When The Rest Of The World Returned To Normal, People Who Are Immunocompromised Were 'Left Behind'

Arlington TX

30 January, 2022

6:45 PM

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By Alexis Allison, Fort Worth Report January 30, 2022 The night Hannah Lathen hoped to see "all the stars in the sky," the fears that had been brewing for the first months of the pandemic were eclipsed by sounds from the outdoors — namely coyotes too close for comfort beyond her tent at Copper Breaks State Park. The camping effort did not come naturally — she didn't consider herself "outdoorsy" before the pandemic, but it was necessary. Lathen, now 25, is one of those high-risk Americans for whom contracting COVID-19 could be a death sentence. On a low dose of chemotherapy to suppress her immune system, which for the past seven years has been attacking her, Lathen spent the months after March 2020 hermited within a newly rented solo apartment she'd pursued to avoid living with people. One consequence of the day-in, day-out rituals that isolation can bring, she said, is the difficulty in developing "core memories." These come from novelty, not monotony. "2020," she said. "I remember being home working, that one camping trip — and that's about it. That's about all that I can recall." For Lathen and millions of other immunocompromised Americans, attempts to avoid COVID-19 have lasted beyond spring 2020, beyond relaxed social distancing measures and the advent of the vaccine. And although their medical options for COVID-19 prevention have expanded as recently as December 2021, the struggle for their lives to be recognized as equally precious as someone who isn't high-risk continues, at least for Lathen. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.