"No more dangerous to meet children than adults" - Infection protection doctors answer your questions

In the rag above, Anders Lindblom answers questions and below are the answers Helena Ernlund gave in the chat:

How long does the virus survive outside the body?
- It can survive about 3-5 days depending on the area in question.

I work at a municipal accommodation. How come we have been instructed to stop using and removing all the hand spirit?
- Unfortunately, I cannot answer why you did so in your municipality. In general, hand spirit is also recommended in municipal housing. However, it is known that the virus is destroyed by soap and regular hand washing.

Will Easter tourists possibly fall ill during their stay in Dalarna and need IVA to be cared for in the Dalarna Region or relocated to their home region?
- If you fall ill urgently, you are first taken care of by your nearest health center or hospital. Everyone has the right to urgent care. Then, if possible, they move to their home region.

Will there be more tests in Dalarna now that more people have died?
- We are increasing the sampling capacity in the laboratories.

My grandmother is 80+ and needs to get from Borlänge to the laser station in Mora. Bus means two changes. Is the risk less of an infection if she gets pushed despite the smaller surface?
- It is better to push her in the car provided that the person who is pushing is perfectly healthy. After all, it's hard to know if all the bus passengers are healthy and where they are in relation to your grandmother.

Can you be infected twice?
- Because it is a new virus you do not know for sure. But you can probably get infected twice, but most likely not in the next few weeks, maybe the months after you got sick.

Does the Dalarna population have access to the enhanced health care resources, for example at the Älvsjö Fair?
- As far as I understand, you should be able to contact them if needed.

Great with all these statements of interest for extra care professionals. Is there protective equipment for these when there is already a shortage?
- You work hard to get more equipment in several ways. Among other things, several Swedish companies are switching their production to hand-spirit etc.

I am in need of physiotherapy after surgery. Has high blood pressure and asthma. Do not want to go to the health center and physiotherapist there during these virus times, what should I do in this situation? Have had a more severe type of flu in dec. and Jan. - got very sick. Do I have any kind of immunity because of this?
- Unfortunately you do not have the immunity from having the flu. Call and discuss with your health care center. They have time for digital visits if there is an opportunity for you. From a physiotherapist you may be able to get exercises done at home.

Have you done a risk assessment for health care professionals who are part of risk groups? Should you test people who have recovered?
- We have advised staff who belong to risk groups to talk to their doctors. We will not test people who have become healthy. You are contagious if you feel completely healthy for two days. We have started testing healthcare professionals.

Will health care assistants also be tested, working with users?
- We do not test healthy staff, but if you become ill, it may be relevant to test assistants, especially if several have become ill in the staff group.

I am a 70+ living with a 60 year old who works every day. How should we deal with the risk of being infected?
- If you are completely healthy, the risk of becoming seriously ill is of course less than if you have several diseases. Your partner should be careful about hand hygiene and keep "social distance" as far as it goes depending on what she is working on.

In early March I was home with fever and cough for 17 days. Can you test yourself now and see if it was corona? I am type 1 diabetic, can I meet my grandchildren? Or should I refrain?
- You can't test yet and see if you have had corona. If you are over 70, you should abstain. If you are younger and do not have severe diabetes, you can probably meet them provided they are perfectly healthy of course.

I probably have corona, in the second week with fever and cough. Question; must my wife and my children (7 years and 16 years) stay home from school? They have no symptoms .
- No, they can work and go to school, but they should pay extra attention to illness symptoms and if they do, they should stay home.

Can borrowed books from the library get infected?
- No, it's very unlikely. Be sure to wash your hands.

Wondering if it is possible to use Chlorine when the hand sprite has run out? It says on the bottle that it is against bacteria and viruses. Maybe good to use on handles and the like?
- Chlorine kills coronavirus but it is strong, not environmentally friendly and I recommend careful hand hygiene instead.

Can Corona be infected by dogs? (For example, if the mat is over 70)
- There is no evidence today that dogs or cats can transmit infection to humans.

Abroad, they see that they spray and disinfect everything, haven't seen anything like this, why?
- That is unnecessary. It is unlikely that infection would be transmitted from objects outdoors. And above all, we recommend careful hand hygiene instead.

I am His ablated since 2016 and thus have pacemakers, not any other diseases. I'm 70 years old. Does ablation make me more vulnerable?
- They say that people with heart disease are a risk group, but I have not seen any details about what heart disease they are. It is likely that a pacemaker is clearly less likely than heart failure, for example.

