<scp>COVID</scp> ‐19 precautions: easier said than done when patients are homeless
Lisa Wood, Andrew Davies, Zana Khan
Abstract
To the Editor: Implementation of advice to the public and general practitioners on minimising the risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission is immensely difficult for people experiencing homelessness and for the health services working with them. Yet this is a population group more vulnerable to infection than most.1 The elevated risk factors for COVID-19 are substantial, as people experiencing homelessness have a much higher prevalence of comorbidity and chronic disease compared with people of the same age who are housed.2 To illustrate further, among the 4000 active patients seen by Homeless Healthcare (Australia's largest specialist homelessness GP practice based in Perth), nearly all patients have comorbidities, 13% have chronic respiratory conditions, 79% smoke (associated with poorer lung health and risk) and 8% have diabetes (associated with supressed immunity). There are parallel calls in Australia and the United Kingdom for clearer government guidance as to how the precautionary measures can be applied in homeless populations. There are a myriad of challenges to this, both for people who are homeless themselves and for those providing health care to this vulnerable population group. These challenges include: The higher risks of COVID-19 for people experiencing homelessness and, consequently, for those working closely with them present an enormous challenge that has no easy answers. As new precautionary measures are being announced daily, it is critical that further marginalisation for this group is not an unintended consequence. No relevant disclosures.