As the Omicron wave wanes, people across the U.S. are welcoming reprieve from a virus that has killed nearly 1 million Americans and hospitalized millions more. But as recent articles in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and other outlets have pointed out, the threat of Covid-19 still looms large for millions of Americans who have compromised immune systems. As mask mandates expire and social distancing measures are curbed, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, patients on aggressive immunosuppressive regimens, transplant recipients, and many others at high risk for severe Covid-19 continue to live in fear.
And their fear is well-founded.
Even after vaccination, severely immunocompromised people face substantial risk. For example, when researchers measured mortality of fully vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients, they found that, of those who suffered breakthrough infections, nearly one in 10 died. (Notably, this analysis predated widespread use of helpful boosters.)