The problem is that without your PsA meds your immune system is insane. And it’s certainly very abnormal. That’s precisely what is not needed fighting Covid. With your PsA meds your immune behaves much more normally so is better at fighting Covid etc. All rheumy advice in the whole of the UK was to stay on all our meds throughout the pandemic and not come off them. Vaccines are a rheumy advised issue. My feeling is that most rheumys will prefer the Oxford Zeneca vaccine which has just been approved in the UK this morning. And it will roll out as to your age and how clinically vulnerable you are deemed to be.
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The general protocol has been to continue ALL PsA meds for patients. FWIW effective Covid Treatment has been Dexamethasone, AND Remdesivir. Dexa is our old friend prednisone and Remdesivir is an IL6 inhibitor (Biologic) both deigned to TAMP DOWN the immune system. What makes COVID deadly is the immune system essentially over reacting (just like a PsA flare) with a mechanism virtually identical to that of Inflammatory Arthritis. numerous studies have shown our population rcieving treatment APPEARS less susceptible to Covid. While more study is necessary to confirm there is no evidence that indicates remotely we should back off treatment. Incidentally the mRNA vaccines also have a mechanism similar to our treatment protocols. I’m surprised to hear thugh that your Doc hasn’t set up some type of Tele-medicine. Iactually have had more contactwith my Rheumy since this all started. (MOSTLY to make SURE I’m getting my infusions as frequently and on time as possible. She has even made sure thos very cool vanilla cupcakes are in the infusion center on my days (the nurses even had some set back for me yesterday I did miss the Candy Strippers bringing my Latte though)
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Yes telephone appts have been available throughout in the UK. I think I’ve had 3 such appts since March.
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Nice to see a fellow Canadian here @wisc72! I’m roughly a year ahead of you on the PsA journey and started out on the same meds. I’m still taking 25 mg/week of MTX orally. I was on the 2 tablets of sulfasalazine but was dropped to 1/day because I was getting headaches and the reduction took care of the headaches. I just passed 16 weeks of Humira. The Sulfasalazine and MTX didn’t really seem to do much. It’s great that they are working for you! We need more snow in Manitoba, send an Alberta Clipper this way!