Hi @marthajones. Having Essential Thrombocythemia and being on on Hydroxyurea, your immune system won’t be as robust as it was before ET. So you’re right to be concerned about avoiding Covid and the Flu. Your body may have a more difficult time fighting off infections.

But that doesn’t mean total isolation. There are millions of us who are immunocompromised and living fairly normal lives…just exercising caution.
Avoiding large gatherings of people who are not wearing masks is a first step. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go grocery shopping, out to the theater or visit with friends.

Distancing and minimizing exposure helps. Choose less busy times when shopping. Eating out does pose a problem though so if you can find outdoor venues that’s important.
Keeping up with vaccinations is another key. Wearing a mask in public settings or in gatherings of people is an important factor. Frequent hand washing, using hand sanitizer after touching door handles or objects out in public is a good idea.
I wear a mask anytime I’m in a public building or even someone’s home with people not in my ‘circle’ of protection. My husband and I both wear masks when we’re in stores.
Our kids came for Thanksgiving. They both work in a public setting and they flew to Florida from Minnesota and spent 5 hours in the busy Atlanta airport. They kept their masks on all day during travel. But still, anytime we were in the house we all wore masks. I love my family for protecting me so that we can still all be together.

☺️ It’s not a big deal to wear masks. Not to jinx anything but wearing them has managed to keep us safe for several years. Also, anytime someone is visiting us, whether friends, relatives or servicemen coming into our home for business, they are requested to wear masks. Only one time was it an issue. Most people are fine with the simple request.

I found some other discussions in our forum related to members who are immunocompromised and also had similar questions for how to be out in public.

Essential Thrombocythemia and viruses.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/et-and-viruses/?pg=1#comment-759044
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https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lower-lymphocytes-following-chemo-2-years-later/
What are you doing to protect yourself? Do you feel isolated?