Regular news reports about the spread of coronavirus around the world disturb people and make them treat common colds with special care and caution. We will figure out what to do when symptoms of a viral infection appear and where to go in such situations.
Where to go with suspected coronavirus
The COVID-19 virus does not have any specific symptoms. It is difficult to distinguish it from the usual SARS or influenza:
- elevated temperature;
- fatigue;
- headache;
- sneezing
- dry and severe cough;
- muscle pain;
- diarrhea;
- breathing difficulties, shortness of breath.
The same symptoms appear with common colds, so the main factor determining the presence of the Chinese virus will be staying abroad in the last two weeks, or communicating with people who have come from other countries. Coronavirus usually manifests itself within two weeks, but the incubation period can be extended up to 27 days.
Experts advise in the presence of the listed symptoms upon returning from abroad to call an ambulance team or the attending physician at home.
“It is not recommended to go to the clinic on your own. If the diagnosis of coronavirus is confirmed, then such a trip will put other visitors to the medical facility at risk of covid-19 infection.”
A person who has arrived from abroad must comply with all quarantine rules for two weeks and limit himself to communication with other people. And, in case of malaise, call the emergency doctors of the infectious diseases hospital.
“According to doctors, a person should not endanger his fellow citizens if there is a suspicion of a new type of viral infection.”
When examining a patient, the doctor decides to send the patient for examination to an infectious diseases clinic, or leave him at home.
For sick people who have not visited China and other countries and have not communicated with people who have recently arrived from other countries, as well as healthy people, Rospotrebnadzor advises not to panic and take all precautions:
- wash hands with soap (as often as possible);
- observe respiratory hygiene;
- refrain from traveling to foreign countries;
- be treated at home;
- do not eat raw meat or fish;
- avoid attending mass events and public places.
It is better to call by phone and tell the doctors everything remotely
Anyone can get coronavirus, regardless of age, but special attention should be paid to older citizens, since they are the most susceptible to infection.
“The infection is spread by sneezing, coughing with droplets of sputum or saliva. Within 2 hours, the viruses remain active and are able to infect others. In addition, you can get coronavirus by touching any surface. There is a high probability of infection when hugging, kissing or shaking hands.
Local doctors have instructions on how to act if suspicions of 2019 ncov are detected. The same instructions are for emergency doctors, employees of emergency departments of hospitals and first-aid posts at airports.
The best solution is to call the clinic or an ambulance and explain the situation over the phone. Be sure to report if you have been abroad in the last 14 days, or communicated with people who have been on vacation or on a business trip in other countries.
Where do they get tested for coronavirus
Specialists will be able to determine the diagnosis using domestic test systems. Analyzes are taken at the arrival of the ambulance team by doctors, or by health workers in the infectious diseases clinic in case of hospitalization of the patient. For the period of processing the handed over smears, the patient is placed in a ward isolated from other people. When it comes to home treatment, the patient should follow all the instructions of the therapist and wait for the result.
The biomaterial required for testing for covid-19 is taken from the nasopharynx. The duration is from several hours to several days, but not more than 2. Samples of smears taken from the patient are sent to the research institutions of Rospotrebnadzor.
Today, the laboratories of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology are equipped with tests for the presence of coronavirus infection. Tests are prescribed for people with colds, bronchitis or pneumonia in combination with the following cases:
- visits in the last 2 weeks to countries where there are cases of infection;
- communication with a person infected with covid 19;
- contact with a person before a coronavirus infection was detected.
You can only get tested for the Chinese virus with a doctor's referral. If a person is suspected of having a disease, they will be hospitalized regardless of the condition, and in a hospital they will take a test for the presence of coronavirus. New test systems are available only in certain medical institutions of Rospotrebnadzor and the H&E Center, so you won’t be able to buy them at a pharmacy.
How is the diagnosis in China
Diagnosis in China today is carried out according to a new method. This allowed us to identify a larger number of infected people in the country. The method is based on computed tomography of the lungs in pneumonia. A new test system developed by a group of specialists from Xiamen University has also been approved, thanks to which it has become much easier to identify clinical cases.
A viral infection, the symptoms of which are similar to the common cold, affects the internal organs of a person, in particular the lungs. It is computed tomography that makes it possible to detect signs of coronavirus in the early stages of the course of the disease.
According to the Chinese authorities, strict rules for observing precautionary measures and isolating patients gave positive results.
“On the streets of Wuhan, residents walk around with special cards that tell them when they can leave their homes.”
Serious punishments are provided for people who ignore the instructions of the authorities and hide the disease. Those who refuse hospitalization are forcibly taken away by Chinese doctors.
Despite daily news regarding the spread of coronavirus, the number of cured is growing. The number of critical cases of the course of the disease has decreased significantly, and mild cases are treated promptly.