Coronavirus: How to Prevent and Prepare if you have an Autoimmune Disease

Microscopic image of the Coronavirus.

People with autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, Sjögren's Syndrome, or lupus should not panic but take important steps to reduce infection risk and stay healthy.

One thing, however, is clear: While no one with arthritis needs to panic, we should not take this casually either. The CDC has defined high-risk groups as those over 60 and those with chronic health conditions such as lung and heart problems, and diabetes. Many people with arthritis, particularly those with osteoarthritis, are over 60, and there are also millions of people with dysregulated immune systems due to autoimmune and inflammatory types of arthritis. Moreover, treatment for those diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and lupus, consists of immunosuppressants.

Arthritis Foundation

Per the CDC, protect yourself

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. Any kind of soap will do (except antibacterial soap, which has been banned by the FDA). Soap breaks down fat and protein molecules. The more soapy foam, the better. After 20 minutes, soap mixes the broken molecules in with the water and the water washes them away from your skin. Hand sanitizers kill bacteria and viruses on the surface but it doesn’t remove it from your skin.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. The virus enters the body through those mucous membranes.
  • Avoid close contact with people because it is believed people can spread the infection before they show symptoms and you might inhale water droplets from their talking, sneezing, or coughing. Particularly avoid those who are sick.
  • Avoid large gatherings of 10 or more people, air travel, and cruises, especially if you are in a high-risk group. Experts have said that slowing the spread of the disease may be more feasible than stopping it; we need to "flatten the curve" on graphs that show rates of infection rising sharply in a short time.

Prepare for an Extended Period of Isolation

Prepare your home for a local outbreak of COVID-19. Use similar measures that you'd take for any emergency such as a snowstorm or hurricane.

  • Keep a two-week to 30-day supply of canned, frozen, and dried foods, including frozen fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable milk, peanut butter, and nonperishables such as canned tuna, rice, beans, and nuts. Many fresh foods keep well for a couple of weeks including eggs, carrots, squash, apples, and oranges. You don’t need to hoard (which will create shortages); just pick up a few extra items on each grocery run. (Order groceries online rather than go out to a store or pharmacy or have a volunteer shop for you. Carry soap or alcohol wipes with you if you need to go out.)
  • Don’t forget pet food. Walk dogs alone and keep at least 6 feet away from other people.
  • Make sure you have two-week to 30-day general household supplies of laundry detergent, bleach, disinfectants, toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, and diapers if your children need them.
  • Keep a 30-day supply of prescription medications; many insurance companies are relaxing their refill schedules in light of the situation. Additionally, many retail pharmacies will now deliver medications.
  • Additional items to have on hand in case you get sick: acetaminophen (Tylenol), Nyquil, cough medicine, tissues, throat-soothing tea, cough drops, Gatorade (or Pedialyte for children), and chicken soup. Don’t forget vitamins, Omega-3, and other supplements, if you take them.
  • Make sure you have enough effective cleaning supplies to keep high-touch surfaces clean. Know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Use a disinfectant that is approved to fight SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses.
  • Make contingency plans for your kids in case schools close. Some school systems have already suspended classes. Have indoor activities ready for your kids and make a backup plan for childcare if you will still need to work, whether from home or on site. Grandparents are not a good option because older adults are the most likely to catch the virus and have severe complications.
  • Wear a mask or thick bandana if you are sick to avoid spreading the disease to others. Wearing a surgical-type mask may reduce the risk of spreading the disease to others by blocking some of the virus-laden droplets from coughing and sneezing. A mask can also keep you from touching your face in case you touch an infected surface while out and about. N-95 masks, which are thicker, fit better, and block out smaller viruses, are in short supply and should be reserved for health care workers and people tending to someone sick at home.
  • Adopt a dog, puppy, cat, or kitten from the local shelter to keep you company and to provide you with entertainment and unconditional love.
  • Arrange to make your usual payments or a monthly gift to household help, hair stylists, massage therapists, or others whose services you can no longer use during the isolation period. They have lost their weekly income, have no insurance, and can use the help financially. Payment can be arranged through PayPal to avoid having close contact.

Related Information

Coronavirus was first identified in the city of Wuhan, in China's Hubei province in December 2019. COVID-19 was previously known as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) respiratory disease before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the official name as COVID-19 in February 2020.

Weekend Gazette – Link Collection for June 13

We present to you a menu of tidbits collected in recent days that are too short for blog posts and sometimes too long for a tweet (when we want to add clarifying comments). Headings provide a light grouping to help you skim the offerings. Bon appétit!

The Old Folks

Aging is a suitable topic in technical communications because it involves all of us at some point. Don't expect aging to go away! There are always articles about helping today's older generation with technology or preparing for a future with an older generation who grew up with technology. Whether you call them senior citizens, the elderly, the old folks, or gray panthers, they are your audience at some level and at some point. Don't ignore them. Grandma might get nasty!

Academia, Education, and Online Learning

The IMS Global Learning Consortium is an excellent resource for those of you somewhere in academia. IMS GLC aims for "standards that enable the development and adoption of innovative technologies to improve and transform education worldwide." They held the Learning Impact 2010 conference in May, but I cannot find public slides or material from the conference. Go explore if it has aroused your curiosity.

What are the issues with online learning and accessibility? "Research and Practice in K-12 Online Learning: A Review of Open Access Literature" by Cathy S. Cavanaugh, Michael K. Barbour, and Tom Clark examines a report from the U.S. Department of Education and poses questions about "universal design of online learning environments and materials". You can download an excerpt from "What Works in K–12 Online Learning", edited by Cathy Cavanaugh and Robert Blomeyer (2.1 Mb .pdf).

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Tutorial is about more than accessibility or the notion of making environments accessible for learners with disabilities. It gets at the heart of design – whether it's design of a building, design of learning materials, design of a classroom environment, or design of a system. UDL is about the decisions we make in the design and development of learning systems, materials, and environments and whether those decisions unnecessarily constrain learners. From the National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities, University of Northern Colorado. See also:

Tools That Change Lives

analogy of web accessibility being like a ramp. Web accessibility is a well built building from the foundation up." I agree with this and want to include those technical communicators who are not in software
@ezufelt once wrote, "I don't like the- accessibility is part of the foundation whether you are working with software or hardware. Some people seem to find this concept hard to digest. Stories that tell how accessible products have a positive effect in someone's life could be the tipping point. I've collected some links that tell stories – life-changing stories, in fact.

Use these stories as inspiration for involving people with disabilities in any kind of usability testing you are doing – or should be doing. No matter how clever you are, you will not be able to think up all possible scenarios on your own. Remember, users can always provide a new and surprising angle. If people with disabilities are involved as developers or designers of products, wow! Think of the potential for inclusion in that scenario!

The Last Word

I have a dream that one day we will not be judged by our abilities / bodies but by the content of our character. – @wendyabc

Link Contributors

This post was glued together with links or inspiration from many people. They are listed with their Twitter names.

@anikto
@atmacjournal
@DaveBanesAccess
@dboudreau
@IBMAccess
@jebswebs
@Jennison
@joemsie
@kellylford
@maccymacx
@mpaciello