Corona Virus in China (EN)
Current Developments
Quick test and reporting system
By 5 January 2020, a quick test for infection with the novel corona virus is available. After the sample has arrived at a suitable laboratory, results can be obtained in less than two hours. However, not every patient with respiratory symptoms will be tested; in general, certain additional criteria must be met, in particular
- a stay within a high risk area (Wuhan) at the time in question, or
- contact with people who are confirmed to be infected, regardless of the severity of the symptoms.
In these cases, the laboratory and also the treating physicians should inform the public health department within 24 hours. In parallel, the attending physicians should isolate the patient in such a way that the risk of infection of third parties is reduced to a minimum.
An established treatment or vaccine is not yet available, but intensive work is currently underway on a vaccine.
General Information
The Corona Virus belongs to the order Nidovirales, whose representatives can cause very different diseases in various vertebrates such as mammals, birds and fish.
Corona viruses are genetically highly variable and can also cause serious infections in humans through so-called species transfers. Examples include the SARS pandemic of 2002/2003 and the MERS epidemic of 2012.
The Corona virus epidemic which has been spreading from the Chinese city of Wuhan since the turn of the year 2019/2020 is attributed to the previously unknown Corona virus 2019-nCoV. In humans it may lead to mild respiratory tract infections up to severe acute respiratory syndromes.
Symptoms of a possible infection can be:
- Cough
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Aching limbs
- Weakness / fatigue
- Frequently accompanied by diarrhoea
Risk of Infection
Where many people live together in a confined space, as is the case with the current outbreak, the transmission path from person to person becomes more relevant and may quickly become the main transmission mode in the course of the epidemic.
Nevertheless, infection when encountering infected persons is at most the exception rather than the rule. Infection is most likely to occur in very close and prolonged contact.
Depending on the degree of exposure, face masks of the classes FFP2 to FFP3 can reduce the risk of infection in personal contact. In addition, when symptoms of infection occur, the wearing of even the simplest face masks by the infected person can significantly reduce the risk of infection of others.
Selfcare Measures - What to Do to Prevent Infection?
In order to keep the risk of infection as low as possible, people who are currently in China should observe the following rules of conduct:
- Avoid large crowds and markets
- Avoid using public transportation
- Wear a face mask of at least protection class FFP 2 outside your apartment / hotel
- Pay close attention to your hand hygiene and use a suitable hand disinfectant regularly
- Avoid contact with sick people and colleagues and especially with free-range animals
- Expatriates living and working in the area should, if possible, work as much as possible from their home offices.
Due to the surge in demand, suitable face masks and disinfectants have become scarce in China and in some regions are no longer available to normal consumers or are only available at horrific prices.
On request, MD Medicus Assistance Service GmbH supplies the employees of their client businesses living in China with face masks, gloves and disinfectants from Germany. Should you require further information, please send an e-mail to assistance@md-medicus.net.
Dashboard of Current Illnesses
What to Do If You Are Suspected of Being Infected
The Chinese authorities have implemented a strictly followed schedule for all suspected Corona cases. Patients with the above symptoms must present themselves in a fever clinic that is designated for the respective location.
The fever clinics are responsible for the correct recording of all suspected cases, carry out all necessary examinations and ultimately decide whether a corona infection is confirmed or not.
The private, internationally oriented hospitals in China, which are preferred by tourists and expatriates, are usually not part of this emergency plan and are currently not allowed to treat patients with fever!
Here is a list of the fever clinics:
Fever Clinic in Shanghai (Main)
Fever Clinic in Beijing (Main)
The incubation period, i.e. the time between exposure to the virus and the possible onset of the disease, is between one and 12 days for Corona. Patients who are already back home but who have been in Asia within the last two weeks should seek medical treatment immediately if the above symptoms occur and should also draw attention to their previous stay in Asia!
Evacuation / Repatriation of Patients from China (general - independent of Corona)
Flights, including ambulance flights to the quarantined areas such as the city of Wuhan or even into the entire Hubei region, are currently not officially possible and, if at all, in individual cases only feasible with a special permit that has to be to be applied for. For this reason, short-term evacuation flights from these regions are currently not feasible.
All non-quarantined regions can be flown to by the ambulance planes organized and provided by MD Medicus without any problems, as long as the patient to be transported does not suffer from unclear fever or even a confirmed Corona infection.
Evacuation / Repatriation of Patients from China with Confirmed Corona Infection or Reasonable Suspicion of Infection
In the event of undiagnosed fever or even of confirmed Corona infection, evacuation or repatriation is only possible under certain conditions, after consultation with the responsible epidemic control authorities in the recipient country and, in particular, only with aircraft specially equipped for transporting highly infectious patients.
MD Medicus Assistance Service GmbH is in a position to arrange everything for a speedy evacuation of patients with suspected or confirmed Corona infection around the clock. The special aircraft required for this purpose have been part of MD Medicus' worldwide network for years.
Flights, including ambulance flights to the quarantined areas such as the city of Wuhan or even into the entire Hubei region, are currently not officially possible and, if at all, in individual cases only feasible with a special permit that has to be to be applied for. For this reason, short-term evacuation flights from these regions are currently not feasible.
Risk Assessment
On 28/01/2020, the Federal Foreign Office issued a partial travel warning for China and especially for the Hubei region. According to the MD Medicus travel medicine experts, travel to the Hubei region including business trips should be completely avoided for the time being. You should also consider to refrain from postponable trips / business trips to the rest of China. Tour operators and airlines already offer free cancellations of already booked China trips.
As it must be assumed that the current evacuation radius will be extended by the Chinese authorities at short notice in case of continuously increasing case numbers, sufficient distance to the current evacuation zone should be maintained on all unpostponable trips to China. This also serves to avoid being detained overnight and not being allowed to leave the country until further notice.
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