PLANT CITY, Fla. — The Sickle Cell Association of Hillsborough County is on a mission to educate those with the disease of the impact COVID-19 could have on them.

A walk is taking place in Plant City Saturday to help raise awareness.

The one and half mile walk is at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center.


What You Need To Know

  • Sickle Cell Association of Hillsborough County hosts walk event to raise awareness on COVID impact on those with sickle cell

  • The one and half mile walk is at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center

  • Disease causes red blood cells to break down

The walk is to raise awareness on the impact of the COVID-19 virus amongst those living with sickle cell.

Medical experts say sickle cell is most common within the African-American community. The disease causes red blood cells to break down.

Medication or a blood fusion and rarely a bone-marrow transplant is the only treatment for the disease. Studies show people with sickle are four times more at risk of hospitalization and twice as risky of dying for covid-19.

 “I think that study is what we see in practice just cause sickle cell disease patients have health effects and comorbidities that occur because of having sickle cell,” said Dr. Andrew Galligan, with the USF College of Medicine. “So they’re high risk of hospitalization, pneumonia and infection to begin with and by putting on a serious disease like Covid, its not surprising to see the higher hospitalization rates and higher death rates.”

Galligan says he doesn’t usually see long term health issues with people who only have the sickle cell traits.

In addition to the walk, participants also get access to more information on sickle cell and COVID-19.