By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
WEDNESDAY, February 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) – If there’s one thing the coronavirus pandemic taught people, how much housing you have if you or someone you love has COVID-19 that matters ill.
However, a new survey shows that the very group most susceptible to infection may have little room to safely survive the disease: one in five elderly Americans cannot isolate themselves in their home when infected with the coronavirus.
The researchers also found that older blacks and Hispanics, who tend to have poorer health and lower incomes, have even less home space to stay isolated.
Almost a third of Hispanic respondents (31%) said they did not have an isolation room, compared to 25% of black and 14% of white respondents. This was found in an online survey by the University of Michigan of more than 2,000 adults ages 50 to 50 80.
People with household incomes less than $ 30,000 were more than twice as likely to have no isolation room as those with incomes above $ 100,000.
People who live in apartments were more than twice as likely to have no space to isolate as people who live in single-family houses.
Isolating people infected with the coronavirus is critical to preventing others in the same habitat from getting sick, the researchers found.
This is especially important in homes with people at higher risk, e.g. B. People older than 50 years. with underlying diseases such as obesity, diabetes and lung diseases, and with a weakened immune system.
People with COVID-19 should isolate themselves in a separate room and use a separate bathroom if possible, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Research has shown that COVID-19 can spread easily in homes. Therefore, it is worrying that 18% of those over 50 are unable to do so, and that of those who say they are, this is down to 27%. has increased in fair or poor health, which may indicate a higher risk of severe COVID-19, “said survey director Dr. Preeti Malani, a physician specializing in geriatrics and infectious diseases from Michigan Medicine.
continuation
“The differences we found in the survey suggest that differences in living conditions may play a bigger role in the pandemic than we thought, and indicate that healthcare providers and public health officials need to advise the public on how to do this. how they can stay safe depending on their security individual life situation, “said Malani in a press release from the university.
The survey, conducted last June and published on Wednesday, also found inequalities in another important aspect of staying safe and healthy during the pandemic: getting some fresh air and exercising and being safe meet with friends, neighbors and relatives.
Older adults who had more access to outside areas around their home and those who could go to green spaces like parks, gardens, or forests were more able to do these things.
However, income, race / ethnicity, and health status also affected a respondent’s chances of getting outdoors for activities and safe contact.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is more concerned with isolation during the pandemic.
Source: University of Michigan, press release, February 3, 2021
HealthDay WebMD News
Copyright © 2013-2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Comments are closed.