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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Mar 2020 : 09:07:10
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Note! The following is culled from the Danish Health Authority website
https://www.sst.dk/da/Viden/Smitsomme-sygdomme/Smitsomme-sygdomme-A-AA/Coronavirus/Spoergsmaal-og-svar/Questions-and-answers
Questions and answers on novel coronavirus
FAQ on outbreaks of pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus/COVID-19.
CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19
Questions and answers on novel coronavirus
FAQ on outbreaks of pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus/COVID-19.
Updated 24 March at 5 p.m.
This FAQ is based on the current knowledge. As the situation of the novel coronavirus is constantly evolving, this FAQ will be continuously updated.
1. About novel coronavirus and COVID-19
1. What are coronavirus and COVID-19?
Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause symptoms of a common cold, but also cause more severe respiratory infections.
Severe cases were seen due to infections with the SARS-coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which caused a large disease outbreak in 2003, and the MERS-coronavirus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), which has been the cause of severe pulmonary infections on the Arabian peninsula since 2012.
The outbreak with novel coronavirus started in China in December 2019, and spread quickly to neighboring countries and subsequently to the rest of the world, including Denmark. WHO declared the situation to be a pandemic on March 11th 2020, meaning an epidemic on several continents.
The number of new cases is continuously updated and can be seen on the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control’s pages dedicated to the outbreak.
WHO named the disease caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019).
2. What do we know about novel coronavirus and COVID-19?
We know of many other types of coronavirus, which in a normal winter season in Denmark are the cause of the common cold.
The novel coronavirus is a type of coronavirus we haven’t seen before. This means that there are many things we don’t know about it. This also means that everybody is susceptible to infection, because our immune systems have never “met” this virus before, which in turn means that many can become infected and become ill. This is why we are handling novel coronavirus differently than a typical flu epidemic, for example.
Our knowledge comes from several sources, including reports about the outbreak in China, from international authorities, and from following how the situation develops in other countries. Even though we can’t compare directly with other countries, we can draw on international knowledge and experience and try to apply them to Danish conditions, so we can prepare.
We are following the situation very closely and obtain news and updates from other countries all the time. We are also constantly adjusting our risk evaluations and efforts in the current situation.
3. What are the symptoms of COVID-19, and how serious is the disease?
Symptoms develop between 2 and 12 days from the time of exposure, where the majority develop symptoms after 5-7 days.
Typical symptoms at the start and in cases of mild illness resemble common symptoms of the flu and other upper respiratory tract infections, with sore throat, malaise, muscle pain, dry cough and fever. In many cases, you can’t tell mild symptoms of COVID-19 apart from a common cold or flu, which are caused by other viruses. The majority with mild illness don’t need medical attention and recover within 4-6 days. The symptoms can vary from person to person, and symptoms, like whether you have fever, can not be used to identify COVID-19.
Some people develop more severe illness, where after 4-7 days they experience a worsening of their cough, increasing fever and difficulty breathing. Some develop pneumonia, which can be so severe that they are in need of hospital admission.
The length of time with symptoms varies. Amongst those with mild illness, the symptoms will typically go away within 4-6 days, while those with severe illness can be affected for several weeks.
The knowledge we have shows that the vast majority that are infected with novel coronavirus only develop mild symptoms, while a minority become so ill that they require hospital admission.
In the case of the outbreak in China we saw that 80% developed mild symptoms, approximately 15% had a need for hospital admission and 5% became severely ill and required treatment in an intensive care unit. Based on current knowledge, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 0,3% and 1% of those infected will die from COVID-19.
The vast majority of serious cases are seen in the elderly, especially those over 80 years old, and in people with chronic disease and in a weakened state. You can read more about risk groups further down, as well as our recommendations if you are at risk under "Special risk groups"..
4. How does novel coronavirus spread?
Virus spreads from person to person through droplets. Droplets spread through the air via cough or sneeze at a distance of 1-2 meters, after which they fall quickly to the ground. The virus doesn’t remain airborne. The virus can’t be transmitted through skin, like the skin on hands for example, but the virus does spread through mucous membranes, typically those in the nose, mouth and eyes.
One is typically infected by being close to someone who excreting droplets, for example through hugging, coughing or sneezing, where the droplets land on one’s mucous membranes in the nose, eyes or mouth, or by touching surfaces with virus on them and proceeding to touch one’s nose, eyes or mouth.
We don’t know for sure yet if those who are infected can spread the virus before they have symptoms. The knowledge we do have shows that people with symptoms are the cause of the vast majority of new cases.
5. Can I be contagious without symptoms?
It takes between 2 and 12 days from the time you are infected until the time you develop symptoms, and during this time (incubation period) we don’t yet know for sure if you can infect others. If this is the case, then it would only be the last 1-2 days before developing symptons.
If you get sick, how contagious you are depends on how much virus you excrete and how intense your symptoms are, in other words how sick you are. The more virus in your airways, the more you cough and sneeze, the bigger the risk that you spread virus through droplets from your airways.
