How can you protect yourself from infection? – SOS tips:
“Novel coronavirus” – that was the provisional name of the virus at the beginning of the pandemic. Often it was initially referred to as “2019nCoV”. The virus now has the official name: SARS-CoV-2. It triggers the disease “Covid-19”.
In order to protect yourself as well as possible from being infected with Covid-19, you should know how an infection occurs: The SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted from person to person. On the way of a droplet infection, for example when someone coughs up. Or via a smear infection, if you touch contaminated objects with viruses on them, such as door handles or light switches, and then touch your mouth, nose or eyes.
How to protect yourself:
Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap: at least for a period of 20 seconds, because this is the only way to reduce the number of germs on the hands to a thousandth and less. If your hands are very dirty, you should wash for more than 20 seconds. – For a better assessment of how long 20 seconds are, you can sing the Happy Birthday song twice.
According to the RKI (Robert Koch Institute), the additional use of a disinfectant is usually not necessary in private surroundings. This only makes sense if, for example, a family member is sick or people with weakened immune systems live in the household with an increased risk of infection. However, hand disinfection should be done when entering and leaving a hospital.
Avoid shaking hands. This is especially true in the event of illness.
Keep your distance from others. If someone is sick, the distance should be at least one and a half to two meters.
The RKI recommends wearing a mouth and nose cover in certain situations in public spaces. The speed of spread of Covid-19 could be reduced in this way, but only if the minimum distance of 1.5 meters to other people, the coughing and sneezing rules and hand hygiene are still observed. The risk of infecting others can thus be reduced. However, there are no indications for self-protection (information from the Robert Koch Institute). Since the viral load that ends up on the mucous membranes can be reduced when the mouth and nose are covered, one suspects a milder course of Covid-19 in the event of an infection.
Since the eyes can also be a gateway for viruses, well-fitting protective goggles with side protection provide additional protection against infection. This can be particularly useful for people with a weakened immune system.
When using public toilets, close the toilet lid before flushing: During the flushing process, virus-contaminated aerosol clouds can be distributed in the air and inhaled.
Follow rules of conduct when coughing and sneezing:
If you have to cough or sneeze, you should keep at least three feet away from other people and turn away.
Use a disposable handkerchief and only use it once. Then dispose of in a bin with a lid. Do not wash used handkerchiefs below 60 degrees.
If you have to sneeze or cough and don’t have a handkerchief, it is best to sneeze and cough in the crook of your arm and not in your hand.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap after blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing.
Anyone who has an acute respiratory infection and has to be in public can protect their fellow human beings by wearing face mask (for example a surgical mask). The risk of infection from droplets that occur when coughing or sneezing can thus be reduced for other people.
Stay home as often as possible. Limit personal meetings with the elderly or chronically ill to protect them.
Avoid shaking hands and hugs.
Ventilate common rooms regularly.
Keep your distance from others. Especially to sick people with respiratory symptoms.
Anyone who is sick themselves should stay at home. Only contact the doctor by phone at first.
If someone falls ill in the same household, they should be physically separated from other family members. Sufficient distance from one another is important. If the toilet is shared by all family members: Always fold the toilet lid down before flushing.
Work from home if possible. After consultation with the employer. Keep necessary professional meetings short and work together in well-ventilated rooms. The distance to other people should be at least one and a half meters.
Refrain from visiting restaurants or canteens. Definitely avoid the rush hour. At best, eat alone in the office.
Avoid using public transport if possible. Better to walk, bike or drive your own car.
Better postpone private and business trips by bus, train, ship or plane.
Avoid large events and places with large crowds such as swimming pools, shopping malls, theaters, clubs.
Only visit public institutions such as offices and authorities in urgent cases.
Postpone larger private celebrations and restaurant visits if possible. If a visit cannot be avoided, follow the hygiene rules consistently.
Do not go shopping during normal peak hours. It is best to use delivery services.
Elderly or chronically ill people need help. Therefore one should give them support. Among other things, by shopping for groceries and other items for daily needs.
How is Covid-19 transmitted?
So far, it has been known that Covid-19 is spread through droplet infection, for example when coughing or speaking. The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen multiplies in the throat and is also detectable in normal exhaled air. Infection can also take place via small droplets in the air (aerosols), including when singing or laughing out loud. It is believed that air conditioning systems can distribute the virus particles over a wide area. The risk of contracting the virus is greater indoors than outdoors. Covid-19 sufferers are contagious one to three days before the onset of the first symptoms. According to information from virologists, SARS-CoV-2 can presumably also multiply in the gastrointestinal tract. One cannot rule out a risk of infection via fecal excretions. It is therefore possible that one can also become infected with Covid-19 by inhaling virus-contaminated aerosol clouds that are distributed in the air when flushing a toilet.
