Preventing COVID-19 among unhoused people

Show Me the Science

Testing, social distancing, wearing masks and regular hand washing are among the tools recommended to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. But achieving such practices can be challenging for people who don’t have homes and often must eat and sleep in places with other people. Experts from Washington University School of Medicine, the Brown School, the St. Louis County and city health departments, and several other healthcare organizations have been assessing challenges faced by those without adequate housing. They propose certain practices to limit the spread of infection in such populations. In this episode, Stephen Y. Liang, MD, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Nathanial S. Nolan, MD, a fellow in the same division, discuss what they’ve learned about the risks faced by unhoused people in the St. Louis region. They also discuss recommendations and changes being implemented at various shelters and meal centers in the region to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 in this potentially vulnerable population.

The podcast, “Show Me the Science,” is produced by the Office of Medical Public Affairs at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.