Ventilate rooms regurlarly if possible. Try to avoid crowdy places and many people in small spaces, because it could mean running the risk to keep no distance. Cough and sneeze in your elbow, not in your hand. Wash and disinfect your hands regularly and keep a distance from others (1-2 meters). Additionally: Wear a mask.

It is currently assumed that the incubation period is four to six days.

The symptoms are similar to those of common flu: Fever, runny nose, dry cough, sore throat. A number of other symptoms such as shortness of breath, loss of smell and taste, muscle and joint pain and headaches are also possible. In rare cases, those affected complained of nausea and diarrhea.

Under no circumstances you should go to a family doctor or hospital without calling first - otherwise there is a risk that you will infect other people. There are many immunodeficient people in hospitals in particular.

If you are concerned that you are infected with the virus, please call the hotline of the Health Department first. The staff will tell you what to do.

If the symptoms become more severe in the course, you have a permanently high fever and also suffer from shortness of breath, call the emergency doctor if in doubt (116 117).

So far it has been assumed that the infection primarily occurs via the respiratory cycle, i.e. via the respiratory tract. This also means that it is very important to ventilate closed rooms. Please limit contacts to other people and keep the distance to others (1.5m). Also correct hand hygiene is important, too: Viruses that get on hands can be transmitted by touching the face.

Other transmission paths have not yet been finally clarified.

According to the current status, this is very unlikely:
Corona viruses have a relatively low environmental stability, i.e. the viruses do not survive (outside the body) fluctuating environmental conditions.

Immunodeficient people (e.g. chemotherapy patients or people with congenital deficiency) and the elderly. Smokers also have an increased risk.

According to the WHO, pregnant women have no increased risk of developing a serious illness.

Corona viruses have been known since the 1960s and can infect both humans and animals (especially mammals and birds). So Corona is not new - only the strain that is currently spreading is new. The viruses can cause various diseases, from common colds to dangerous or fatal diseases (such as SARS).

In Germany, all people from the age of 5 can be vaccinated against Covid-19. Anyone wishing to be vaccinated can make an appointment with a doctor or a vaccination centre. The explicit vaccination strategy can be found on this website.

A further spread should be prevented as much as possible. The incubation period of the virus is four to six days, which is why the state of health must be observed over this period. The social contacts of those affected must be reduced to a minimum.

If you suspect a corona infection, please do not sit in a waiting room or waiting area. If you do so, you run the risk of infecting other people. If possible, stay at home and call the Corona hotline of the health department. The staff will tell by phone, what to do. If you are tested, the authorities will provide you with the relevant documents immediately after the smear, which you can use as a certificate of incapacity for work.

Call the Corona hotline of the Dortmund health department. Most importantly: Stay calm, stay at home, drink a lot and cure the disease - just like you would with a flu-like infection. If you have no symptoms, but need to be sure if you are infected, call the Corona hotline of the local health department.

In the case of worse symptoms, persistently high fever and shortness of breath, you should of course notify the emergency doctor (116 117).

Yes, please do so to protect yourself and other people. Please still keep distance to other people (1.5m).