4 stories from patients with COVID-19: how they are sick and treated in different countries of Europe

The number of cases and deaths from coronavirus is growing every day in all countries of the world. According to

WHO Director General Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus, the viral infection is spreading exponentially. People who get sick with COVID-19 experience the disease in different ways: from minor malaise and weakness to a multi-day fever with difficulty breathing. We have already talked with the wife of one patient from Italy, who suffered a serious illness, suffering from one of the most common complications when infected with coronavirus - pneumonia. Now we are transported to Israel, Estonia, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, where, unlike Russia, a self-isolation regime has long been introduced. How you can become infected, whether it is worth not observing isolation and how to prepare yourself for the disease - in the stories of those who got sick.

Roni Bargill, Israel: "I was afraid that I might transmit the virus to someone. ”

February 22, I returned with my family from a trip toNaples. He lived a normal life: he went to work, shopping, relatives came to visit me. Five days later, a law came out that all those who returned from Italy after the 13th should be self-insulated. On the same day, I went to the hospital and did a test, although I felt good.

February 28, I started to tickle in my throat,a cough appeared, but he did not bother me much. In the evening they called me and informed me that I had a coronavirus. The ambulance doctors who took me to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer were wearing special protective robes, masks and goggles. It is difficult to describe your own feelings at that moment. Neither I, nor those around me knew or understood anything. It was scary, unpleasant.

Roni Bargill

When I arrived at the hospital, I understood very little. I was not given any instructions about notifying my friends through social networks. But I understood the seriousness of the situation, because in a few days, until I knew about my diagnosis, I managed to visit many places. Once in the hospital, I felt the responsibility and the need to warn everyone. Therefore, I posted a post on Facebook to warn everyone I contacted, and generally all people in my city. It was important for me that people, including strangers, find out that I returned on the 22nd and I had the coronavirus all this time. Fortunately, nothing was transmitted to either his wife or children. Many people contacted me after fasting, this helped to maintain peace of mind and calm.

A few days later I stopped coughing, teststwice showed that there is no virus in my body. Already on March 3 I was discharged from the hospital, and on the 12th I returned to my former life. I am sure that I got infected at the airport or airplane on the way back. Thank God everything is behind, and my family is healthy.

According to March 31, Israel recorded 4695 cases of coronavirus infection, 16 people died, 161 recovered. A strict quarantine has been introduced in the country: citizens are recommended to leave their homes only for food or medicine, it is recommended not to receive guests, not to travel by public transport, and enter the elevator only one at a time. It is forbidden to visit public places - parks, beaches and shopping centers. The General Security Service (SHABAK) has begun digital surveillance of patients so that they do not leave the place of isolation.

Karl Laas, Estonia: “If you do not leave your apartment for two weeks, it becomes cramped anyway”

In February, my family and I went skiingresort in Italy - me, wife, our son and two daughters. On February 20, when we arrived there were already cases of infection, so we bought masks. At the airport, by the way, everyone measured the temperature. Upon arrival in Bergamo, they decided not to remove the masks. At this time, some cities were already closed, there were masks in pharmacies, but the ski resorts were still working. Our resort was generally far from areas where people were sick.

February 29, we returned to Estonia. By that time, they already knew that there was a 14-day quarantine. But four days later it turned out that an infected person flew in our plane. On March 6th, the whole family did a coronavirus test, but it was negative. After March 8, my throat ached, my head became heavy, the temperature rose to 37 ° C. It felt like flu. On March 12, my wife and I did a second test, and on the same day they called from the Department of Health and said that I had a positive result.

Karl Laas

I didn’t feel so bad, thereforewas treated at home. The whole family was in quarantine (the son lives separately in Tartu and remains there). I did not have much fear for my life, it was just annoying that I had to stay at home. At work, I usually communicate with many people, actively participate in public life, and now my wife and I had to become recluses and work from home. In addition, children switched to home schooling, and they study in different schools. Therefore, at first it was difficult to coordinate the rhythms of life for everyone, especially since everyone had a busy work and training schedule. It is difficult to explain to the children that they will temporarily not go to school, and my wife and I will not go to work.

Separating the time of work and rest was also difficult. But we discussed our work schedules, and it helped to find a balance between work and leisure. Everything that is connected with our work and schoolchildren, we put off in the morning, and released the evening for rest. It doesn’t matter what size your apartment is: if you don’t go out for two weeks, it becomes cramped.

