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A message of tranquility about the coronavirus. With this intention Patricia Muñoz clarified this Thursday in a digital meeting the main doubts of the readers of EL MUNDO about the contagion of Covid-19, its symptoms, its risks and its future evolution. The Head of the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Service of the General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid believes that "the response of the Ministry and the communities is being very agile and sensible." [The full digital meeting can be read here]

Insulation measures

"The coronavirus crisis is causing more social alert for isolation measures of large communities. We have to understand what is done to try to stop a new virus for humans, a situation very different from the flu. In principle, we consider less worrying the coronavirus infection due to its lower clinical severity "

The evolution of the infection

"We do not know the evolution that the infection may have. It is possible that it is a seasonal virus and disappears with increasing temperatures, but it is too soon to know . It may happen that it is managed to control and disappear, as it happened with SARS, or that become part of the usual viruses that affect us, such as the flu and many others. At this time, both its incidence and its infectivity is much lower than other viruses such as measles "

Contagion prevention

"The measures to prevent contagion are: good hand hygiene , which can be with soap and water or alcohol gel, and avoid close contact with people who are cramped"

The use of the mask

"The masks are not indicated in healthy people, unless they are taking care of a confirmed infection case. On the contrary, if you have catarrhal symptoms, such as cough, fever, etc., you should wear a mask to avoid infecting other people. It is The same is recommended for other respiratory infections.

There is therefore no point in going down the street with a mask, since they are also not effective in preventing infection. In hospitals, when an infection is confirmed, special masks are used, not the surgical masks we see on the streets and airports. Therefore, and summarizing, we must pay attention to both the need for its use and the type of mask "

Similarity with the flu

"The symptoms are very similar to the flu. The only way to distinguish them nowadays is to do a test in the Microbiology laboratories from a respiratory sample taken from the patient"

Suspicion of infection

"If you suspect you may be infected, please call 112 , where they will tell you how to act. There are currently active protocols to detect cases and determine the necessary treatment for each person. Not to saturate the emergency services, the attitude correct is to notify the 112 telephone, which will assess these symptoms and decide if the sample is taken at home or if it is advisable to transfer to a hospital "

80% of infections are mild

"80% of coronavirus infections are classified as mild, and coincide with the symptoms of a cold that heals only in a short time. About 15% have moderate symptoms, and less than 5% of the cases described until At this time they have been serious, and can cause pneumonia.If it is infected, it is likely that it does not even require a specific treatment , since in most cases the infection is cured by itself.The health authorities will establish in each case if it can happen the infection at your own home or if you must be admitted The probability of death is very low.

Duration of symptoms

"The duration of symptoms is variable, but in most cases they will last about a week, similar to the flu"

Risk patients

"The severity of this virus is greater in patients older than 80 years. Immunosuppressed patients should maintain the usual sanitary precautions to avoid infections. My advice is to follow the usual recommendations of your doctor, very similar to those given to prevent the flu "

Pregnant women

"Some infections caused by respiratory viruses, such as influenza, may be more serious in pregnant women. Hence the clear recommendation that pregnant women get vaccinated every year. There are currently no data on direct involvement of the fetus. We recommend that women pregnant women maintain the usual hygienic-sanitary measures "

Children and teenagers

"Children and young people account for less than 1% of the cases reported so far. We do not know yet what is the reason for this behavior, since it is not common in other respiratory viruses that are very frequent in nurseries and schools"

Trips to affected areas

"When deciding whether to travel, you have to take into account if it is a risk zone. On the website of the Ministry of Health there is an updated link. In any case, if the trip is necessary, you will always have to keep some basic precautionary measures and follow the instructions of the local authorities "

Package Reception

"This virus is very sensitive and is inactive when it has been on surfaces such as packages, tables, etc. for a while. Therefore there is no danger in receiving packages from China or other affected areas. The virus is also very sensitive to cleaning usual with antiseptics "

Possible vaccine

"The speed with which this virus has been identified and methods for its detection have been designed has been really incredible. It is being investigated in possible vaccines , but we do not expect them to be available immediately, since it is necessary to carefully investigate not only its effectiveness , but also your safety "

Social alarm

"Personally I am more concerned with the social reaction and the alarm that is being created. I think there are no reasons to justify it. I recommend that the citizens be well informed, either by reading the recommendations of the Ministry of Health or the Communities or through experts "

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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