Cold weather and COVID-19 could be a double threat to Horry County’s homeless community
Temperatures dropping to the 30s and daily Horry County COVID-19 cases reaching into the hundreds raises a difficult question of balancing protection from cold exposure and the coronavirus alike.
On exceptionally cold nights, people staying outdoors face a greater risk of illnesses like the flu and common colds, and area shelters and organizations often open their doors to offer warmth. This year, that comes with a complication. It’s proven that the coronavirus spreads quickly in group settings.
Risk for COVID-19, other illnesses
Horry County has pushed past 23,300 total cases and more than 330 deaths of the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. With more than 100 daily cases routinely reported, the risk of COVID-19 is imminent.
But so is the risk of other illnesses and health complications for the homeless population, experts say.
“Of course, anyone staying outside in extreme cold conditions [is] subject to the flu, common cold, that type of thing,” said Myrtle Beach police Pfc. Brad Elliott, who works with the homeless population when he patrols.
When any type of extreme weather poses a risk to the homeless community, the nonprofit New Directions, which provides resources and beds for the homeless, opens its doors to provide shelter. That practice is set to continue if needed, but the threat of COVID-19 threw some things off track.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control doesn’t track COVID-19 cases among the homeless population specifically, but 81 residents who voluntarily identified themselves as homeless have tested positive as of Dec. 15, The Sun News reported. DHEC data shows nearly 20% of those people were hospitalized for COVID-19, more than four times higher than the hospitalization rate of the general population in South Carolina.
‘Code blue’ nights for freezing weather
When the weather is extreme, the area falls under a “code blue,” meaning New Directions shelters people, no questions asked, until the severe weather passes. An average Myrtle Beach winter will bring temperatures in the 40s and 50s degrees Fahrenheit, but record-breaking cold as recent as 2018 brought snow, ice and temperatures dipping into the teens and single digits to the area.
Spending hours in the cold can be dangerous, even if the temperatures don’t fall to the level of cities like Minneapolis or Chicago, which routinely report multiple cold-related deaths during the winter.
In the Myrtle Beach area, the forecast predicts temperatures dropping to the 30s next week.
Dr. Gerald Harmon, the top doctor at Tidelands Health, said even though the Myrtle Beach area doesn’t see the extreme temperatures that cause frostbite and other conditions, that’s not to say the chilly weather here can’t be damaging to the body.
“We don’t have that [severity], because this is not the extreme range. But you do get into the 30- and 40-degree temperatures, you get some stresses on the body,” he said. “Your body says, ‘Hey, I’m cold. I’ve got to divert my blood flow away from the fingers and toes to the heart.”
He said the effects of the cold weather are worse for people with pre-existing health conditions, and the impacts on the lungs and respiratory system can increase the risk for viral infections like the common cold. The colder weather can also mean COVID-19 could spread more easily, and not just because people are more likely to gather inside.
“We’ve learned to believe it’s more likely to be spread in a colder environment because it’s a coronavirus, but more importantly people get indoors with poor circulation and an enhanced risk of transmission with restricted air, closed doors and closed windows,” Harmon said.
Cops and coffee houses offer help
Myrtle Beach police officers, like Elliott, who patrol early in the morning often come across people who need shelter and warmth in the winter months. The officers provide donated blankets, socks and other materials, and transport or direct them to New Directions if necessary.
“With the supplies that we pass out to members of our community that are in need, like blankets, socks, shoes, clothes, they’re all donated,” he said. “So we’re always looking for more donations to help people that need it.
When New Directions needs more space to shelter the homeless on code blue nights, the Fresh Brewed Coffee House steps in to help. Director of Operations Kate Curran says the nonprofit coffee shop is routinely plugged into the community and saw a need to help provide shelter on cold nights.
“It just seems fitting that if part of our community has an issue of homelessness, that we would be there for them, just because of the type of place that we are,” Curran said.
The pandemic has thrown a wrench in the coffee house’s typical operations, but Curran says the building could serve as a warming shelter for the homeless if New Directions needs it, just as in years past. The safety precautions in place because of the pandemic, like wearing a mask and keeping as much distance as possible, will likely be enforced on code blue nights, Curran said.
“It’s such a strange time,” she said. “I think everybody’s just kind of trying to figure it out as we go along. So we would just stick with what the authorities have told us are the best precautions to take.”
Cold compounds the pandemic problem
New Directions, which reported its first COVID-19 case in December, has altered its operations during the pandemic. For example, people staying at the shelter now sleep toe-to-head instead of right next to each other to minimize contact and possible exposure, executive director Kathy Jenkins said.
New Directions typically bring in an extra nine or 10 people on the colder nights, but when the temperature drops below 20 degrees, the shelter can see 30 to 40 more people seeking help. As temperatures dropped the week of Christmas 2020, New Directions saw 35 extra men and six extra women over a three-day period, Jenkins said.
Facing the dilemma of the pandemic coupled with potential cold temperatures, Jenkins said the organization will do what it can to help.
“I don’t know what else to say, we can’t let people die on the street from the cold,” she said. “And we’re not going to allow that to happen.”
Harmon said a lot of the advice given to mitigate the spread of the virus can be more difficult for homeless people to follow since shelters are inherently shared among many people.
“We’re asking them not to be in an indoor environment ... where you can spread it. Yet these homeless people don’t have a whole lot of choice,” Harmon said. “And the shelters that are being offered by our volunteers in our community are trying to tell homeless people to get indoors [when it’s cold]. It’s a bit of a mixed message.”
For this reason, Harmon said the homeless population should be considered a group at higher risk of contracting the virus and should be at the front of the line to get the coronavirus vaccine. He said he expects shelters have already taken the possible precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus, and encouraged them to continue.
