Two people in North Rhine-Westphalia are infected with the new corona virus
In the district of Heinsberg, schools, daycare centers and city administrations will remain closed until Monday
All information in the news blog
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Dusseldorf. The coronavirus has Germany – and now too NRW – reached. A 47-year-old is demonstrably from the municipality of Selfkant in the Heinsberg district near Aachen coronavirus ill.
Live blog: Coronavirus in NRW – patient in critical condition
Wednesday February 26th
8.05 p.m .: The soldier, in whom the coronavirus was found in Koblenz, had previously had contact with the 47-year-old sufferer from Gangelt (district of Heinsberg) and his wife.
The three were at a carnival event in NRW.
For security reasons, the military airport Cologne-Wahn, seat of flight readiness and workplace of the soldier, was closed for some time on Wednesday. The block was then lifted again.
7.44 p.m .: Suspected case in Moers: A man from Neukirchen-Vluyn, born in 1976, had visited the Bethanien hospital here.
He had previously been to Italy on business. The Rheinische Post reports, among other things.
7:35 p.m .: There was another corona case near NRW: a soldier who is said to have been infected is currently being treated in the Bundeswehr central hospital in Koblenz.
5:38 p.m .: The Heinsberg district administrator Stephan Pusch (CD) emphasized: “I think this situation requires some discipline from all of us. But we shouldn’t panic either. Pusch is currently working with a crisis team of around 100 people.
He advised that people avoid “crowds or visits to community facilities.” It is best to stay at home. If you find symptoms of illness in yourself or friends, you should call your family doctor. “He knows how to deal with such a situation.”
5.15 p.m .: Following the infection of a kindergarten teacher with the coronavirus, the affected facility in Gangelt on the German-Dutch border should remain closed for a total of two weeks. The district of Heinsberg announced on Wednesday. The nursery with 65 places has been tight since the beginning of the week. The facility itself wrote on its website that it would remain closed until March 6th.
The infected 46-year-old worked until Friday in the daycare center in the Breberen district, according to dpa information. The incubation period – the period between infection and the onset of symptoms – is usually 2 to 14 days according to the current status.
According to NRW Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU), all children in the daycare should be checked for the virus. “So-called compromises are being made now and we will know someday tomorrow whether children are infected or not,” Laumann had said at noon in Düsseldorf. The children and their parents were asked to stay at home.
4.35 p.m .: Another suspected coronavirus case in the Rhein-Sieg district: On Wednesday morning, a doctor found symptoms in a patient. This is reported, among other things, by the Bonn Generalanzeiger.
The woman is now being examined in a hospital.
15.53 p.m .: 14 hospital employees in Erkelenz were sent home – ten nurses and four doctors who were in contact with the coronavirus infected in the city. This is only a safety measure, they are not suspected of infection, “because they have no symptoms,” said the hospital’s nursing director, Stephan Demus, at a press conference in Erkelenz on Wednesday.
It is now planned that the 14 employees will stay at home for two weeks now and “keep a kind of diary,” says Demus. The observation phase is carried out under the supervision of the Heinsberg Health Department. The operation in the core areas of the clinic continues normally, said Friedrich Hölzl, chief physician in the hospital. However, predictable cases were postponed in order to “keep capacities free”.
3.42 p.m .: Jörg Timm finds clear words about the current coronavirus situation in NRW. The virologist from the University Hospital Düsseldorf explains to DER WESTEN: “The main difference is that we can now say: ‘It has also arrived in NRW.’
Basically, the situation in NRW did not change dramatically compared to the days before. “We are talking about two patients who are confirmed positive. But it also shows that we actually have to think about the possibility of a pandemic situation here. ”
The scenario has now become much more realistic. “We have more cases across Europe. That means the expectation must now be that the number of cases will also increase in Germany. “
3:39 pm: At a press conference in Düsseldorf, Dieter Häussinger from the University Hospital Düsseldorf emphasized that the coronavirus had a “mortality rate of at most two percent”. This is significantly less compared to other dangerous pathogens.
The risk of infection is comparable to influenza flu. Not only he, but also NRW Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann warned to rest.
3:28 pm: Coronavirus is also suspected in Leverkusen. According to the city administration of Leverkusen, a woman is currently in the city’s clinic and is undergoing examinations.
