'High anxiety' for immunocompromised individuals as Ontario lifts more COVID-19 restrictions

Alex Pangman was born with cystic fibrosis and has also had a lung transplant, a procedure that requires immune suppression to prevent rejection.

Pangman, who is immunocompromised, says that her suppressed immune system alongside other comorbidities makes the thought of getting COVID-19 "pretty much a death sentence."

As Ontario prepares to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions, Pangman says she's scared.

"This has been very, very lethal in people like myself," Pangman told CBC News. 

"So, it's very scary to know that just going out to the grocery store could be a very critical matter for me."

Starting Tuesday, people living in Ontario will be able to gather in indoor settings with no capacity limits and with no need to show proof of vaccination, unless businesses choose to ask for it.

While variants of COVID-19 continue to spread, Pangman said she and other immunocompromised individuals live in constant fear.

"The last couple of years for me have been full of quite a bit of fear and trepidation, quite lonely because my immune suppression and health means that I really need to stay very tightly bubbled. It's been an anxious and worrisome time," she said.

"It's millions of Canadians who aren't able to enjoy those freedoms and who aren't going to be able to enjoy them for the foreseeable future. It's pretty lonely and it's troubling for myself as a woman in my 40s, I should be out there making my mark on the world, doing my craft. I can't. I can't work the way I used to," the jazz singer said.

Double-lung transplant recipient Derek Clark said January was a frightening time for him after he was infected with COVID-19.

"Obviously it's high anxiety, because you don't know how COVID is going to affect your body. It's different for every organ transplant individual or immunocompromised person, so a lot of anxiety," he told CBC News. 

"Fortunately, I had done a lot of research, and I'm aware of what other transplant patients have gone through. Many have actually unfortunately had COVID, but what's important is that you get the treatment and you have to get the treatment within seven days of symptoms. If you don't, then there could be potentially complications. So, I was able to get the treatment within 48 hours of testing positive."

Both Clark and Pangman are hopeful about an antibody therapy called Evusheld, a pre-exposure preventative for COVID-19.

The Canadian government has signed an agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to procure 100,000 doses of Evusheld, which is under review by Health Canada for use in specific high-risk patient populations, such as people who are immunocompromised.