Coronavirus (COVID-19) - information and precautions

Hello everyone,

I thought I would open this discussion as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been a constant topic in the news and the health community. It's also an important topic for us here, because those with chronic health conditions and/or those who are immunocompromised may be at a higher risk of infection.

As you know, Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which cause illnesses ranging from the common cold (some seasonal viruses are Coronaviruses) to more severe illnesses such as MERS or SARS. The virus identified in January 2020 in China is a new Coronavirus. The disease caused by this Coronavirus has been named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization.

For more information about the virus and how to protect yourself, please visit either of these reliable and up-to-date sources:

CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

World Health Organization: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

If you feel like you at are a higher risk or may have contracted the virus, please consult the CDC's guidelines on what to do:

Prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick

Are you worried about the Coronavirus? Are you taking any particular steps to take care of yourself or your loved ones? Do you have any advice or opinions to share?

Feel free to share your questions, comments and concerns below.

Take care,

Lee

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the flu kills 290,000 to 650,000 people per year. "......

The fact that people are more concerned about COVID-19 than the flu virus is no surprise, says Dr. Adalja. “Anytime there is a new emerging infectious disease that is shrouded in mystery with a lot of unknowns, it captivates people in a way that a regular virus that people deal with on a yearly basis won’t,” he says

Hello all,

We have an update since the past few days. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that due to the rapid spread and severity of the virus and their concern for the level of inaction worldwide, COVID-19 can now be characterized as a pandemic.

WHO has also published some key advice for older adults and people with pre-existing conditions that may be of some help to us all:

·        When you have visitors to your home, exchange “1 meter greetings”, like a wave, nod, or bow.

·        Ask visitors and those you live with to wash their hands.

·         Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces in your home, especially areas that people touch a lot.

·        If someone you live with isn’t feeling well (especially with possible COVID-19 symptoms), limit your shared spaces.

·        If you become ill with symptoms of COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider by telephone before visiting your healthcare facility.

·        Make a plan in preparation for an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community.

·        When you go out in public, follow the same preventative guidelines as you would at home.

·        Stay up to date using information from reliable sources.

Take care everyone!

Courtney

Thank you, this is very helpful!

@Awatchman @Judy349899 Hello, thank you both for your comments. If you haven't seen already, yesterday we published an article that clarifies the coronavirus and the COVID-19 infection and tries to summarize some useful information and links. It may be of some help to you. I'll link it below:

Coronavirus: What do you need to know?

Take care,

Courtney

Am I more susceptible to COVID-19 because I am HIV +? I am long term undetectable (20+yrs)with CD4 counts in the 5-600's

@sbradysfv1 Hey man, I don't think we're at a greater risk than anyone else. What I've been seeing is that those who are most at risk are people over 60, people with respiratory or heart conditions, or people who are immunosuppressed. If you're undetectable and your CD4 is that high, I think you should be ok. I'm no expert though, so if you're really worried I'd check with your doc.

@sbradysfv1 @hivver Hello everyone, if you haven't seen already, we've just published an article that focuses on the coronavirus in the context of chronic illnesses. It may help answer any questions you may have:

Coronavirus and chronic illness

Take care,

Courtney

Hi everyone,

If you haven't already seen, we're conducting a survey to better understand the impact the coronavirus has on people with chronic illnesses in their daily lives and their management of their condition. If you haven't had the chance to take it, I'll link it here: COVID-19 Survey

How are you all handling this social distancing? 

Take care,

Courtney