New coronavirus infections in Europe are worrying and many are wondering how best to protect themselves. Those who observe the following rules reduce the risk of infection.
- Coronavirus infection can be life-threatening for high-risk groups *.
- The German government wants to slow the spread of Covid-19 through tight-meshed reporting chains, entry bans to Germany, visits to care facilities and old people's homes, and strict exit restrictions throughout Germany.
- Everyone can do something to protect themselves and others from infection.
The coronavirus pandemic is not under control. In Germany, over 176,500 people have been infected with the corona virus since February 2020, and new cases are also being reported in other countries . It is no longer just travelers from China and people who have stayed in risky areas such as Italy, Tyrol, Iran or the province of Hubei that are considered potential carriers of the virus in Germany, but everyone now. The novel corona viruses (also SARS-CoV-2) can spread from person to person through droplet infection.
The Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University currently reports 4,730,323 coronavirus infections * worldwide and 315,482 deaths are reported . According to current knowledge, life-threatening consequences of a coronavirus infection can primarily have an impact on people with previous illnesses or the elderly.
Read also : Coronavirus symptoms: Doctors detect dead intestinal tissue - and biliary mud .
Anyone can do this to prevent infection with the coronavirus
According to current knowledge, it can take up to 14 days before the first symptoms such as cough, fever, diarrhea and breathing problems * appear after being infected with the coronavirus . The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Federal Ministry of Health, the WHO and virologists recommend various behavioral measures to reduce your own risk of infection:
- Follow the rules communicated by the federal government. For example, one publication says: "You should not have contact with other people. This means, for example: You should not meet other people. It is best to stay at home". Even after the easing on April 15th, the motto is therefore still: only leave the house or apartment if necessary (for work, a visit to the doctor or for groceries, for example). Exercise in the fresh air is still possible to strengthen the immune system, but only alone or with a relative who lives with you in a household. Since the end of April, it has also been permitted to meet with another person who does not live in your own household outdoors. The main goal is to slow the spread of the virus, said Chancellor Angela Merkel.
- Refrain from traveling to high-risk areas such as the Hubei province in China, Italy, Iran, the state of Tyrol in Austria, and the US states of California and New York. (Find out more on the website of the Federal Foreign Office and check the news regularly).
- Ensure good hand hygiene *.
- Only touch your face and that of others with washed hands (otherwise there is an increased risk of viruses entering the body through the mucous membranes).
- Cough or sneeze in the crook of the arm and not in the hands.
- Keep at least 1.5 meters away from others, for example when you go for a walk .
- A mouth mask * makes sense in some cases . People with respiratory diseases are even strongly advised to wear a mouthguard to prevent others from being infected by droplet infection. To do this, however, a mouthguard must be worn close-fitting and changed when wet, as the RKI reports.
- Strengthen your immune system * through healthy eating and exercise in the fresh air.
- Social contacts should largely be discontinued - if necessary even into the family environment, said Merkel in a weekly video message. Hugs and cheek kisses, according to the virologist Alexander Kekulé, should only be given to the partner or their own children, "because family members living in a household sooner or later infect each other anyway". However, physical closeness should also be taboo within the closest family if someone is chronically ill or is at risk because of old age *.
Survey on the subject
Sources : www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de; www.rki.de; www.infektionsschutz.de; www.auswaertiges-amt.de; www.rki.de/Fallzahlen; www.experience.arcgis.com; www.tagesschau.de; https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
Read more : Medicines against Covid-19: EU agency with positive prognosis - approval "before summer".
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