3:05 pm: It is still unclear how the man from the Heinsberg district got infected. Previously, it was assumed that he was infected with a business partner who was in China. That could now be excluded.
3:02 pm: On February 16, the 47-year-old had already shown symptoms such as fever and cough. Since then he has had an “infinite number of contacts”.
Influenza was initially assumed. “At the time of admission, the lung function was clearly impaired,” said Harry Elsbernd, medical director of the Hermann Josef Hospital in Erkelenz, where the couple had come on Rose Monday. The patient had come to the intensive care unit. “There was a rapid and rapid deterioration in the general condition. There was a lung failure, ”said the chief doctor.
2:33 p.m .: District Administrator Stephan Pusch from the Heinsberg district said in the press conference: “We are not a country like China”. In Germany, entire cities could not be cordoned off.
2:28 p.m .: The couple have two biological children. So far, both have no symptoms. The children are compulsory, which is why the schools were closed.
The two sufferers took part in a carnival session in Langbroich, a village belonging to Gangelt.
02.02 p.m .: The infected wife from the Heinsberg district is a kindergarten teacher and has also worked in kindergarten in the past few days. It was also decided that the children stay at home. This was announced by Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann at a press conference at noon.
Quite a few people have been in quarantine since the virus was found: the couple had gone to the doctor’s office for the first symptoms. All employees are in quarantine at home. The children and parents of the infected people’s kindergarten also stay at home.
The patients and employees of the Cologne University Hospital, with whom the 47-year-old was in contact during his stay, were also contacted during the night of Wednesday. They also remained in quarantine at home.
1:29 pm: A spokesman for the University Hospital Düsseldorf confirmed to the WDR that the wife of the infected man from the Heinsberg district was also tested positive for the corona virus. There are now two confirmed cases in the state.
1:08 p.m .: A Bundeswehr soldier is hospitalized with suspected coronavirus. He is said to have had contact with the patient from NRW (47). The “Bild” newspaper found out. In the afternoon, a test should clarify whether the soldier is really infected.
According to the Cologne Express, the soldier belongs to the Luftwaffe’s readiness to fly in Cologne. The soldiers are not allowed to leave their offices there until further notice. The readiness to fly was closed according to the newspaper.
1:05 p.m .: Also recommended by the crisis team of the district of Heinsberg, most cities in the district will have their city administration and all branch offices, e.g. Swimming pools, also closed to the public up to and including Monday. This was announced by the NRW crisis team at noon.
12.43 p.m .: The man from Gangelt near Heinsberg, who was infected with the coronavirus, is said to have been in the Cologne University Hospital for follow-up examinations on February 13 and 19. It has already been determined how many people the man had come into contact with there. A total of ten clinic employees and 31 patients are said to have been identified. His condition did not deteriorate on Wednesday night.
12.32 p.m .: “At the moment it is the case that the schools and kindergartens are closed because this person from Gangelt also has children and has participated in public life here,” Mayor Bernhard Tholen from Gangelt (district of Heinsberg) told the German Press Agency. “There is a family here from the place you know, who has taken part in events.”
Some residents of the 11,000-inhabitant village are of great concern. “There are many people who have already called here and are really scared,” reported Tholen on Wednesday.
12.04 p.m .: As a precaution, the schools and kindergartens in the Heinsberg district will remain closed until Monday, March 2nd.
11.31 a.m .: According to information from the WDR, the first coronavirus patient in NRW was treated at the university clinic in Cologne two weeks ago. According to the sender’s previously unconfirmed information, he may have infected an employee there.
The woman shows symptoms of the disease and is now being tested for the coronavirus. Other employees who had contact with the patient are also examined.
11.01 a.m .: The hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia are prepared to isolate potential corona patients. In Cologne, for example, this is the largest city in NRW in every hospital in the city, said Sabine Wotzlaw, spokeswoman for the city of Cologne. The same applies to Aachen, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Essen and Dortmund.
In a second step, the people who were in contact with the person were then recorded by the health department. “If necessary, the contact persons also have to be segregated.” It is conceivable, for example, that people no longer leave their own apartment or that they are isolated in special accommodation or in a hospital.
10.25 a.m .: Whole cities in Italy were cordoned off – is that likely after the first case in NRW? No, it says from the cities. A spokeswoman for the city of Dortmund, for example, emphasized that isolation had never been seen before and “from a current perspective, purely theoretical”. Similar things can be heard from other cities.
