If you are living on planet earth, chances are you are tuned into the worldwide pandemic happening right now, coronavirus AKA COVID-19.
It certainly has been interesting watching the tidal wave of destruction to our economy over the past two weeks. It's nothing I have ever seen before.
I watched from a distance as the virus plagued China, not fully understanding the impact it would have on me or the future. Just weeks ago I was on the beach of Mexico reading books and lounging in the shade.
Once we arrived back in Canada the first thing I noticed awry was Facebook blowing up about toilet paper being out of stock. There seemed to be quite a few meme's out there making fun of the hoarders. Looking at where we are today, I'm not sure sure those first few who were preparing for the long haul were incorrect.
While I don't support hoarder buying behaviors, I do of course support being prepared for what might be to come. In our family we keep a healthy stock of food both fresh and pantry, and we usually keep a healthy stock of toilet paper and kleenex.
Last week on Tuesday I placed an online grocery order. Superstore, our local grocery store, offers "click and collect" where you can order you groceries online and then pick the up at the store without even needing to leave your vehicle. This is a godsend for me, as I have trouble pushing the cart around the store with my illness.
This last Tuesday seemed to be nothing out the ordinary. I picked up my groceries, without incident. That was the last calm day we had.
By Thursday last week Facebook had blown up over groceries stores not having essential items such as hand santizer and toilet paper. We also caught wind that Toronto, Canada had closed their K-12 schools for 2 weeks. This seemed to spark fire here in Alberta.
Thursday evening Superstore's website crashed, not allowing people to order online. I decided to place one more online order with Wal-mart instead, to pick up the following morning.
Friday morning came and my online order was not ready for pickup until late afternoon. When I spoke to the wal-mart employee when I was picking up, she was almost in tears, saying she's never seen anything like this before in her life, "she doesn't even have time to breathe" was her word.
By Saturday our local provincial government announced that gatherings of more than 250 would be cancelled until further notice. They also recommended social distancing, Many companies such as my own cancelled large conferences and meetings, and encouraged employees to work from home, if they could. National sports leagues, such as the NHL, cancelled games and postponed the season" until further notice".
By Sunday afternoon, our government then announced the closure of schools K-12. With our on child being in Kindergarten, we are still absorbing the news. We have been told the entire school year has been cancelled, and that he will start grade 1 next year.
One week. It took one week to go from normal to panic mode.
If it hasn't happened in your neck of the woods, I could encourage you start preparing now.
Things to consider include:
- Having enough food and water
- Having enough medication
- Having enough pet food/litter etc.
- Talk to your employer about options for working at home
- Talk to your doctor about your risks with the virus
- Educate yourself on the virus and get prepared (pssst.... I have links below that will help!)
- Figure out how to self-isolate or reduce the amount of interactions your have with other people
Individuals on immunosuppressant medications are at higher risk. Some of those medications commonly used in Sjogren's/Lupus patients include Methotrexate, Imuran/Plaquenil, and Prednisone. I am on all three and I will be talking to my doctor this week and I will report back what I have been told.
In order to help myself prepare for what is happening in the world, I have been watching these web pages to get the latest updates:
These two organization CDC and WHO are the leading experts in the world wide pandemic.
They have many pages to help you prepare such as:
I also follow this page The Lupus Encyclopedia Facebook Page, as this page is run by a medical doctor who wrote an extensive book on Lupus, Sjogren's and other related diseases, and he has been posting relevant information about individuals with compromised immune systems.
I am doing my best to prepare for what is to come. I hope that you can do the same.
Heather