Columbia issued its stay-at-home order on March 24, but 67-year-old Michael Harach started self-isolating much sooner than that. “When we started getting cases in St. Louis, I stopped going to public places except for the grocery store,” Harach said.
The CDC cites a very high fatality rate from COVID-19 for the elderly, ranging from 10 to 27 percent for those 85 years or older, and 3 to 11 percent for those aged 65 to 84.
Harach doesn’t like those odds, especially because he has pre-existing conditions that make him particularly susceptible. “I’m an ex-smoker, so my lungs are already compromised,” Harach says. He also has Type 2 Diabetes, which is a major concern when nearly 11 percent of U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations are diabetics.
So Harach is sheltering in place. He’s trying to exercise despite the ARC in Columbia being closed, but it’s hard to get his heart rate up without exercise equipment. It makes it more challenging to control is diabetes. Still, walking around his property helps pass the time.
“Just cleaning, checking things out. Gardening, getting ready for spring,” Harach says. “It gets me out in the sunshine.”
Harach is quite independent: he was able to shop for supplies before quarantining, so he’s well stocked up. But many elderly residents of Columbia are reliant on others to help them cover their basic needs. Jessica Macy, the Executive Director of Services for Independent Living, says her organization is continuing to provide support to the elderly and disabled in Columbia.
“We have volunteers who are going out and going grocery shopping for people,” Macy says. “Going to the grocery store, purchasing what the person needs, and then dropping it back off with a receipt and the credit card and the envelope on somebody's porch to limit interaction.”
At first, it was hard to get everything the clients needed, especially because grocery stores had been overrun. "I mean, for many weeks, we were all challenged with finding toilet paper in the world. Seniors and people with disabilities are no different. There was not a square to spare anywhere,” Macy said. SIL purchased an emergency supply of toilet paper for volunteers to hand out to clients in dire straits. “I think our supply chain is loosening back up, and we're seeing supplies back in the grocery stores," Macy added.
SIL also provides transportation for those who can’t drive themselves, though the services have been limited because of the pandemic.
“Our transportation services have definitely declined. And, you know, I like I've told many people, that's really a good thing. People are staying home, they're staying safe,” Macy says.
Even those without pre-existing conditions should stay home. According to the CDC, 62 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations were people who didn’t have underlying risk factors for severe outcomes with a respiratory infection. What’s more, staying home protects those at higher risk by preserving hospital resources for those who need it most.
One of the concerns with self-isolation is loneliness—it’s hard being isolated for such a long time. “Usually we just like go to somebody's house,” Harach said, “but now that we can't really do that, we're starting to learn to visit by phone again.”
Some of his friends are still taking a bit of a chance on going to parks, but after one such walk, Harach decided not to risk it anymore. “I went out on the trail, and people were passing me by certainly within two or three feet,” Harach said. He hasn’t been out since, though he has friends who still walk around Stephens Lake Park.
Instead, Harach is relying on his son to buy him the remaining supplies he needs, including some toilet paper. He hopes to order some seeds and starters for his garden as well. Between isolation and the beautiful spring weather, now is the perfect time to plant.