The president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, also expresses doubts. “A quarantine only makes sense if it can be designed very effectively. So that means that you really make sure that all the people who are in this quarantine don’t have a chance to infect other people. ”All people should stay in their homes and be cared for there.
9.37 a.m .: An event in Dortmund is canceled on Friday evening due to the corona virus. The foreign company had planned an information evening about Prosecco from Italy. The event was canceled because some invited guests were not allowed to leave Northern Italy.
7.55 a.m .: The district administrator of the Heinsberg district, Stephan Pusch, went to the public in the morning. In a video on Facebook, he said: “Avoid mass gatherings or visits to community facilities if possible. If you can’t avoid it, please stay at home. ”
The crisis team continues to get an idea of the situation and provides constant updates on the current status. “I think this situation requires some discipline from all of us, but we should not panic either,” says Pusch.
7.24 a.m .: The condition of the first coronavirus patient in NRW was still critical. The Ministry of Health of North Rhine-Westphalia announced on Wednesday morning. The ministry is advising on Wednesday how to proceed after the first proven coronvirus infection in the state. Talks are planned to assess the situation, a spokesman said.
7:08 a.m .: Contrary to what was feared, rail traffic in the Heinsberg district will not be stopped on Wednesday. No restrictions are planned. A spokeswoman for DB Regio NRW of the German press agency said in the morning. But: The DB Regio is “in constant communication” with the authorities, said the spokeswoman.
Measures to prevent dissemination could include stopping public transport.
6.12 a.m .: The husband’s wife was also treated with suspected lung infection in a hospital in Erkelenz. Her coronavirus was not detected until Wednesday morning. A result is not yet available.
10:31 p.m .: The district of Heinsberg now advises: “People who are currently suffering from flu-like symptoms are asked to contact their general practitioner or emergency room first by phone to clarify how to proceed,” the district of Heinsberg informs.
Those returning from areas where Covid-19 cases occur and develop fever, cough or shortness of breath within 14 days after the return should avoid unnecessary contacts, stay at home if possible, keep distance from other people when coughing and sneezing, regularly and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and, after registering by telephone, refer to the travel region and see a doctor.
10:10 p.m .: A crisis team of the district decided on Tuesday that schools and daycare centers in the district of Heinsberg will be closed on Wednesday. The district administration also remains tight as a first precaution.
At the moment there are also plans to suspend local public transport in the district. The crisis team is in close contact with the Ministry of Health in Düsseldorf.
The crisis team urges citizens to avoid visits to community facilities such as hospitals and care facilities. In addition, emergency numbers 110 and 112 should not be blocked unnecessarily.
9.49 p.m .: The sick man was said to have had contact with a friend who had been in China recently on business, quoted the “Aachener Zeitung” district administrator Stephan Pusch.
9:37 pm: According to the authorities, the condition of the patient infected with the coronavirus is critical. According to dpa information, the man is in his mid-40s, but suffers from a previous illness. As the WDR reports, the man is artificially ventilated.
9:21 pm: The first case of the coronavirus reached NRW. A man from the Heisberg district was admitted to the Hermann Josef Hospital in Erkelenz with symptoms of severe pneumonia.
The recommended protective measures are basically the same as in every flu season. Specifically: One should cough and sneeze in the crook of the arm and not in the fist or palm. If someone else is coughing or sneezing, it is best to keep one or two meters away.
In everyday life, people do not have to constantly rub their hands with a disinfectant, but they should be washed regularly and thoroughly with soap. And even if it sounds banal at first: You shouldn’t touch your face as much as possible.
There is still no vaccine and there will be no vaccine before the end of the year, says the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler. Those who are vaccinated against the flu, however, help to relieve the burden on the healthcare system. And older people can get vaccinated against pneumococci.
The Robert Koch Institute continuously records the situation and assesses the risk to the population. According to the institute, there is currently no evidence that the viruses are still in circulation. Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn said on Monday in Berlin, however, that one must expect that the disease could spread to Germany.
In addition to the two current cases from NRW and Baden-Württemberg, only a few confirmed cases of infection have occurred in Germany. They concerned a company in Bavaria or people who had been flown out of Wuhan in China in early February 2020, where there are most cases of Covid-19 worldwide. Almost all of these patients have already been discharged from the hospital in good health. (jg / mb / pen / with dpa)
