Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 is a new coronavirus infection that was first detected in China in early December 2019. Four months later, the infection spread virtually all over the world. The number of infected countries and regions at the beginning of April 2020 is 202, including the Republic of Belarus.

What should you know about the coronavirus?

Coronavirus is a new strain that has not previously been detected in humans. It causes disease from a common cold to SARS and serious complications.

Coronavirus affects the human respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract, leading to health complications. The risk of complications is highest in elderly people with numerous chronic diseases, as well as those with cancer and diabetes.

The coronavirus penetrates the cell through its membrane, mimicking S-proteins important for life, and is embedded in human DNA.

How do you determine if coronavirus is present?

If you do not have symptoms of ODS, you will not be able to determine the presence of the virus without medical intervention. If you have fever, dry cough, sneezing, breathing difficulties and shortness of breath, go to an ambulance - you will be hospitalized and tested for the virus.

What are the symptoms of influenza/coronavirus infection?

How not to confuse COVID-19 with ODS or a cold

In the first stages of the disease, COVID-19 can easily be confused with a common cold or ODS. In both cases, there is coughing, high body temperature, muscle pain and fatigue. However, there are still differences between ODS and coronavirus.

With coronavirus, you will be worried about frequent dry coughs, as well as elevated body temperatures that do not fall for days. General coronavirus fatigue and muscle pain do not always manifest themselves in coronavirus. In addition, one of the distinctive symptoms of COVID-19 is a loss of taste.

How not to confuse COVID-19 with influenza

The symptoms of influenza and coronavirus are similar in that they both have frequent dry coughs and high body temperatures. However, it is possible to distinguish flu from coronavirus infection, as there is no breathing or other problems during the flu.

Picture 1 Photo by delo.ua

How does the light form of the new coronavirus manifest?

In the mild form of coronavirus infection, there is a slight headache, increased fatigue, sore throat, coughing, muscle pain, pallor and chills. In rare cases, the infected person has a runny nose.

How long do the symptoms last?

Symptoms developing gradually and are not very pronounced. Some people who are infected do not have any symptoms or feel unwell. In 80% of people, the disease ends in recovery, with no specific therapeutic measures required. Approximately one in six cases of COVID-19 develops severe symptoms with respiratory failure. Elderly people as well as people with existing somatic diseases such as arterial hypertension, heart disease or diabetes are more likely to develop the disease. If you have fever, cough or difficulty breathing, you should seek medical help.

What are the complications?

Complications in COVID-19 patients may be as follows:

• pneumonia;
• arrhythmia;
• respiratory failure, which develops a pronounced oxygen deficiency;
• acute kidney failure;
• complications of severe infectious diseases;
• formation of blood clots in blood vessels;
• complication of pregnancy.

Signs and symptoms on admission to hospital

If you have a high body temperature for several days that is not knocked down by antipyretic drugs, you should contact an ambulance. If your temperature is below 38 degrees, you will most likely not be taken to a hospital.

Contaminated COVID-19 has the following symptoms:

• pain from swallowing and sneezing;
• rhinitis;
• headache;
• reduced oxygen content in the body or individual organs and tissues;
• coughing;
• temperature rise;
• chill;
• muscle pain;
• loss of taste.

Coronavirus prophylaxis

Recommendations from WHO and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus on coronavirus prevention:

• should not visit places of work/study or mass gatherings;
• restrict any contact;
• ensure delivery of products;
• wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds;
• air the room as often as possible and perform wet cleaning;
• use disposable handkerchiefs or wipes and dispose of them;
• if there is an emergency to leave the apartment, it is better to use a medical mask;
• minimize or, if possible, eliminate contact with people 60 years of age or older, as well as with people with chronic heart, lung and diabetes mellitus diseases.

Treatment for the virus

Now there is no vaccine against coronavirus, so now only symptoms are treated if they are present and a second test is performed.

In mid-March, clinical trials for a new type of coronavirus vaccine began in China. More than a hundred volunteers are participating in the trial, divided into three groups. The first group receives a low dosage, the second group an average dosage, the third group a high dosage. The clinical trials are expected to last from March 16 to December 31, 2020.

In addition, there are no recommended drugs to prevent or treat the infection. But doctors recommend to introduce into the diet vegetables and fruits, as well as take vitamins A, E, C, D. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Alexander Chuchalin said that the prevention of coronavirus is worth taking vitamins A and E. Vitamin C is best taken in the early stages of coronavirus disease. In addition, vitamin D is more suitable for the prevention of viral infections. Vitamin D is also said to be more important than vitamin C. "Vitamin D is a very important substance for human health, which is involved in most body functions and serves to maintain immunity, among other things.

What should I do if I have recently visited COVID-19 distribution regions?

In the case of the recent return of COVID-19 from the regions of distribution, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus has been recommended to stay in isolation for 14 days and observe the state of their health. In cases of symptoms, medical assistance should be sought.

Picture 2 Photo by news.mspravka.info

What to do and where to go in case of illness in Minsk?

If you show signs of pneumonia, fever and cough, you should contact an ambulance. If you have returned from another country and found symptoms, the doctor should inform you that you were abroad.

To prevent the virus from spreading, please stay at home and follow the recommendations of the WHO and Ministry of Health.