So as the virus began to sweep through the United States, Giuliana felt a need to get her affairs in order — just in case. .

Days later, she left the job that she loved as a homeless outreach worker in Philadelphia’s bustling Reading Terminal Market to minimize contact with other people, and made a pact with her husband to do whatever it took to stay safe. .

That meant not seeing friends in indoor settings or going to the movies, activities that most people gave up in 2020, but that Giuliana has had to continue to forgo through this year even after becoming fully vaccinated. .

“Nothing changed for me,” Giuliana said.

For many people with weakened immune systems, vaccines have not offered the same degree of relief and return to normalcy as they have for those with no underlying health conditions.

Some, like Giuliana, are unsure how much the vaccine shields them, since immunocompromised people were not included in the clinical trials.

“When I see people walk in without masks, I definitely try to stay away from them,” she said.

People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised make up 3 percent of the adult population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“By getting vaccinated and wearing a mask, you do a lot to help those people whose immune system can’t respond to the vaccine.”.

But some immunocompromised people have found that by taking such precautions themselves, they stand out.

Anxiety at this point in the pandemic is still very real and very justified for many people with compromised immunity, Antilla said, encouraging those around them to not pressure them

“I’d rather have someone ask me a billion ignorant questions rather than not care and endanger me and my family,” she said

“We’ve just formed such a family,” she said

Although she had to give up her job doing outreach to homeless people, she has taken a volunteer position serving outdoor meals to people in need

“I thank people for wearing masks all the time.”