Are we as Type 1 diabetics considered to be immune compromised or is that not necessarily a given? I have always considered myself to be fairly resilient but I don’t want to test it with a round of corona virus.
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It probably depends on level of control. Someone who has high blood sugar much of the time probably is somewhat compromised. I myself do not feel too vulnerable because of my past experience of hardly ever getting sick.
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Since I live with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune mediated disease, I do consider myself immune compromised. I interpret this to mean that my immune system does not operate normally and can misfire.
I did some searching on the terms autoimmunity and immunodeficiency. It’s a complex topic, beyond my ability to grasp well. Here’s one source to read if you want to know more.
I agree with @Jen, however, that sustained periods of high blood sugar are likely a larger influence in my vulnerability to catch any virus. What’s surprising to me is the range of responses to the corona virus across the population. Some people catch this virus and experience zero symptoms while others get mildly ill and some very sick even leading to death in a small percentage.
We can’t control whether we have autoimmune conditions. We can control influential lifestyle choices like sleep, nutrition, and hydration. These factors decide whether our immune system works at its best or not. We also can help avoid this virus by washing our hands more frequently and avoid touching our mouth, eyes or nose. One additional thing I have done to protect myself is get a pneumonia vaccination recently.
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I am 69, and have been a type 1 for 61 yrs. I don’t get the flu and rarely have a cold. I exercise, eat very well and keep a very low A1c. Like Terry, since I am over 50,I am going to get a vaccine for pneumonia just to be safe. I wash my hands and remind my husband to wash his. I also stay away from crowds during flu season and will continue to do so to protect myself if the virus hits my area. A very healthy friend just died from the flu because he ignored his flu symptoms until it was too late.
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IMHO ‘immuno compromised’ simply describes anyone that has a weakened immune system due to normal aging or any other underlying condition that weakens your body.
I’m not sure why they always say “like diabetes” so prominently when they make those statements. I suppose it could apply to someone who is not properly controlling the disease (T1 or T2). I don’t know the statistics, but perhaps a fairly large portion of the diabetic population has sub-standard control. Especially if you consider it globally. But the same thing applies to anyone with an underlying respiratory disease, who is using immuno-suppressive drugs, on and on.
I often hear the same vernacular used when describing death rate due to pneumonia.
For me it is not the crowds but the grand children. They catch everything and do need to see them from time to time.
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My son works on an assembly line, so he is exposed to everything and seems to catch everything, so I know what you mean.
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I rarely get a virus or any flu, or fever. In fact I can count on one hand how many times I’ve anything that could be termed a virus, in the last 25+ years. I’ve been a T1 since prior to 1978. Just saying. I don’t think because one is diabetic they are prone to illness. There are other factors that makes one susceptible and only being diabetic hasn’t made me prone to illness (well, I DO have bladder cancer. 
) Being run down certainly leaves the door open to opportunistic diseases.
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They are not saying what drugs are short because they think folks will get scaredy cats and stock up on those and then there will not be any for sure
FreshDirect is seeing an increase in orders that the company thinks could be driven by coronavirus. The New York-based online grocer said on its website that it is experiencing delays with deliveries because of the high volume. “We have experienced growth across the board, particularly in high-trust categories including fresh seafood, fresh chicken, baby food, baby and family health products as well as household cleaning and disinfectant items,” Scott Crawford, chief merchant officer, said in a statement to CNBC. “Anecdotally, we believe the increase in demand may be related to COVID-19 (coronavirus) media reports and preparedness and as a result, customers are opting for online grocery shopping.”
I have never got the flu in my life (type 1
44 years) . My partner who has no chronic illness gets it all the time, I obviously sleep and eat with her etc. My mother also never gets it (shes 70 now) neither did my grandfather (lived to 95) I think keep things in perspective too.
NORMAL FLU ANNUAL DEATH STATS :
US Annually
between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.
WORLDWIDE
Seasonal flu kills 291,000 to 646,000 people worldwide
Whats Corona up to? Yea exactly.
News came out yesterday on at least two sources that I read, that the Coronavirus is quite a bit more deadly than the seasonal flu. You might try googling for newer information.
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Jumping off of high buildings is even more deadly than corona or swine flu or bird flu or sars or … But I dont care I guarantee you wont get it, people wont (except on tv) drop dead in the streets. Enjoy the panic though, be a good show on tv.
I spoke with a woman at the gym this morning who said Costco was an absolute mob scene yesterday with people stocking up. I’m going to get a pallet of canned tuna before the week ends. I want to be ahead of the shortages 
Seriously, I can’t fault anyone for taking extreme precautions if it makes them feel more comfortable. Fear alone is a terrible consequence for some people.
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I have 7200 cans of sardines under the bed for the endtimes - they never spoil and will be worth more then gold - those who say they will never eat sardines will kill to get them.
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You’ll have a mob of hungry Swedes storming your house.
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I was just at Walmart and the cancer center that I go to for treatments. I’d say at least 15% or more of people are wearing masks. The more the merrier–then I don’t need to wear one. I hate wearing a mask so I do so only when working around nuisance items or hazardous inhalants.
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@Tony24 You can count on me not to storm your house for sardines, not unless you have some fake canned meats hiding there too.
Is Japan overreacting? Is the US government in telling people not to go to Italy and of course China? Here’s what the Washington Post is reporting: “Fears that a coronavirus pandemic could tip the world economy into recession drove stocks to their worst weekly loss since the 2008 financial crisis.” Now, that’s “fears,” I get it, but still.
I think people are reacting to the fact that we have, apparently, failed at containment, step one.
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