What to do if I get Corona?
Pharmacy spokesman Max Lernbecher from Dachau gives tips
Created: 01/19/2022 06:21
Increasingly positive: The number of infected people in the district is increasing rapidly.
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
How do I behave if I have been infected with the corona virus?
Do I belong to a risk group?
What can I do about my complaints?
And when do I need to call a doctor?
Pharmacy spokesman Max Lernbecher from Dachau gives tips.
Dachau – If you have been infected with the corona virus, the uncertainty can be great.
Many are wondering what to do in this case.
First important information can be found on the website of the district office.
At www.landratsamt-dachau.de/gesundheit-veterinaerwesen-Sicherheitssrecht/gesundheit/coronavirus/ there is a subheading “Positive corona test: what to do?”.
There it is explained how the person concerned must react after a positive self-test or rapid test or subsequently after a positive PCR test.
Be sure to contact your family doctor
Particularly important: Anyone who gets a positive PCR test result should contact their family doctor immediately.
"Even if you have no symptoms," says Maximilian Lernbecher, spokesman for the pharmacies in the Dachau district.
A timely consultation with the doctor is particularly important for high-risk patients.
But who actually belongs to this group?
According to the internist, these are people who are over 45 years old and suffer from “typical common diseases”.
"These include, for example, diabetes, chronic lung diseases or cardiovascular diseases." According to the spokesman for the pharmacist, this group should be boosted at an early stage.
In addition, people with a congenital or acquired immune deficiency are at risk for a particularly severe course of the disease.
"These are, for example, cancer patients or people who have severe autoimmune diseases."
According to Lernbecher, unvaccinated pregnant women are also high-risk patients
According to Lernbecher, pregnant women who have not yet received their first vaccination are also high-risk patients. "Infected people should therefore consult their gynecologist." Parents of infected children should consult a pediatrician and arrange a check-up appointment for their offspring after three months.
From the pharmacist's point of view, the omicron variant is particularly treacherous.
"One thinks that one has a flu infection, i.e. a classic cold," says Lernbecher.
"In reality, however, it is the highly contagious, quickly transmissible mutation." 85 percent of the current positive PCR tests in the district can already be traced back to the virus variant from South Africa.
The health department is firmly assuming that the WHO forecast that half of Europeans will become infected within two months will come true.
"In the last few weeks, however, we have already been able to gain a lot of practical experience in handling omicron positives," emphasizes Maximilian Lernbecher.
"With us doctors, the patients are in competent hands!"
The majority of the course of the disease has been mild so far
The majority of the course of the disease has been mild so far.
According to Lernbecher, the “classic” symptoms such as fever, runny nose, cough and headache are helped by the same remedies that have also proven effective for colds and flu.
"These are pain-relieving medications or expectorants for coughs." It is also recommended to take zinc - ten milligrams twice a day for seven days a week - and vitamin D. A little exercise in the fresh air also contributes to recovery.
If, on the other hand, things are getting worse, for example if you feel short of breath or pressure on your lungs, you should contact your family doctor immediately or call the medical on-call service on 116 117, advises Lernbecher.
The emergency number 112 should only be dialed in really life-threatening situations.
Colleagues don't think much of self-treatment, such as with the horse dewormer Ivermectin.
"This is more than questionable and you should keep your hands off it," emphasizes the pharmacy spokesman.
"Studies have shown that it is useless and can even be dangerous!"
In order not to get infected in the first place, according to Lernbecher, the classic AHA rules continue to help.
"Keep your distance and wear a mask." It was only at the beginning of December that a study by the Max Planck Institute demonstrated the high effectiveness of FFP2 masks.
"You can see how much masks help against infection," said the spokesman.
Vaccination is also crucial for a mild course
Vaccination is also crucial for a mild course.
"In unvaccinated people, we also observe severe flu symptoms in the omicron variant," emphasizes Lernbecher.
According to him, the European population cannot be compared with that of South Africa, since the Germans are on average older and mostly heavier.
The conclusion that Omikron will also be milder for everyone in this country is therefore "deceptive".