“Protect the Vulnerable”: On Vulnerability, COVID, and Masks
We are all vulnerable. Wear a mask.
“Protect the Vulnerable”: On Vulnerability, COVID, and Masks
It isn’t only the “vulnerable” who need to be protected.
While I haven't encountered much rudeness over the fact that I still wear a mask, I know that it happens because I've read the experiences of others. Because I know it happens, I'm constantly prepared to justify my reasoning for wearing one still. I know even if people aren't rude, they may still want to be told they don't have to worry because they're healthy, and they think it is only chronically ill people who need to worry. I rehearse lines in my head about how I have multiple chronic illnesses, I don't want more health issues or for an infection to trigger a flare of my existing health issues. My need to justify my mask-wearing largely comes from our emphasis on how high risk people are the ones who need to worry the most, and how wearing masks "protects the vulnerable."
The truth is we are all vulnerable to this virus and the lasting impacts it may have. You don't need to wear a mask just because it might protect a vulnerable person you encounter (although that is still a great reason to wear one). But the media coverage, our government and CDC response, and public health messaging in general has obscured the fact that everyone is vulnerable, not just those who are high risk. Their concern lies more with the economy and capitalism than with the general public's health. A number of studies about the lasting impacts of coronavirus, and the impact of repeated infection, have come out and received very little mainstream coverage or attention from the CDC.
If we set aside the lasting health complications and risk of death, we can look at Long COVID alone. Long COVID is proof that yes, anyone can become disabled at any time. Able-bodied people take this for granted. Disability is considered a tragedy that people are born with or that they get because they are "unhealthy" or "unlucky." If you view yourself as relatively healthy and generally lucky, you probably don’t realize you could become disabled at any moment. This is not to say you should constantly live in fear of it. You should simply view it as a normal part of life. You should have empathy for other disabled people and want justice and accessibility. You should care that people with Long COVID are being forgotten and left with few options but to suffer in silence until more research and attention is given to their experience with this health condition. You should feel the same way about people with ME/CFS who have been suffering with similar symptoms for decades. You should educate yourself on these conditions and keep up with any news about them to the best of your ability. And finally, you should remember you are at risk of getting Long COVID too, and since clinics are already filling up with patients, it’s probably best if you try to protect yourself with a mask.