The first year of the pandemic was deadly for dialysis patients, according to a ProPublica reporter who combed through federal data on pandemic deaths in 2020.
Duaa Eldeib found that almost 20% more dialysis patients died in the first year of the pandemic than in the previous year. Eldeib said the increased death rate was so significant that the overall number of people receiving dialysis shrank for the first time in nearly 50 years.
"The numbers were staggering. I had no idea until I started doing this reporting just how deadly and devastating the pandemic was to dialysis patients," Eldeib said.
Patients on dialysis have end-stage renal disease, which means their kidneys are so damaged that they can't filter toxins or excess fluid from their bodies.
"Because dialysis is a life-saving treatment and it's so critical to their survival, they have to go in three times a week," Eldeib said. "They sit in a large room with other people. They're in this enclosed space for three to four hours. So it's putting vulnerable patients in a more vulnerable position."
Eldeib also found that despite the increased risk, many states failed to prioritize vaccinations for dialysis patients, or offer vaccinations at dialysis centers.
Glen Hayashida, president of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, invested in testing early in the pandemic, partnering with the state to provide expanded testing sites. Then the challenge involved keeping COVID-positive patients separate during treatment.
"We said OK, each dialysis provider, because Hawaiʻi has two, will take the responsibility of having one of their clinics being where COVID-positive patients will be dialyzed," he said. "Then I asked a real innocent question, quite honestly, I just said, 'How are these patients getting to the dialysis centers?' And silence. And I knew we had a problem."
Research shows many patients make the thrice-weekly trip using public or medical transportation such as TheHandi-Van on Oʻahu. The National Kidney Foundation found a pandemic solution in a local tour operator.
By partnering with Keawe Adventures, the company could continue paying drivers during the 2020 tourism shutdown and the foundation could safely transport COVID-positive patients to and from treatment. Hayashida said the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Department of Health and others helped with organization and funding.
Hayashida said he felt it was important to take a proactive stance to protect dialysis patients, as the rate of kidney disease is up to 30% higher than the national average in Hawaiʻi.
"There's a lot more research that needs to be done, especially here in Hawaiʻi. But part of it is genetic, in the sense that it appears that kidney disease affects the ethnic minority population in greater severity than the white population. That's across the board," Hayashida said.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Feb. 7, 2022. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
