Donald Whitehead, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, explained that homeless people often donât have access to medical care, necessities for protection against the virus, such as masks, nor the ability to quarantine if infected. They may also have such underlying conditions as diabetes and asthma, which could put them at higher risk for severe illness from the virus.
âIf we leave up to 3.5 million people â because thatâs how many people are homeless in America â that many people being left without vaccinations or waiting until the very end, weâre not going to get through this pandemic, itâs going to continue to perpetuate itself, because we have so many people that havenât gotten the needed care,â he told the Guardian.
Up to 18 US states haven t prioritized Covid vaccines for homeless, study finds
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The Pandemic Paused Efforts to Provide Post-Hospital Care for the Homeless
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Table of Contents
States Fail to Prioritize Homeless People for Vaccines
A nurse gives a homeless person a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Los Angeles. Few states have prioritized people experiencing homelessness for the vaccines.
Ringo Chiu
The Associated Press
Frank Galloway falls into the most vulnerable categories for COVID-19: He is 87, he is Black, and he is experiencing homelessness.
“It ain’t no joke,” Galloway said of the coronavirus, which has killed some of his friends in Greensboro, North Carolina. “I don t mind taking something that will help my life to keep going.”
He’s waiting for a vaccine while staying in an emergency shelter. Although the state began vaccinating people age 65 and up in mid-January, Galloway, like many others without housing, doesn’t have access to the technology and transportation that people in many places need to get a shot.