Officially SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Medicationdoes not exist yet. With this disease, doctors prescribe antipyretics, medications for the common cold and cough. If there is diarrhea or vomiting, enterosorbents are prescribed. But all this is a symptomatic treatment that does not affect the virus itself.

In the fight against COVID-19, Chinese doctors used the following drugs:

  1. Ribavirin combined with Lopinavir and"Ritonavir." The first is used for respiratory infections, the combination of the other two for HIV infection to suppress the virus. However, Ribavirin can cause hemolytic anemia, while Lopinavir and Ritonavir can cause liver problems, pancreatitis, or arrhythmias. Therefore, you need to use these drugs carefully and under the supervision of a doctor.
  2. Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum drug used to treat Ebola.
  3. "Favilavir" - for the treatment of inflammation in the nose and throat.

Drugs tested selectively on patientsChina, but not one of them has reliable data on the victory over the virus. With a coronavirus infection, patients are prescribed bed rest and plenty of water. For severe patients, droppers with saline, glucose, ascorbic acid are prescribed.

On the other hand, I'm glad I didn’t infect anyone. My wife’s second test showed a negative result, and now we joke that we, as in a typical Estonian family, have positive men and negative women. In general, it makes no sense to isolate the family when the disease has already overtaken. One of the children had a temperature of 37 ° C, but this was limited to this.

The main thing is to avoid contact with a seniorgeneration and young people who have severe chronic diseases. Healthy youth can easily tolerate coronavirus, many do not even have symptoms, so children become peddlers. It is important that they stay at home, especially in major cities such as Tallinn. Of course, they need to walk, breathe fresh air, but it is necessary to ensure that the children do not hang out with each other and do not contact with other people.

We spent two weeks in a voluntary homequarantine. I passed two tests, and when the first of them showed a negative result, my family and I decided to go for a walk in the evenings. Sitting at home in isolation, we realized that we can work efficiently outside the office, learned to appreciate the home-cooked meals we cook three times a day, and the time we spent with our children when we play board games in the evenings and chat with each other. Quarantine and isolation is a good opportunity to finish writing a book, finish work in progress, spend extra time with your partner, make plans for the future, and improve relations with children. But the main thing is that both adult family members should equally fulfill their duties conscientiously.

True, working when children are at home is enoughdifficult: you need to give them a lot of attention, make sure that they do their tasks. It would be nice if parents were paid to sit with their children at home: after all, now parents serve as workers of the dining room and cleaners. And also they may need help with completing or sending tasks, with setting up Skype.

Unfortunately, there is a risk of reinfection. While there is no cure for this virus, you need to stay away from people around you.

In Estonia, as of March 31, there are 715infected with coronavirus, three people died, 20 recovered. Since March 28, Prime Minister Juri Ratas has imposed severe restrictions on the movement of patients and their families. A sick person can leave his place of isolation only with the permission of a doctor or the police or in case of an emergency threatening his life or health. Family members of the sick person can leave the quarantine place only to buy the necessary things, and you need to have an identification card with you. A warning is provided for the first violation of quarantine, and a fine of up to € 2,000 for a second violation.

Citizens can only leave home forperformance of official duties, purchase of necessary things as close to home as possible, if at the same time they have no symptoms of coronavirus. No more than two people are allowed to get together, an order has been introduced to stay at a distance of 2 m from other people.

Local authorities should provide single citizens with coronavirus infection with basic necessities. Compliance is monitored by the police.

Pavel Stotsko, Netherlands: “On the tenth day I lost my sense of smell”

I had contact about a week and a half agowith a person who, in turn, communicated with a patient infected with COVID-19. At first I didn’t take it seriously, but then the WHO declared the spread of this disease a pandemic, meaning those who don’t travel can also get sick. We met that person at one meeting, and he also did not go anywhere. At that time, preventive measures had already been taken in the Netherlands, that is, you couldn’t shake hands, but we didn’t say hello. They just sat next to each other and talked. If that person had worn a mask, perhaps I would not have become infected.

So I became a typical victim of a pandemic. On the sixth day after contact, I developed a fever, stiffness in my chest and shortness of breath. Four days later it became a little better, but I understood: it’s too early to relax, because experts say that the disease begins to really develop after seven days, when the body’s immune response develops and an active fight against infection begins. Then the most serious problems arise, which I was very afraid of.

Serious complications were avoided, but on the tenth day I lost my sense of smell. I specially sniffed perfume, soap, dirty clothes and felt nothing.

