Skip to main content

Medical information

1. What are the symptoms of COVID-19 infection

From what we know so far, the virus can cause mild, flu-like symptoms such as
  • fever
  • cough
  • difficulty breathing
  • pain in the muscles
  • tiredness.
More serious cases develop severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis and septic shock that can lead to the death of the patient. People with existing chronic conditions seem to be more vulnerable to severe illness.

2. Are some people more at risk than others?

Generally elderly people and those with underlying conditions (e.g. hypertension, heart disorders, diabetes, liver disorders, and respiratory disease) are expected to be more at risk of developing severe symptoms.

3. Is there a treatment for the COVID-19 disease?

There is no specific treatment for this disease so the approach used to treat patients with coronavirus-related infections is to treat the clinical symptoms (e.g. fever, difficulty breathing). Supportive care (e.g. supportive therapy and monitoring – oxygen therapy, fluid management and antivirals) can be highly effective for those infected.

4. When should I be tested for COVID-19?

If you have
  • an acute respiratory infection (sudden onset of either a cough, and/or a sore throat, and/or shortness of breath),
AND
in the 14 days before the start of your symptoms, you were either:
  • in close contact [1] with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 infection, or travelled to an area where there is ongoing community transmission of COVID-19,
  • or worked in or attended a healthcare facility where patients with COVID-19 infections  were being treated, you should contact your doctor by phone for advice.
ECDC has developed guidance on how to identify suspected cases and when to initiate testing:



[1] A close contact would be someone living in the same household as a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, a person who had face-to-face contact or stayed in a closed environment with a COVID-19 case, or a healthcare worker or other person providing direct care for a COVID-19 case, or laboratory workers handling SARS-CoV-2 specimens.

5. Where can I get tested?

If your doctor believes there is a need for a laboratory test for SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19, he/she will inform you of the procedure to follow and advise which laboratory can perform the test. Several laboratories in Europe can process SARS-CoV-2 samples.

credits to the owner https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china/questions-answers

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

On December 30, 2019, a report indicated a cluster of patients with pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China, was published on ProMED-mail. It was possibly related to contact with a local fish and wild animal market (Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market), where there was also sale of live animals. Most of the first reported patients visited the market about 1 month before onset. Deep sequencing analysis from lower respiratory tract samples indicated a novel coronavirus, which was named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by WHO. In mid-January 2020, China began passenger transportation during or around the Chinese New Year which is equivalent to Christmas Holidays celebration in the West. A large number of people living in Wuhan population left the region by air carrier. Since January 17, the confirmed or suspected cases have dramatically increased. By 11:41 on February 05, 2020, China has reported 24363 confirmed cases and 23260 suspected cases including h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wuhan coronavirus has killed over 200 people. Here are all the countries warning against travel to China.

Citizens wear masks to defend against new viruses on January 22 in Guangzhou, China. The new coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, was discovered in Wuhan virus pneumonia cases in 2019, and the virus was transmitted from person to person.  More than 200 people have died from a  coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China , and  over 9,900  people have been infected worldwide. As the outbreak has spread, China has moved to stop people leaving and entering cities linked to the disease. Last Thursday morning, authorities in Wuhan  shut down the city's public transportation , including buses, trains, ferries, and the airport. As of Friday local time, at least 15 cities in China are locked down, accounting for a population of over 50 million people.  Several media outlets  estimate the number of people locked down at 56 million. The effects of the shutdown have been widespread: Several large foreign and Chinese corporations, including McDon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Headlines

Today officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that although the agency is taking historic measures to slow the introduction of COVID-19 into the United States, the country should prepare for the possibility of community spread, as seen in China and neighboring Asian countries. "The day may come when we may need to implement such measures as seen in Asia," Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a press conference, referencing the closing of businesses, schools, and churches in multiple countries where transmission is now occurring within the community. Repatriated Diamond Princess passengers The remarks were made just one day after 14 American passengers who tested positive for the virus and were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan were flown to the US for further medical treatment, on chartered flights with healthy passengers.  A total o...
Post a Comment
Read more