WVXU: Immunocompromised patients navigate new maskless communities
While the CDC lifted masking and social distancing guidelines for most people last month, immunocompromised people are still navigating how to safely enter back into public activities.
Tahir Latif, MBBS, clinical professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine, director of infusion services at the UC Medical Center and a UC Health oncologist and hematologist, told WVXU the immunocompromised patients he works with are at a higher risk of infection. The patients now have to balance wanting to improve quality of life by returning to social interactions with the threat of a COVID infection.
"I think it has changed their life drastically," he said. There's no doubt about it. And the fear is real."
Latif said immunocompromised people should get their vaccine and booster shots and see if antibody treatments are right for them, but healthy people in the community can also take precautions by being vaccinated, keeping their hands clean and wearing masks around immunocompromised individuals.
Featured photo at top of face masks courtesy of Unsplash.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.