At the end of December, the whole country learned about the outbreak of a new unknown pneumonia virus in China. It has been tentatively identified as a species of a known type of coronovirus. The virus began to spread at breakneck speed, first in Europe, and in early March it reached Russia. In this regard, the WORLD Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic of 2020.
Is there a coronavirus in Nizhny Tagil?
The head of the city, Vladislav Pinaev, talked live with the editor of one of the newspapers and answered all questions of interest. The situation in the city is stable. No coronovirus has been detected in Nizhny Tagil. There is information about the presence of people who have been in contact with patients, but there are no confirmed cases.
When the outbreak reached Russia, information began to appear that points would appear in many cities where people with coronavirus would be placed. There was information that from nearby cities, sick people will be placed in the sanatorium "Pikhtovye Gory". Vladislav Pinaev denied this information, explaining that those who had contact with the infected would be placed here. Every city must be prepared for a virus outbreak. The territory must be prepared, the necessary equipment must be brought in.
Quarantine in schools, other institutions
On March 23, spring break began in all schools in Nizhny Tagil. Schoolchildren will not come out to study as expected on April 1, but will continue to study at home through distance learning. The head of the city signed an order that, due to the current epidemiological situation in the country, all schools in Nizhny Tagil were closed for quarantine and switched to distance learning. Such measures are introduced to prevent the spread of infection on a large scale.
Cultural institutions, art schools, libraries, sports sections, and other institutions of additional education will be on distance learning.
City institutions are preparing for the transition to distance learning. Colleges have been doing this since the beginning of the week.
The governor of the Sverdlovsk region signed a decree banning mass events with more than 50 people.
Helplines, testing for coronavirus
Until March 24, 2020, in Russia, a test for the presence of coronovirus was done in only three laboratories. The final answer could be obtained after checking the analyzes at the Vector Virology Center in Novosibirsk. From March 24, all tests taken in all regions of the Russian Federation are sent to the Anti-Plague Center of Rospotrebnadzor in Moscow. But the final result is still given by the center Vector.
Several states, including Russia, have begun to develop a vaccine against the new virus. Scientists do not give an exact date when the vaccine will begin to be delivered to the country's clinics, but they hope that this will happen no later than the end of 2020. Currently, the emphasis is on identifying the disease in people, on whether a person is a carrier.
In Nizhny Tagil, you can’t take a smear on your own, get tested for the presence of a virus in the body: neither private nor public clinics offer such a service. If a person felt the first signs of the disease, then he was afraid, then you need to call the Rospotrebnadzor hotline, call the doctor home. Residents of Nizhny Tagil, as well as residents of other cities, hope for a change in the situation: Rospotrebnadzor has promised to expand the availability of reference centers in 15 regions of the country.
It is not so easy to take, expand the number of clinics that can deal with this procedure (there are some nuances when taking tests):
- A referral for testing can only be obtained from a doctor;
- After taking a smear, the analysis is sent to the laboratories of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk;
- If the analysis gave a positive result, then to confirm the diagnosis, it is sent to the Vector center.
Older people are at greater risk (they recommend not to leave their apartments, to be in isolation). If they have no one to help, bring food, they can contact the volunteer center by calling the hotline number 88002003411. After contacting, the service specialists will forward the request to the appropriate authorities.
Coronovirus is the plague of 2020 that spares no one. The elderly are at risk. The government of the country asks residents to take care of their health, at the first sign of malaise, contact a doctor. While quarantine is in effect in Nizhny Tagil, it is better not to leave your homes unnecessarily.