Living in a COVID-19 High-Risk Household: My Perspective

Every single time I check my social media, I see people complaining about having to social distance themselves, classes going online, not being able to just carry on with their everyday lives like normal, and others are just blatantly not doing their part to social distance themselves by throwing parties. Not only does this make my blood boil with anger, but it makes me feel helpless. 

Not only am I a severe asthmatic at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, but another member of my family is also at a higher risk due to their compromised immune system and kidney disease.

While people complain and/or act like they are above what authorities are advising us to do, my mother fears as an essential grocery store worker that she will kill two of the people she loves most if she brings home COVID-19. This fear has led her to take unpaid family medical leave which has only just now begun. While many people take their entire family out to grocery stores as a “field trip,” we have barely left our home. If we have to go anywhere, we have gloves, hand sanitizer, Lysol, and Clorox on hand to safely do whatever it is we leave the house for. Our household that has never been scared of getting dirty or sick, now has a rule of immediately washing hands as soon as anyone walks in. While many people are stocking up on ridiculous amounts of toilet paper, my family is stocking up on over the counter medicine, my emergency inhalers, and digging out my nebulizer that I haven’t used in the past year. 

For those that think the world is overacting because this is “just like the flu,” we just want you to realize that this can be life or death for a lot of people. Even if someone at higher risk doesn’t pass away from COVID-19, the illness in so much harder on their body compared to a completely healthy person. I have gasped for air with tears streaming down my face while trying to find an inhaler to provide me enough relief for me to set up my nebulizer. If I were to get COVID-19, my chances for that are incredibly high. I do not want to experience that and I doubt you would either if you were me. 

From my high risk family:

We get it. This sucks. Social distancing and quarantine suck, but wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Stay home. Social distance. Only go out if necessary and bring only who is necessary. Just because everything is closed, doesn’t mean to invite all of your friends over. Do not over stock on items. Other people need them too. Stop the complaining and be a decent human being to the people around you. We are all tired, bored, irritated, and scared.

Do your part because we are all in this together. It could save my family and other families like mine. 

• Coronavirus
• COVID-19
• hc at iowa
• hc at ui
• iowa hercampus
• pandemic
• perspective
• University of Iowa