I am at home but keep in touch with myfamily doctor via telephone and internet. I was also advised by an infectious disease specialist from a local hospital, saying that my symptoms are similar to coronavirus, so I need to stay at home. When my neighbors and friends found out that I was sick and quarantined, they wrote me words of support, offered to bring food, for which I am very grateful.

In their speeches, doctors explained the mechanismworsening a week after the onset of the disease: the immune system begins to actively bombard the cells in which the virus has settled. Therefore, respiratory failure, edema and pneumonia occur. Because of this, people get to the hospital, they need mechanical ventilation. But it can also be undesirable, because with affected lungs and a weakened parenchyma, when pressure is artificially pumped up, there is a risk that the alveoli cannot stand and simply burst. As a result, people who recover from such serious complications encounter problems of respiratory failure and acquire chronic lung diseases.

WHO has now published a strategy fortreatment of severe cases, but they mainly boil down to maintaining a person’s normal breathing. In mild cases, there is no specific treatment. For example, in the Netherlands it is advised to stay at home, drink more fluids and, most importantly, not contact anyone. In principle, most viral infections go away. But let's see how this goes with the coronavirus. While the statistics are encouraging, but they are not yet complete.

Pavel Stotsko

And I don’t know yet a single medicine thatcould protect against coronavirus. Various drugs are being tested in the USA and Europe, but they are still not registered as a drug against coronavirus, they are prescribed only to the most severe patients as a “medicine of hope”, and only they have some positive dynamics. That is, if you have the first symptoms, you will most likely not be given such a medicine.

There is another method of helping with heavy breathing.patients - this is extracorporeal oxygenation, that is, breathing through the blood. Blood is taken from a person, enriched with oxygen and returned back. But such devices are thousands of times smaller than ventilators. There are enough ventilation at the moment in the Netherlands, but the situation is changing so quickly that soon they will not be enough.

The only thing that can save you isReducing your body’s exposure to the virus. Then you will not get sick or get sick in a mild form, as I was lucky quite by accident. Your body will produce enough antibodies so that you no longer get this infection - at least in the coming year for sure.

March 31 in the Netherlands recorded 11,750cases of coronavirus, 864 patients died, 250 recovered. The authorities allowed the police to break up groups and take a fine when they find groups of more than three people in public places. Citizens were required to observe a distance of 1.5 meters. Minister of Justice Ferd Grapperhouse called on citizens not to go out into the streets unnecessarily, but to go about the necessary things alone.

Evichka Mazankova, Czech Republic: “The doctor shouted at me and said that I was irresponsible”

Around March 12, I woke up in the morning witha temperature of 39 degrees and a cough, it was very bad. I called my therapist and talked about the symptoms. She advised me to call 112 (the single emergency number is Hi-Tech). They said that if I do not suffocate and do not die, then they can’t do anything about it, and I need to call the SES. I could not get through to them for 4.5 hours. Service officials said that if I was not abroad or in contact with the patient, then I can not do any tests, you just need to contact your physician. Then I called her again, and she told me to come in person. In the waiting room, the doctor laughed at my mask, said that I shouldn’t wear it, but I just needed to take Paraline (a drug with paracetamol - HiTech) and go home. I do not need quarantine. I immediately felt better, but I felt a little awkward, as if I were playing a performance.

March 31, in the Czech Republic there are 3,001 casescoronavirus, 23 dead and 25 recovered. Until April 1, all the stores in the country are closed, except for groceries, and in food sellers are required to give gloves to all buyers. Since March 27, some quarantine concessions have been made: companies and entrepreneurs engaged in the repair of locks and household appliances are allowed to work, car washes, hotels are allowed to settle visiting workers.

My parents took me home. I went shopping with the feeling that everything is in order. But the condition began to worsen, the temperature did not decrease. For six consecutive days, until March 18, I constantly had a temperature of 38-39 degrees and a terrible headache, just unbelievable. Just then I told myself: “Well, since this is not a coronavirus, then, apparently, it is an inflammation of the sinuses, and I need antibiotics.” My friend and I got together and went to the Motol hospital by metro. The doctor was very unhappy and screamed that I probably had a coronavirus, and I infected her, that I was irresponsible. It was very unfortunate, but I acted as directed by my therapist. Then the doctor put on a protective suit, and then I realized a huge problem - the doctors were not initially protected, and I took the doctor out of work for 14 days. Then she did a coronavirus test. A day later, they called from the hospital and said that he was positive.

