Coronavirus: what are the symptoms, what instructions to adopt?

Appeared at the end of December in the city of Wuhan, in the center of China, the coronavirus close to SARS, has already killed nearly 41 people in China and has spread to the four corners of the world. Thus, after Japan, South Korea, the United States or Australia, France has been confronted for a few days with the virus, with three cases detected in Paris and Bordeaux. Thus, several questions arise concerning this new virus, in particular on what to do.

A reminder of the right actions to follow in case of doubt, which is all the more important as it is important not to go to your doctor or to the emergency room, to avoid any potential contamination.

The coronavirus is a respiratory virus, which causes coughs, but also fever and difficulty breathing.

“The main symptoms are fever, flu-like syndrome, headache, pain in the joints and muscles at first. Secondly, respiratory signs, cough, sputum and shortness of breath, up to pneumonia, which can be severe in the most severe cases. Knowing that you can also develop only what looks like a simple cold, “explains Yazdan Yazdanpanah, director of the Institute of Immunology, Inflammation, Infectiology and Microbiology at Inserm and head of the infectious diseases department at Bichat AP-HP hospital.

Symptoms close to the flu, therefore, but the main concern is whether, in the event of symptoms, you have been in contact with the source of the disease, having recently traveled to China or having been in contact with a person s being visited in the country recently. The incubation period for the coronavirus would be “around seven days, between two and twelve days,” said Health Minister Agnès Buzyn.

To avoid any risk of contamination or contagion, precautionary measures can be applied, as explained by Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and health consultant on LCI: “First you have to wash your hands, rather take tissues disposable and throw them away immediately after, and finally, when you are sick, wear a mask. ” Like the flu, this virus is much more dangerous for people who are vulnerable or at risk than for people in good health. The temperature should also be taken several times.

Friday evening, in the wake of the announcement of positive cases identified in France (in Bordeaux and Paris), the Ministry of Solidarity and Health communicated on the instructions to follow in the face of this virus. So, priority must be contact the Center 15 du Samu, reporting symptoms and recent stay in China. In addition, do not go to your doctor or to the emergency room, to avoid any potential contamination. Once taken care of, these people will be hospitalized in an isolation room, the time to carry out screening tests. In a few hours, the virus can be identified. In its press release, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health indicates that an “in-depth epidemiological investigation” around the cases identified in France “was immediately implemented”: “All the persons having been in close contact with these patients are in they will receive specific instructions from the health authorities to avoid contact, in order to limit the spread of the virus. ” Since January 10, the French health system has been put on alert. Health professionals have received the correct course of action.