Columbus Dispatch: Weakened Immune Systems Keep Vulnerable at Home

One of the reasons people are being asked to stay home right now is to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) to those with suppressed or compromised immune system. Those with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease are also at a higher risk to suffer from negative outcomes or have a more difficult recovery if they contract COVID-19.

Cancer patients are especially susceptible to “severe clinical courses and worse outcomes” if they contract COVID-19, Alfred Vargas, MD, OhioHealth system chief of medical oncology, told Columbus Dispatch reporter Allison Ward. Dr. Vargas said these patients may have immune systems that are already weakened by treatment.

“We know this disease — this virus — spreads rapidly,” Dr. Vargas told the Dispatch. “A number of people will do well and have a less bumpy road. But ... if it can hit someone like this, it would be very difficult for them.”

Dr. Vargas told the Dispatch that OhioHealth hospital educates these types of patients and their families to be diligent year-round in illness-prevention measures such as hand-washing and social distancing.

“The stakes are even higher” for people who are immunocompromised, he told the Dispatch.

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