CORONAVIRUS IN OUR COMMUNITY
We Will Get Through This – But Be Mindful
The National LGBT Cancer Network organized an open letter signed by over 100 organizations that lists reasons LGBTQ people should be taking extra precautions to avoid Coronavirus
First, LGBTQ people are 50% more likely to smoke than cisgender, heterosexual people, according to the letter. Coronavirus is a respiratory disease and smoking – and likely using e-cigarettes as well – reduces immunity to respiratory diseases and makes recovery from those diseases take longer.
Second, LGBTQ people have higher rates of both cancer and HIV, both of which can compromise a person’s immune system. While doctors don’t believe that people living with HIV whose viral loads are undetectable are at significantly greater risk of getting coronavirus, many LGBTQ people either don’t know they have contracted HIV or are not managing it well.
Last, LGBTQ people face barriers when it comes to access to health care. Discriminatory attitudes are common enough among medical professionals that some LGBTQ people avoid or delay health care, and job discrimination and LGBTQ homelessness mean that many LGBTQ people don’t have access to health care.
The organizations note that the estimated three million LGBTQ elders in the U.S. are particularly at risk. Coronavirus has a mortality rate of eight to 15 percent for people over the age of 70, according to the World Health Organization, and elder LGBTQ people may be more reticent to seek medical care when needed.
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
COVID-19 Call Center Available 24/7 866-779-6121
Broward County Health Department 954-467-4700
Miami Dade Public Health Department 305-324-2400
Palm Beach County Public Health Department 561-840-4500
Orlando/Orange County 407-858-1400
Hillsborough County 813-307-8000
