There has been lots of coverage in the global press about the coronavirus recently identified in China. A coronavirus is a type of virus like a cold or the ‘flu. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world.
Symptoms usually include:
- a cough
- a high temperature
- feeling short of breath
- In some people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms.
How is coronavirus spread between people?
Because it's a new illness, we do not know exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person, but similar viruses spread by cough droplets. The novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China and a UK wide campaign has been launched to provide clear advice on how to slow the spread of Coronavirus:
- Germs can live on some surfaces for many hours.
- To protect yourself and others, always carry tissues with you and use them to catch a cough or sneeze.
- Bin the tissue.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- This is the best way to slow the spread of almost any germs, including the coronavirus.
A short video can be viewed here.
Public Health England are closely monitoring the spread of the coronavirus.
For anyone planning on travelling to China, Public Health England and the Foreign Office have issued some advice. This can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-and-avian-flu-advice-for-travel-to-china
If you are worried about coronavirus and cardiomyopathy, our cardiac specialist nurses are available to talk to on our helpline 0800 018 1024 Monday to Friday 8:30 – 4:30.