Ted Care, Coryell Health employee, has been busy during healthcare week. Ted has been encouraging others to be safe, while enjoying some of the relaxed guidelines. He visited his friend Mary, but was sure to leave space between them, wear a mask, and wash his paws as soon as he arrived.

It's the people who we know we talk to the most and are more likely to break that 6-foot rule with," said Diedra Wuenschel, DO, Medical Director of RehabLiving at The Meadows. "That's where the virus has a better chance of making that leap.”

The virus which causes COVID-19 infects people of all ages. However, evidence suggests two groups of people are at a higher risk of getting severe COVID-19 disease. These are older people (people over 60 years old); and those with underlying medical conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer). The risk of severe disease gradually increases with age starting from around 40 years. “It's important that we all take preventive measures to protect those that may be more vulnerable, and that may be more people than one might think. Patients who have diabetes alone will have more problems, as this is a new virus that none of us have any immunity to,” notes Wuenschel.

“Physical distancing puts space between people, to keep anything airborne at a safe distance—that’s why is critical. It also reduces exposure. When people who are infected with the virus stay away from others, they can't pass it to anyone else” adds Wuenschel. “This way, fewer people get sick at the same time. Then, doctors and hospitals are better able to keep up with treating those who need care.”