As reported by the Polish Press Agency (PAP), the country’s first coronavirus case was confirmed overnight. Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski said that the patient is hospitalized in Zielona Góra, the capital of Lubusz Voivodeship.
The patient arrived from Germany. Details are available on the PAP website.
What is coronavirus?
The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causes a disease called COVID-19. The disease most commonly causes fever, coughing, shortness of breath, muscle aches and fatigue.
How often do symptoms occur?
A severe course of the disease is observed in approximately 15–20% of people. Death occurs in 2–3% of patients. These figures are probably overstated, as many people with mild infections were not laboratory-confirmed.
Who is most at risk?
Older people and those with weakened immune systems who have other illnesses, particularly chronic conditions, are most at risk of developing a severe form of the disease and dying.
How can you protect yourself against coronavirus?
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets. There is currently no vaccine against the novel coronavirus. However, other methods of preventing infection, presented below, can be used. These methods are also used to prevent other diseases spread by respiratory droplets, such as seasonal influenza, whose peak incidence occurs from January to March each year.
Where have coronavirus infections been confirmed so far?
The largest number of confirmed infections with the novel coronavirus were recorded in China (99%), mainly in Hubei Province. The remaining people “imported” the virus to other countries in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America, infecting additional people, for example in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
More information is available on the Ministry of Health website.