Making Sense of the Census
Your
Census
Questions
Answered
Caribbean L 16 ife, April 24-30, 2020
Cancer survivor wins
fight against COVID-19
By Tangerine Clarke
Researchers discovered that patients
with cancer showed deteriorating conditions
and poor outcomes from COVID-
19. More than half (53.6 percent) developed
severe events, 21.4 percent were
admitted to ICU, 35.7 percent had lifethreatening
complications and 28.6 percent
of the patients died, according to
medical reports.
However, Guyana-born Inaize (not her
real name) a breast cancer survivor, beat
the odds, won the battle against the
deadly disease, and is now back in the
comfort of her bedroom, thanks to the
care she received from her husband and
four sons, who helped her to self-quarantined
in the family’s living room.
In an exclusive interview with Caribbean
Life, via phone, the administrative
worker recounted the harrowing
four-week ordeal, of fever topping 101.4
degree temperature, vomiting, shortness
of breath, and chills brought on by
COVID-19, after being misdiagnosed by
her doctor, as having the flu.
As her illness became more severe
after the first week, and not knowing
then what it was, her husband decided
to call paramedics, who after diagnosing
her symptoms, advised her against going
to the emergency room.
The sixty-something-year-old patient,
with underlying conditions, such as a
compromised immune system, after suffering
breast cancer, was told that she
should not return home, being at risk,
among the overwhelming amount of
cases already in hospital, being treated
for Covid-19.
She immediately decided to stay
home, and sought medical attention elsewhere.
This is when her daughter-in-law,
a medical professional, stepped in, and
scheduled an appointment at an Urgent
Care facility, the closest in College Point,
Queens, more than half and hour from
where she lives.
Thanks to a testing kit, it proved she
had Covid-19. She recalled being incapacitated,
with a feeling of heaviness
compounded by shortness of breath. She
compared the feeling of wearing a suit of
armor. The illness took over her entire
body, a condition that got worse by the
hour at nighttime.
Fortunately, she was not on chemotherapy
treatment, only daily cancer
medications, which she suspended, and
instead, used the prescribed medication,
inhaled via a nebulizer.
Antibiotics also helped to relieve her
lungs of thick mucus, associated with
upper respiratory infection brought on
by Covid 19.
“It felt like a “glob of stuff” that came
up from my stomach,” said the survivor,
who, during the four- week illness, lacked
appetite, and only drank chicken noodle
soup, she jokingly said, would not be her
choice of nourishment, anytime soon.
“It was horrifying. My sons started
to cry because we didn’t know what the
illness was. My doctor didn’t say it was
Covid 19,” she said, relating that her situation
was so traumatizing, that after the
third day of illness, “I was afraid to close
my eyes.”
The ordeal began, just after she started
working from home, as mandated by
her Brooklyn office, on March 6, the day
she logged off, and by March 10, the virus
had taken over her body.
The survivor, who says the cancer
medication she has taken for the past two
years, contributed to her immune system
being comprised.
“I cannot pinpoint where or how I
could have picked up the virus, but I
know it is airborne.
“I could have contracted it from someone
at work, my commute on public
transportation, the hair or nail salon, or
even my mechanic shop.”
“It goes to how dirty we live, we shake
hands, talk to people who do not practice
proper hygiene, and use public transportation
that is filthy, not regularly
sanitized,” she said, adding that she was
concerned, that no testing sites were
available anywhere in her minority community
in Queens.
By Julie Menin, Director of
NYC Census 2020
Nearly 40% of New Yorkers
have been counted in the 2020
Census, and we’ve heard some
frequently asked questions along
the way. Here’s answers to some
of New Yorkers’ most commonlyasked
Census questions.
How do I get counted if I
don’t have the unique Census
ID from the Census Bureau?
No Census ID? No problem! All
you need is your address. Go to my-
2020census.gov and click the link
that says, “If you do not have a Census
ID, click here.” You can also
call to complete the form over the
phone -- no Census ID is needed.
Should I count the family/
roommate that shares my
apartment?
Yes, if they live in your home,
you should count everyone living
in your home, even if they’re not
related.
How do I get counted if I
live in an illegal unit?
No matter your housing situation
– whether you live in an illegal
basement, or even if there are
more people living in your unit
than your lease allows -- you can
and should respond to the census;
it is 100% safe. By law, the US Census
Bureau cannot share your information
with anyone – not immigration,
not the police, and not
even your landlord. Neither you
nor your landlord can face any
negative consequences as a result
of completing the census.
Do I get counted even if I’m
an immigrant?
Everyone counts, no matter
who you are, where you’re from,
or your immigration status. Citizen,
immigrant, documented,
undocumented — everybody has
a right (and an obligation) to be
counted. There are absolutely no
questions about immigration or
citizenship on the census.
What happens to my census
information?
Census information is used
for very important purposes. It
helps the government distribute
billions of dollars to states and
cities, based on how many people
live there, and it determines
our political power at all levels
of government. Census data is
also used to make very important
decisions every day, such as
how many vaccines need to be
ordered to protect you and your
family. Your responses to the
census are protected by federal
law. By law, all your information
is confidential, can’t be used
against you, and can’t be shared
with anyone — not your landlord,
not even other government
agencies.
How should people be
counted if they’re staying
away from their normal home
because of COVID-19?
People displaced by COVID-19
should be counted where they
would normally have been living
on April 1st. If they did not
have an address as of April 1 and
might not have an address for the
foreseeable future, they should
be counted at whatever address
they’re staying at on April 1st.
Is the census really that
easy?
It sure is. 10 questions in less
than 10 minutes will shape the
next 10 years. And you can do it
from the comfort of your home.
Now that that’s sorted, do
your part to check in with your
families, friends, and neighbors
and make sure they’re counted in
the census. Remember, we need a
complete count so we get our fair
share of funding for our essential
public services, including health
care, and representation. Let’s
make it count.
“Making Sense of the Census”
is a weekly column from Julie
Menin, Director of NYC Census
2020. Every week we will be publishing
pieces from Julie and guest
authors laying out the facts and
answering tough questions about
this year’s census. Fill out the census
now at my2020census.gov.
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