Covid-19: course of the disease
Covid-19 begins with rather unspecific symptoms. The most common symptoms are fever and cough, and sometimes shortness of breath. Symptoms that can also occur with the flu. However, this new type of lung disease only occasionally results in headaches and body aches. Patients rarely have a cold. The cough with Covid 19 disease is often dry, the fever does not start suddenly, as is typical for flu, but it rises slowly and remains constant over a period of about ten days. With the flu, however, the condition of those affected worsens significantly within a few hours. This is not the case with Covid-19. Some patients experience diarrhea and often infected people suffer from a loss of their sense of smell and taste for several days, which can, however, also present itself with the flu. Around 81 percent of those suffering from Covid-19 only develop weak symptoms. This is especially true for children and younger women. However, in one in five infected people, the disease takes a severe, potentially fatal course. Elderly and men are particularly affected.
If pneumonia develops, doctors speak of a severe course of the disease, because this can lead to acute and life-threatening lung failure.
The new lung disease Covid-19 mostly shows unspecific symptoms. In three quarters of patients, fever and dry cough are the most common complaints. Unexplained fever alone can also occur with the disease. Headaches and sore throats only occur sometimes. This also applies to symptoms such as tiredness, body aches and shortness of breath. A runny nose and a runny nose are rare. Diarrhea is also rare. If someone only suffers from a cold or diarrhea, an infection with Covid-19 is more likely to be excluded. Often people are infected with the virus but do not yet show any symptoms. Like flu viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 viruses multiply in the throat. The pathogen particularly infects cells in the lower respiratory tract and can cause pneumonia. Some people infected with the pathogen only suffer from mild cold symptoms with chills and sore throats. Fever doesn’t always occur. – According to WHO information, around 81 percent of cases are mild. This is also observed by the Chinese health authority. However, around 14 percent of patients experience severe symptoms such as shortness of breath. Covid-19 is life-threatening in just under five percent. The lung disease then leads to respiratory failure, septic shock or multi-organ failure. The WHO states that children are rarely affected.
Common symptoms:
fever
Dry cough
fatigue
Less common symptoms:
Body aches
Sore throat
sniff
diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
stomach pain
Conjunctivitis
Loss of taste or smell
Discoloration on fingers or toes; sometimes rash
Severe symptoms:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Chest pressure or pain
Loss of speech or movement
Mild symptoms:
Mild cold symptoms with chills and sore throat
A mild headache
diarrhea
How contagious is Covid-19?
The virus is easily transmitted and is also passed on by people who do not have symptoms themselves. The Robert Koch Institute states that the pathogen is significantly more infectious than originally assumed. According to current knowledge, the incubation period is two to 14 days. China Daily reports an average incubation period of three days. In rare cases, there can be a period of up to 24 days between the infection and the appearance of the first symptoms. However, experts currently see no reason to extend the previously usual quarantine period of 14 days.
How dangerous is Covid-19?
The new SARS-CoV-2 virus belongs to the same type of virus as Sars, but is a different variant, according to the Institute for Virologists at Charité Berlin. The number of current illnesses now far exceeds that of the Sars pandemic in 2002/2003. At that time, a total of 8,000 people suffering from the infection were recorded, of which around one in ten died. – So far, 13,832,591 people worldwide have contracted Covid-19 and 591,260 died from the consequences of the virus (as of July 17, 2020). According to the authorities, most of the deaths primarily affect older people, some of whom have severe previous illnesses. Currently, proportionally more people die from Covid-19 than from other flu viruses. Estimates assume a mortality rate for Covid 19 diseases that is between 0.3 and 0.7 percent.
Particularly at risk groups of people:
The Robert Koch Institute states that although severe courses also occur in people without previous illnesses, the following groups of people otherwise have an increased risk of serious courses:
Elderly people. From around 50 to 60 years of age, the risk of a serious disease progression increases steadily.
Smoker.
People with certain pre-existing conditions:
Heart disease, such as coronary heart disease.
Lung disease such as asthma or chronic bronchitis.
Patients with chronic liver disease.
Patients with diabetes mellitus.
Patients with cancer.
Patients with weakened immune systems.
