The COPD Community Looks Back on the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article was written by Kalli Mago.

In March 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic changed the world. This new respiratory illness brought unique challenges and concerns for many people with COPD and other lung diseases.

Since then, more than 7 million people have died from COVID.¹ Today, COVID vaccines are widely available. These vaccines help slow the spread of disease. Just last year, more than 20 million Americans received the vaccine.²

Five years ago in August 2021, the first COVID vaccine received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Now, the COPD Foundation is looking back at how COVID affected people with COPD.

In this blog post, we share the stories of a person with COPD and a doctor. They talk about the challenges of the pandemic, the impact of the vaccine, and lessons learned.

Living Through the Pandemic With COPD

For Kenneth, who has lived with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and COPD for 20 years, the COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges.

Masking was one difficult adjustment. Because of his reduced lung function, Kenneth said, "trying to breathe through either a paper or cloth mask... was really a struggle." His doctor wrote a note to excuse him from masking. Instead, Kenneth relied on social distancing to stay safe. Later, when public spaces opened again and became more crowded, he had to wear a mask more often even though that made it hard to breathe.

Kenneth also had to figure out how to access his regular health care during the pandemic. Luckily, he said, he had finished pulmonary rehabilitation before local programs shut down. However, the pandemic made his weekly alpha-1 infusion treatments more complicated.

At the start of the pandemic, Kenneth's house had to undergo emergency repairs. He and his wife lived in a hotel for several months until the house was fixed. The hotel did not want to allow home health nurses into the building for Kenneth's treatment. Still, he considers himself lucky. Aside from missing one or two treatments early on, he said, "my care really was not [affected]. I was very fortunate."

Kenneth did not catch COVID for the first time until after the height of the pandemic. He traveled by car to Florida to celebrate his mother's 80th birthday. During the celebration, he thought he had allergies. His daughter suggested he take an at-home COVID test just to be safe. "Within two minutes, it came back positive," he said.

After contacting his doctor back home, Kenneth went to the local emergency room. There, they treated him with prednisone. Thanks to this early intervention, his symptoms remained mild. "Other than just having some sniffles, I really didn't have any huge issues with it."

When the COVID vaccine became available, Kenneth felt cautiously optimistic. "Something is better than nothing," he remembered thinking. He was a little concerned about how quickly the vaccines had been developed, but he and his wife both chose to get vaccinated. They have received every recommended booster since. "I've had no issues or side effects or anything from any of them," he shared. For him, the new COVID vaccine was "the start of things working their way back towards normal."

Throughout the pandemic, Kenneth found strength in his faith. Looking back, he believes faith provided comfort for many people during an uncertain time. "Everybody has their own way of dealing with things," he said. "There should be something there that comforts you."

Today, when Kenneth looks back on the pandemic, he does not only think about illness and isolation. He remembers the deep loss and suffering many people experienced. He has friends and family members who were unable to visit dying loved ones in the hospital because of policies meant to keep people safe. "COVID had a huge impact on a lot of lives in many, many different ways," he said. "Not just the isolation."

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Kenneth's experience shows some of the challenges people with COPD faced during the pandemic. For health care providers, the pandemic brought a different set of concerns.

Treating COPD Through the Pandemic

At the start of the pandemic, many people worried about how the virus would affect people with COPD. "The initial concerns were that people with COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases would be at a higher risk for infections and complications," said David Mannino, M.D. Dr. Mannino is the Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of the COPD Foundation.

Instead, "COPD exacerbations and hospitalizations actually decreased during the first year of the pandemic." Social distancing helped prevent the spread of sickness. Fewer infections meant fewer COPD flare-ups.

For health care workers, the first months of the pandemic were very uncertain. There was a lot that experts did not know. This often resulted in conflicting guidance about how to keep people safe. Many hospitals ran out of protective gear. Health care workers worried about their own safety. "Reports of health care workers getting infected and dying were widely publicized," Dr. Mannino recalled. "Health care providers were on the front lines caring for people."

Telehealth was one important step forward during the pandemic. Virtual appointments allowed many people to get the care they needed from the safety of their own home. "Although in recent years this is being used less frequently, it remains an option for some patients," Dr. Mannino said.

The COVID-19 vaccine changed the course of the pandemic. Looking back, Dr. Mannino believes "the rapid development and approval of vaccines was a success story." The lessons learned are already helping researchers fight other diseases.

At first, only health care workers and people at the highest risk could get the vaccine. It took time before there were enough doses for everyone. But there were other challenges, too. "We have also now had to deal with 'vaccine hesitancy,'" Dr. Mannino said. "People who have concerns about these (and other) vaccines and refuse them even though they would likely benefit."

The pandemic also showed how hard it can be to share health information. Dr. Mannino believes one key lesson is gaining a "better understanding [of] how people obtain and process information (and misinformation)." This will be important in future public health emergencies.

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For many people, the COVID pandemic was a time of loss and fear. Looking back, we remember how people adapted to new challenges and found ways to keep going. We also remember all the health care workers who put themselves at risk to care for others.

The pandemic shows us how important it is to prevent the spread of illness. Vaccines can help protect people. Other simple steps, like washing your hands and avoiding people who are sick, can also help keep you healthy. These lessons can help build a healthier and more prepared future for everyone affected by COPD.