The knowledge we have so far shows that people with symptoms are the cause of the majority of new cases.
Some people test positive, even though they don’t have symptoms. Asymptomatic people with virus in their airways can probably pass on the infection, but in a limited capacity. If you don’t have symptoms, you don’t cough or sneez as much as those who are sick. Therefore, you don’t excrete as much virus, and it would require close contact to infect others. This is also one of the reasons why we recommend that you limit physical contact with others, for instance hand shakes, hugs and kisses, and keep your distance even if you don’t have any symptoms.
6, Can you be infected with novel coronavirus more than once, and can you tell if you’ve previously had COVID-19??
There is still much we don’t know about novel coronavirus, including how long immunity lasts after you have been infected. We do know that most other viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infections, like the flu and other types of coronavirus, that one is immune for a period of time, but it differs for how long.
Based on current knowledge about novel coronavirus as well as how the epidemic is developing, there is nothing that implies that there is a significant problem with people being re-infected.
Currently there is no test to show previous infection with novel coronavirus. Much research is being conducted in this area.
7. Can the virus be transmitted through food?
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), there is s currently no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus. Learn more on EFSA's website or see the Danish Food Administration’s questions and answers about novel coronavirus and food here. (please note that the site is in Danish)
8. Can the virus be transmitted via surfaces, and should I be afraid to touch things?
It is unknown, precisely how long the virus can survive on surfaces, but it is estimated to be from hours to a few days. It depends greatly on the conditions, for instance the surface, temperature, humidity, etc.
It is important to remember, that you can’t be infected alone by touching objects with virus on them. Infection requires that the virus comes in contact with mucous membranes in the mouth, nose or eyes.
Therefore, you shouldn’t be afraid to touch things, if you maintain proper hand hygiene and are aware of your hands. We recommend that you wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, including when you come home from outside and avoid touching your face when your hands are not clean.
No studies have been done to show whether novel coronavirus can be transmitted through paper currency or coins. Handling money can be compared with touching other points of contact in public, like doorknobs, elevator buttons, etc., which is associated with a risk of contaminating hands. The most important thing is to make sure that you wash your hands often. When it isn’t possible to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer or a wet wipe.
9. Diagnosis, treatment and vaccination
Novel coronavirus can be detected in a mucous sample collected from the lower respiratory tract or with a swab from the mouth. The need for diagnostics is determined by doctors, and the test is only performed on the patient group described under "Who should be treated?"
At this current time, we can only treat symptoms of COVID-19 and not the disease itself.
Pharmaceutical authorities all over the world support clinical research and pharmaceutical companies in their efforts to produce medicine and a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and are preparing to process an approval as quickly as possible without compromising safety.
There is no available vaccine to protect against COVID-19 yet.
The current available knowledge for doctors is summarised in the monthly publication: Rationel farmakoterapi: tema om SARS-CoV-2 og COVID-19. (Please note that the publication is in Danish).
The Danish Medicines Authority follows this development closely and continuously updates their list of studies and research about medication for treatment of and vaccines against COVID-19 happening on a global level.
Read more about the development of medicine for COVID-19 on the Danish Medicines Authority’s website
10. Isn’t COVID-19 just the same as the flu?
It’s true that it seems that most people who are young and otherwise healthy only get mild symptoms, and that severe COVID-19 disease is seen primarily amongst the elderly and those with moderate to severe chronic disease. In that sense, COVID-19 resembles the flu, even though they are caused by two different infections.
There are, however, some essential differences that are making authorities react differently to COVID-19 than they react to the flu.
First of all, there are many things that we don’t know about COVID-19 and novel coronavirus, which is why there has been good reason to follow the development of the situation closely and be extra cautious until we know more about the virus and the disease.
Second of all, with common influenza, there would be a portion of the population who are immune due to vaccination or previous infection with the same type of flu. Novel coronavirus is a completely new virus, which means that everybody is susceptible to infection, because our immune systems have never “met” this virus before. This means that there is a risk that many could become ill at the same time, which can lead to a large burden on society and especially hospitals.
You can read more in the section "About the outbreak in Denmark and the Danish Health Authority's strategy"
Third of all, we want to protect our elderly and vulnerable citizens, regardless of whether it is again flu or COVID-19, because it is especially these groups who can become very ill. In the case of flu epidemics in Denmark, we have some years with over 1,000 deaths, which we think is too many. This is why the Danish Health Authority recommends a flu vaccine to the elderly and vulnerable groups. Unfortunately, we don’t have this option with COVID-19, so we must try to prevent infection amongst the vulnerable in other ways.
This is why we recommend that all – also the young and otherwise healthy people – follow our advice and held to protect the vulnerable and society as a whole. You can help by following our general advice, which you can see in the section "The Danish Health Authority's general advice to the Danish population".
Read more from the link above.
Source: Danish Health Authority
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Questions and answers on novel coronavirus