The caller said I was courageousand strong. And if I suffocate, I called 155 (the ambulance is Hi-Tech). Until then, I should just lie there for 14 days and take Paraline from the temperature. Nothing more can be done. So I'm lying at home now.

Evichka Mazankova

SES can't cope.I had symptoms for three days before I was tested. But the SES considers a person sick from the day the positive test result was received. And before that, I managed to attend various lectures at Charles University, in close contact with a large number of people. But SES employees said that only the incubation period lasts two days. It turns out that when I was at the university, I couldn’t infect anyone.

Now they are exploring people who havesymptoms and saw me 10 or 11 days ago, in early March. So you can be fine for almost two weeks, and symptoms may appear later, but all this time you are sick and contagious.

I've never experienced this before - six dayscontinuous fever, but this is the simplest. Worse headache and breathing. Usually I’m just lying all day. There is no strength even to talk with someone. It’s scary to imagine how this goes in older people. So try to be as much as possible at home, wear masks, if you really need to go somewhere, disinfect, wash your hands as soon as you can, and everything that you touch.

And one more tip: stock up on food. Fortunately, I did this in advance because I thought that the shops would be closed, but I didn’t think that I would be sick of the disease. Therefore, all that I have is products that need to be prepared. So I eat only soups, although cooking is hard and there is no appetite. It’s hard to even warm up the soup. Therefore, I advise you to stock up food that you can immediately eat.

Treat yourself as if you were already infected. Be mindful of yourself and others. Because it is really a serious illness that will put you out of order.

And as in Russia

As of March 31, 2,337 registered in Russiainfected, 17 dead, 121 people recovered. Most infections in Moscow. From March 28 to April 5, a non-working week was announced in the country with the preservation of wages, catering facilities, shopping centers, and non-food stores were closed. All resorts are closed until June 1st. Air traffic with other countries stopped, except for the export of Russian citizens from abroad. A general isolation regime has been introduced in 31 regions of the country.

Federal Biomedical Agencyintroduced a drug against coronavirus called Mefloquine. As noted by the head of FMBA Veronika Skvortsova, this drug blocks the reproduction of the virus in cells and prevents the development of inflammation. True, the massive use and cure of patients has not yet been reported.

Maria Dolgolenko, partner relations manager:

- I went skiing to Austria, returnedMarch 8. On the same day my throat ached, the temperature rose to 37.6. I called the doctor, he took a smear, and a day later - the second. The analyzes turned out to be bad. I and the children were taken to the hospital by ambulance and put in different boxes. They gave me a lot of antibiotics, children - antiviral drugs. On the eighth day, the coronavirus we confirmed. We are in complete isolation, communicate by phone, doctors come to us in protective suits. I’m better now, doing breathing exercises on YouTube videos, reading books, watching films and waiting for negative test results. I really want to go home.

David Berov, amateur soccer player:

- I was the first to get coronavirus in Moscow. He returned from Italy, soon began to cough, the temperature rose. Doctors took tests at home, then forced them to come to the First Infectious Disease Hospital with the police, put them in a general ward. They put it on March 1, the analysis was confirmed on March 5 from the third time. The virus was not found in blood, but in saliva, they say, was poorly visible. The treatment was symptomatic - they were given antipyretic drugs and cough medicines. They discharged on March 7, I returned to work. In relatives, the analysis showed a negative result.

Maria Mukhina, producer:

- I took advanced training courses inEurope, traveled to different countries. Because of the epidemic, studies were suspended, I had to return home early, but flights were canceled, it was difficult to get home. In Helsinki, the temperature rose during a transplant, but I thought it was stress. When the temperature was measured in Sheremetyevo, it already dropped in me. On March 17, I returned, I sat at home in self-isolation until March 22. There were signs of acute respiratory viral infections, that evening they called me and said that I had a positive result, and took me to the hospital. On the night of March 22-23, the temperature rose to 38.4, a terrible cough began. It was so bad that I pressed the call button. They put me a dropper, it also hurt, but by morning the temperature had dropped to 37.6. Then I lay exhausted, periodically falling asleep, expectorating a lot of sputum, problems with a chair started. March 23 said that I have not only coronavirus, but also pneumonia. They were treated with antibiotics, droppers were given. Now the temperature is 37, but terrible weakness, I can not do anything. When it gets better, I'll try to study online.