it. And right now, society is failing us.
So let’s do better. Let’s not leave us behind. Let’s try and remember, not just during this pandemic, but always, that what you do could impact someone else’s health more than you may realize.
Until next time.
-Nick
Facebook: Nick O’Brien, Writer/Composer
TikTok: @the_disabled_writer