I have had a heart surgery and got a new aortic valve 10 months ago. Feel good. Do I count as a risk group?
- Heart disease is a risk group, especially if you are over 70 and even more so if you are over 80-85. I have not seen any studies on exactly which heart disease poses greater risk. It probably depends on how good your heart function is. Discuss with your doctor.

I am 68 years old and belong to risk group due to. asthma. Is there a great risk of going to the gym? I usually go in the morning, then there are no or 1-3 people there. How big is the risk of getting infected?
- It is wise to go there early and when few are there. If everyone there is healthy and you are careful with the hand hygiene and not drying your face, the risk is not great. You can consider hand spirit.

About 20 years ago, within the course of a few years, I had three pneumonia. Am I a high risk patient because of this? Is 68 years old and healthy otherwise. Not overweight.
- If your lung function after it is completely normal, you are probably not a high-risk patient. Discuss with your doctor.

My husband medicates for high blood pressure and sometimes gets atrial fibrillation, 71 years. I am totally healthy, 67 years, and wondering if I should continue to go to the store and shop? Do not want to go home if possible to the house. Maybe I should shop online in the future ?
- If you go to the store when few are there and are careful about the hand hygiene, it will probably work well but online is otherwise an option.

Why is the 60-70 year old group the largest group to receive IVA care?
- You don't really know, but the 60-70 year olds who are cared for at IVA usually have several risk factors.

Is born 1942, diabetic since 1962, has never been sick, can I get corona?
- Yes, you can get infected just like everyone else. Given age and diabetes, you belong to a risk group.

I eat Waran and Thrombyl because of the increased risk of blood clots. Am I a "risk person"?
- So far I have not seen that increased plug risk is considered a risk. It depends a little on whether you have any underlying disease that is causing it. Talk to your doctor.

Can we who belong to the elderly group in quarantine (74 and 84) visit our friends who are healthy and belong to the same group?
- Yes at least if they have not been exposed to infection for the last 14 days.

It is said that the virus thrives better in cold than in heat. It is believed that the virus should spread less in the summer heat. How, then, is explained why it is recommended to be out in the fresh air now when it is cold?
- Outdoors simply blow the virus away quickly. We also usually keep more distance outdoors.

He has been ill for almost two weeks with fever, cough and headache. Still coughing, I find it difficult to know if it's mild Corona disease or a common cold I've had. Should I stay home until all my coughing is gone or can I return to work anyway?
- Yes, unfortunately it is impossible to know if you have had covid-19 or not. We recommend that you stay home until you are completely healthy for 2 days. If you continue to cough for another week, talk to a doctor.

If you get corona and do you get immunity to corona?
- Yes, in all likelihood you are immune "for a while". We do not know how long but probably as with other cold viruses a few weeks - a few months anyway.

Has severe sleep apnea, high blood pressure (medicates), overweight and eats blood thinning (thrombus) due to cerebral infarction. Is 56 years. Do I belong to the risk group ?
- Yes, unfortunately you belong to the risk group.

In what contexts does social dissemination occur primarily? Is it on the bus, train, in shops or at workplaces?
- First of all, of course, in the same household, of course. Then I think there are workplaces. After all, it is a drip / contact infection, which means that drops from sneezing / coughing only reach about one meter. It is less likely to pick up virus from surfaces and get it into mucous membranes, at least if you are careful about hand hygiene.

Some of my acquaintances claim that they should completely refrain from meeting their grandchildren as long as the corona epidemic continues. Is it true? Why is it more dangerous to meet children than adults?
- It is not more dangerous to meet children than adults, on the contrary, provided that they are perfectly healthy of course.

Do I have any protection against corona if I am vaccinated against swine flu?
- No.

Are you at risk if you are 62 years old and taking medicine for high blood pressure?
- There is no particular major risk with only high blood pressure and age below 70 years.

Are no corona patients being treated at Mora Lasarett? Just about Falun in all reporting.
- All confirmed cases of corona are currently being treated in Falun. Then there may be patients who have corona elsewhere in Dalarna who have not yet been relocated.

Belongs to the risk group and wonder if you can buy pizza home? Can contamination be found on food packaging?
Anders Lindblom responds: - We have not seen any spread of infection through objects in this way, you can in other words order the pizza.