three associations of immunocompromised patients ask the French to wear a mask in enclosed spaces

In France, 300,000 people are immunocompromised. They react less well or not at all to vaccines against flu and Covid and therefore remain very fragile.

For immunocompromised patients, for example transplant recipients, suffering from HIV, leukemia or even dialysis since the Covid epidemic, it is a double penalty. They must live with their illness and also protect themselves at all times against other viruses such as Covid or the flu which risk weakening them, even if they are vaccinated.

“Severely immunocompromised people respond less well to vaccination, or even it does not work at all in certain cases,” explains Yvanie Caillé, from the association of kidney patients Renaloo. It is one of three associations, with Aids And Ellye, who launched the campaign “The solidarity mask”.

For four years, in France, Covid has killed one dialysis patient in 20. The most vulnerable may wear a mask, but if they are the only ones wearing it in a crowded bus for example, the protection is not optimal. Some patients therefore no longer even leave their homes.

300,000 immunocompromised people in France

“To exclude them less, you just need to take a few precautions and in particular wear a mask to protect them in enclosed and busy places, suggests Yvanie Caillé. This protects against all respiratory viruses. So it’s really a very strong gesture of citizenship and solidarity, which allows everyone to be part of this process of protecting the most vulnerable.”.

In France, 300,000 people are immunocompromised. So that immunocompromised patients are no longer the only ones to protect themselves, several associations will symbolically distribute 250,000 masks to passers-by in Paris, Place de la République, on Saturday January 6 afternoon.