We can allow the COVID-19 pandemic to greatly intensify the isolation of marginalized people in ways that will just further endanger their health and, to be blunt, likely kill many of them at higher rates than the general population. Alternatively, we can tap into the sense of communal responsibility generated by this pandemic and extend the boundaries of compassion. By doing so we can help drive support for practical interventions in the same way many of us are now seeking new measures to protect other vulnerable people in our midst — like our parents, grandparents and people with compromised immune systems.