Therapy

There is no therapy for the cause of this disease as yet. It is primarily treated symptomatically. This means that the symptoms are reduced by, among other things, the administration of oxygen and close monitoring of the patient.

Also antibiotics in case of a bacterial superinfection and infusion therapies to stabilize the circulation are options. Experimentally, various virustatics (antiviral drugs) are being tried, which have been developed for other virus-induced diseases such as HIV, or interferons are used. There is currently no antidote available.

The therapy is purely symptomatic, i.e. to relieve the symptoms. Research is still underway on a vaccination. The first testing of the vaccine is to take place in China in April.

Prophylaxis

There is no specific prophylaxis like a vaccination. However, one can protect oneself from an infection by further measures. These typical methods help to protect against any kind of illness.

The general hygiene measures such as hand washing and disinfection are important, especially after direct contact. Wearing a mouth guard can also reduce the likelihood of infection via droplets. In general, it is important not to travel to risk areas such as China.

More precise recommendations have been formulated by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), for example. There are a few measures that can reduce the risk of infection. The most important ones are listed again here:

Regular hand disinfection and washing
Avoid large crowds
Avoid body contact, preferably a safety distance of 1-2m
If necessary mouthguard

Hand disinfection has a high priority in preventing infection with the virus, as the corona virus can persist on contaminated surfaces for several days and thus spread as a smear infection.

For example, an infected person may hold their hand in front of their mouth when coughing and use it to hold on to the train. The next person, who may not have been in contact with the wearer at all, will touch the support bar and may also become infected. However, it is important to note when disinfecting that not all disinfectants are effective against viruses.

Many agents and gels available in drugstores are only effective against bacteria. Therefore, when buying, you should pay attention to an extended spectrum of pathogens. There is no scientific evidence that wearing a mouth guard reduces the risk of infection.

On the contrary, it can even lead to a false sense of security that people pay less attention to other hygiene measures. On the other hand, wearing a mouthguard when an infection is suspected makes sense to avoid infecting other people. For example, the mouthguard can hold back droplets that would be spread when sneezing or coughing.

Forecast

Especially people with underlying diseases such as diabetes or elderly patients suffer from severe disease progression. Pneumonia and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome are potentially life-threatening. Especially the few therapeutic approaches can lead to increased complications.

A further complication is bacterial superinfection. Here, in addition to the lung infection caused by viruses, bacteria colonise the lungs. The immune system is therefore further weakened.

Therefore, early detection of this superinfection is essential in order to get the disease under control and initiate antibiotic therapy. Besides diabetes and age, immunosuppression and cancer are factors for a worse prognosis. People with pre-existing chronic lung diseases such as COPD or heart disease are also at risk.

Acute lung failure
Blood poisoning

The mortality rate in the case of an infection of the novel coronavirus is estimated to be relatively low. The probability of survival is therefore very high. It is noticeable that mortality increases with age.

According to current figures, it is highest at an age of over 80 years with 14.8%. For all persons under 50 years the mortality rate is even below 1% and no deaths of children under 10 years were recorded. Even among 70-79 year olds the mortality rate falls to 8%.

These figures refer to the Chinese population. In Germany, even lower mortality rates can be expected. So far, no precise information on the long-term consequences is known. If the course of the disease is mild and the infection has been overcome, no further consequences are to be expected. In the case of severe symptoms and a possible superinfection, consequences such as damage to the lung tissue may well occur.