Covid-19: Rush on family doctors
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.Unsettled patients are currently rushing to the family doctor with a cold, which they would normally have cured themselves, for fear of the coronavirus. In the vast majority of cases, the concern is unfounded: At the moment, a cold or a flu-like infection is many times more likely than Covid-19. Those who are really infected with the corona virus infect others unnecessarily and overload the practices.
Germany's statutory health insurance doctors are urgently warning against unnecessary visits to the practice out of concern about the new corona virus. Otherwise they see the supply of the population as endangered. "Extensive testing of clinically healthy people is medical nonsense," said the head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, on Tuesday in Berlin.
Call first, then to the doctor
Anyone who is really infected with the virus will infect others unnecessarily: "Call first and don't run straight to the practice," says the spokesman for the German Association of General Practitioners, Christian Schmuck. "Because if you should really be ill with it, then you don't necessarily have to carry it into a fully occupied waiting room with an already weakened immune system."
An alternative to calling the family doctor is to dial the nationwide number 116 117 for the emergency medical service if you have any questions about a possible infection. However, this number was temporarily overloaded in the past few days.
The virus is less dangerous than many think
More importantly, it is important to realize: the virus is not overly dangerous for most people. Covid-19 is a mild illness, basically a kind of cold that is usually overcome quickly or is barely noticeable from the start, emphasizes the renowned virologist Christian Drosten.
Elderly or people with previous illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, COPD or diabetes, develop more severe courses more often, should pay particular attention to the hygiene rules and get vaccinated against flu, pneumococci and whooping cough. This does not offer any direct protection against Covid-19. But if someone is already suffering from the lungs, infection with Sars-CoV-2 would be particularly dangerous for them, as the Berlin health administration says.
Canceled events are intended to rectify the situation
Trade shows and sporting events are not canceled because the virus is so dangerous. The background to the measures is different: An unchecked wave of infections could mean, among other things, full waiting areas and doctor's offices, occupied intensive care beds and overloaded health authorities. The better it is possible to keep the rate of infection low, the less the pressure on the medical system and society will be, according to Drosten. It makes a huge difference whether a propagation wave covers a large part of a population within a few weeks or spread over two years.
Establishment of central clarification centers planned
In the next few days, the number of infections is expected to continue to rise significantly - and thus the concern among parts of the population is likely to increase. In order to relieve the family doctors and to keep potentially infected people away from others, central offices are planned to clarify a possible infection with the coronavirus. They should be set up in health authorities, specialized practices and clinics (cf / dpa). The first is scheduled to open tomorrow at the Charité in Berlin.
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