Yep. We have 4 suspected cases in my town. They are quarantined until they know for sure. The people just came back from Italy. I was going to fly to see my nephew play soccer since he graduates in a few months and this is the last season. My white count is 3.2. It isn't advisable for me to fly at this time.

I recently booked a flight to Fla end of March. ???? Do I dare go? I risk loosing bookooo bucks if I don't.

I think the hoopla is all nonsense. Calling it a pandemic, even if it is in the future, is quite wrong at this time, because there are too few cases.

By comparison, the Spanish Influenza, in 1918, was a real pandemic. Over 1/3 of the world caught it! That was 500 million people! And 50 million people died of it! That's a 10% chance of dying, if you got it. My grandfather and his friends all got it. He was the only one that survived! But he lost all his hair in his early 20's after he got over it.

Besides, other that totally isolating yourself, most of these precautions don't work, or even making things work!

Washing your hands with soap and hot water, for 20 seconds, works. Do that when you come home from going out. Not touching your face, esp., eyes and mouth helps you not to penetrate you body.

Face masks don't work, because there are too many gaps. There are expensive masks that do seal, but if you don't have the virus, it create a warm moist environment for the virus to grow. Stocking piling food? Just wow!

I'm a bit annoyed because my sister in Arizona is living in terror and almost psychotic about the virus, and she is trying to turn me into a neurotic mess, too! But I am home most of the time, and not worried at all.

I don't get sick, except with long exposure to my grandkids. We are taught because of the immune suppressing drugs we are at greater risk to catch a virus. (And some of you may be.)

But since my doctor lowered my mthx dose, my RA is marching. I figure my immune system is so over revved, that even with the meds, I am still probably over a normal person. So my body fights these things off.

WG, I think planes are probably the worst place to be. The air is continually recycled. But, I would still go, if it was me. I'm not going to spend my life hiding, over a not especially virulent variety of this virus. We each have to make our own choices, I guess.

Marlene, you echoed my feelings. Thoe who are all paranoid and worried about (like your sister) are greatly upping their risk for stress-born illness than air-born!!

If I don't get on that airplane to Fla I FORFEIT thousands of dollars that are due me!

I have always felt that the immsunospressants I'm on just level me out to "normal" and until 2 or 3 years ago I nver got a cold od the flu, even when raising 3 kids and even when they had strep throats and the like!

So far Florida only has 4 suspected cases that I know of. They aren't confirmed and may just be flu. I would bring wipes for the airplane to clean your seat. Airports and airplanes are the worst places to be. Many travel companies are being pressured to give refunds or travel vouchers. You may have time for that to still happen. Where are you going in Florida? If it is Disney, that ups the risk. The quarantined people are Disney employees, is my understanding. Disney put them up in a separate apartment, sends in medical and food. IF this is Corona, Disney is going to have to make some tough decisions. The entire economy is dominated by tourism. Disney has already started increased cleanings of parks and discussions about when/what would trigger park closings. Local and state leaders are working with them. I'm assuming the other theme parks are doing the same. A huge convention that was in town was sparsely attended because it was international and exhibitors were from China. Things are definitely being effected down here.

I just read something on how conventions are being cancelled all over the US. I have to wonder if it is more a liability issue. Because if even one person picked up the Coronavirus, and died, think of the lawsuit!

My husband and I did a number of errands in downtown Kelowna yesterday. My massage therapy said they had cancelled a lot of appointments because of fears of COVID-. But the weirdest thing was our streets get very overcrowded on Fridays. Always! But not yesterday. It was like no one was going out. We went to a number of places. I even had wipes in my car, forgot to use them on the electric scooters in some of the stores.

I just can't work myself into anxiety about this. If it gets worse? We have a lady in our church who was teaching school in Wuhan this year. She got out on the second evacuation plane to Canada. Just spent 14 days in quarantine on a military base in Ontario. Flew back and got home to BC on Wednesday. She is very healthy, and has no autoimmune diseases.

I also came to the same conclusion as WG, since I rarely get sick, and my RA is not really under control, since my doctor made me go down on my shot of mthx, (liver enzymes caused by mthx, or Lipitor?) that my elevated auto-immune system, even on all these meds, is still functioning above most people's attack systems. Well, everyone check in from time to time, so we don't have to worry about you!

Kim,

NOT disney. I have to go to court in sarasota. If i dont go i forgeit thousands of dollars.... so...

IMO, go to court. I have heard of nothing in Sarasota. If your white count isn't low, I don't think you are in any extra risk. My white count is 3.2. I'm in Orlando. My next door neighbor works for Disney. I will be staying home if it starts to spread, but I am out to dinner tonight.

So, if you WANT something to worry about . . .

Check Out This List Of Drugs Manufactured In Unregulated or Inspected China

https://www.africanamerica.org/topic/check-out-this-list-of-drugs-manufactured-in-unregulated-or-inspected-china

Is Chloroquin Phosphate the generic for Plaquenil? It states it is a malaria drug, which Plaquenil is.

Ok, it also has the steroid I used to premedicate for Rituxan, Benadryl that I used for all of my biologics, Voltaren that I have used for pain instead of narcotic, prednisone, my anti nausea med, and a TON of antibiotics.

This is not good at all.

I'm sorry....didn't mean to add worries....

Sarasota now has one case that tested positive and one in Tampa. I think things are about to go nuts here in Florida.

And one in NYC.

I just got back from the Phila Flower Show, which is always crowded. (And a few hours at the equally crowded Reading Terminal Market across the street,) The friend who went with me is battling severe Lyme's, so we both had this on our minds. We reminded each other of some things that are common sense in public places anyway - leaning on the escalator guardrail with a (sleeved) elbow rather than grabbing it with a bare hand, for instance. And we decided we'd wash our hands on the hour throughout the day, as much as possible. There were several conversations with strangers in the washrooms - I think a lot of people had it on their minds!

We took hand sanitizer, and Diane was tasked with scolding me if she saw me touch my eyes - I get watery eyes due to allergens sometimes, and have a bad habit of just wiping away a tear with my hand instead of using a tissue. It's a habit I need to break anyway.

We're also both spending this evening at our respective homes resting and taking a little extra care of ourselves after the exertion and adrenaline of dealing with city traffic and so on. But that's not a coronavirus thing as much as it's a survival skill with an autoimmune disease,

I think if I were deciding right now whether to go or not, I might have passed for this year, but we had a good bit of $ invested in tickets and the hotel and so on, as we'd planned it well in advance. I also think, pessimistically, that things may get worse before this is done and this might have been my window for doing something like this during this winter / spring. So we decided to go, but to exercise control over those things which we could influence. (Should note that we are in PA, which has not yet had a case reported, but of course this event drew from all over the eastern US, and we're not stupid - the potential is anywhere. I was at a theater rehearsal last week at a tiny school in a remote rural area, in conversation with a volunteer helping with the lighting, and he mentioned that he's a long distance trucker who had just returned from Washington State that morning. So the reality of this is that we are all connected.)

I see my rheumatologist tomorrow. I've noting else on my agenda so I plan to ask here what I need to know, specific to the RA / PsA whatever it is. I'll let you know if she has anything relevant for all of us! And let's continue to help each other through the stress of having now added this extra concern to our plates.