The new type of corona virus has arrived in Germany and is spreading from person to person. Everything about symptoms and incubation.
- Corona viruses were first identified in the mid-1960s
- The new coronavirus 2019-nCoV probably first appeared in China and can be transmitted from person to person
- The symptoms of the coronavirus resemble viral pneumonia
The corona virus , which apparently first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 and spread from there, has been an increasingly important topic since the beginning of 2020 (news ticker on the corona virus). What is the new virus? An overview.
What is the corona virus?
Corona viruses are not new: According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), they were first identified in the mid-1960s. They are so named because they are surrounded by jagged structures that resemble a crown. The corona virus can infect humans and various animals. It causes various diseases in humans - from harmless colds to potentially fatal diseases such as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) . As the RKI writes, coronavirus-related diseases like MERS and SARS have been less communicable than the flu in the past, but they have led to major outbreaks. The new type of corona virus that has broken out in China is officially called 2019-nCoV.
How is the corona virus transmitted?
The novel corona virus was apparently transmitted from animals to humans in a market. But the coronavirus is also transferable from person to person , which can be seen, among other things, from the fact that healthcare workers were infected when they treated patients. Exactly how exactly the virus is transmitted has so far been lacking, according to the RKI. Corona viruses are usually transmitted by droplet or smear infection . There are now isolated cases in which people have contracted patients who apparently had no symptoms.
What are the symptoms of the coronavirus?
While common coronaviruses usually have symptoms of a mild cold with cough and runny nose, certain coronaviruses can cause serious lower respiratory tract infections and pneumonia. As the RKI reports, the new coronavirus appears to cause a more severe course of the disease. According to the information, so far mainly patients who already had scissors-related illnesses have died of the novel corona virus.
Symptoms of the coronavirus:
- fever
- to cough
- difficulty in breathing
- muscle pain
- fatigue
- less common symptoms: sputum, headache, coughing up blood, diarrhea
How does a coronavirus disease develop?
The course of the disease with the coronavirus depends on the age of the patient and his other diseases. To date, more severe courses and complications have been observed predominantly in older people with previous illnesses. The course is milder in younger, healthy people; infections have so far been rare in children and adolescents.
How contagious is the corona virus?
How contagious the newly discovered coronavirus is cannot yet be precisely assessed. Chinese researchers assume that an infected person infects an average of 1.4 to 2.5 people - similar to Sars. However, the transmission rate depends on a large number of factors.
How can you protect yourself from being infected with the corona virus?
Since coronaviruses are transmitted by droplet or smear infections, the Robert Koch Institute recommends the following measures against infection with the coronavirus:
- good hand hygiene
- Cough and sneeze etiquette
- Distance to the sick and possible sick (approx. One meter)
However, given the current flu wave, these measures are not only used to prevent the coronavirus, but also to prevent flu (influenza).
Does a respirator help protect against the corona virus?
Respiratory masks can be seen on the streets much more often than before, "In many pharmacies across the country there is increasing demand for masks," Ursula Sellerberg of the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Associations told dpa. According to Sellerberg, however, the respiratory masks only help "to a limited extent" against infection with the corona virus. More importantly: good hand hygiene.
Coronavirus: how long is the incubation period?
The Robert Koch Institute and the World Health Organization currently assume that the incubation period is up to 14 days.
Q: What can I do to protect myself from #coronavirus?
A: https://t.co/PKzKaO2yfK pic.twitter.com/eNhlhR0PEq
Is there a vaccine against the new corona virus?
According to RKI, there is progress in the development of vaccines against coronaviruses. MERS-CoV vaccines in particular are therefore currently being tested in clinical studies. However, they are not yet available to the general public.
Is it likely that the novel corona virus will also appear in Germany?
"The import of individual cases to Germany must be expected," says the Robert Koch Institute. It is important to identify these cases early and isolate them in order to prevent further spread in Germany.
When does the doctor diagnose "novel coronavirus"?
The Robert Koch Institute has published a case definition that doctors can use to determine which patients should undergo a laboratory test for the new coronavirus. So far, this has mainly been the case for people who have had contact with a confirmed case and who have respiratory problems or for people with respiratory problems who have previously been in a risk area. If the corona virus is found, this must be reported to the health department.
The corona virus: when and where did it first appear?
At the end of December 2019, the World Health Organization's country office in China received news of an accumulation of pneumonia with an unclear cause in the city of Wuhan, which has a population of 11 million. A novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of the disease on January 7, 2020. On January 20, 2020, the Chinese authorities confirmed several person-to-person transmissions, as well as about a dozen cases of illness among medical personnel.
There are now many suspected cases - the first suspected coronavirus cases have also occurred in Frankfurt. University medicine has also reported a suspected case in Göttingen. The World Athletics Championships in Nanjing was canceled due to the corona virus.
100 Germans come back from China because of the corona virus. You have to go to a quarantine gym at Frankfurt Airport. But that's not all.
By Tanja Banner with material from afp
Rubric list picture: © picture alliance / IVDC / China CDC via GISAID / dpa
