In Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, patients have been shown to develop the novel coronavirus for the first time. The state of the patient from Erkelenz in North Rhine-Westphalia is critical, according to the authorities. As the district of Heinsberg announced, the man had been admitted to the Hermann Josef Hospital in Erkelenz on Monday afternoon with symptoms of severe pneumonia. According to dpa information, the man is in his mid-40s, but suffers from a previous illness.
The patient’s wife is also treated in hospital with symptoms of a viral disease. Her condition is currently stable. The diagnosis of whether she has also been infected with the virus is still pending. The Düsseldorf fire brigade transported the two patients to the Düsseldorf university hospital that evening.
In the district of Heinsberg, schools, daycare centers and the district administration will remain closed on Wednesday, as a spokesman for the district said on Tuesday evening to the German Press Agency. At the moment, there are also plans to suspend local public transport. A crisis team was set up in the district. They are in close contact with the Ministry of Health in Düsseldorf.
The infected person in Baden-Württemberg was a 25-year-old man from the district of Göppingen, the Ministry of Health in Stuttgart said on Tuesday evening. He probably got infected during a trip to Italy in Milan. After his return, the patient was ill with flu-like symptoms and contacted the local health department. He was to be taken to a clinic on Tuesday evening and housed and treated in isolation. In Germany there are now more than a dozen proven infections with the corona virus.
In Baden-Württemberg, the ministry said that health minister Manne Lucha (Greens) is canceling his vacation and will inform the case about the case on Wednesday with experts. He urged prudence: “Baden-Württemberg prepared for this case at an early stage. All the parties involved work closely and intensively together,” said the minister. It is now determined who was in contact with the patient. Close contacts at home were isolated and asked about their health every day, the ministry said.
More and more countries in Europe report infections
The minister appealed to returning travelers to follow the Robert Koch Institute’s recommendations: Those who return from areas where Covid 19 cases occur and develop fever, cough or shortness of breath within 14 days after their return should avoid unnecessary contacts, If possible, stay at home, keep a distance from other people when coughing and sneezing, wash your hands regularly with soap and water and call a doctor after registering by telephone, referring to the travel region.
After the outbreak of a coronavirus epidemic in Italy, more and more European countries are reporting evidence of the pathogen. Austria, Croatia, mainland Spain and Switzerland reported Covid 19 cases on Tuesday. After a confirmed illness, a large hotel with around 1000 tourists – including Germans – was practically quarantined on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife. The virus also threatens to spread in the Gulf region.
