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Loyal to its mission of providing exclusively verified and accurate information to readers, the Fact Investigation Platform has set up a platform where anyone can ask questions about the state of emergency and coronavirus in Armenia.
This publication will address some of the questions we were asked that may be of interest to many of our readers or may contain useful information.
1․ Is one symptom enough to make one suspect that he/she has a coronavirus or should all the symptoms be present?
The main symptoms of coronavirus are fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, and muscle weakness. The thing is that such symptoms can also be due to a cold, a common flu or an allergy. Specialists have prepared a chart presenting the symptoms that are most common or least common when infected with coronavirus. Note, however, that the presence or absence of symptoms can neither confirm nor rule out infection. For example, on March 18, the health minister said that 15 isolated people had been found to have coronavirus in the absence of any symptoms.
2․ How high should your body temperature be to be sure that you are infected with coronavirus?
According to the World Health Organization, high body temperature is one of the main symptoms of coronavirus, but its absence is not sufficient evidence of absence of coronavirus infection. Other symptoms of the disease – dry cough, weakness, and shortness of breath – may also indicate the presence of the infection. However, the illness has a secret period of approximately 2 weeks, and the infected person may have no complaints during that period. As mentioned above, there may be no symptoms, but the person may be infected.
This can also be proved by Prime Minister’s Facebook live on March 17, where the latter reported the body temperatures of citizens with coronavirus after a recent measurement. According to this list, the temperature was in the normal range for almost everyone.
3․ Is it possible to get infected again after being cured? Can a person infect others after his/her recovery?
According to local Chinese media, there have been cases of double infections with coronavirus in the city of Wuhan. The first cases of double infection were registered in late February. According to the South China Morning Post, Wuhan authorities set an additional 14-day quarantine for recovered citizens on February 22. This question, however, still has no definite answer. Forbes writes that scientists believe that once cured from the virus, a person becomes immune to it. Newly recorded cases are described by the periodical as an exception, anomaly; on the other hand, it should be borne in mind that the tests that diagnose the virus are not perfect and that there is a likelihood of error. WHO experts also believe that cases of double infection are linked to imperfect tests.
4․ Is it possible to catch an infection from a dead person?
We could not find the answer to this question. The World Health Organization official website also had no information about the actual or possible spread of the virus from a dead person.
5․ Can an Armenian citizen travel abroad in a state of emergency?
According to the Annex to the Government Decree on Declaring a State of Emergency in the Republic of Armenia, exit of RA citizens through land border crossings is prohibited, except for those who transport goods.
There is no restriction on crossing the Armenian border by air, but one must be careful that the country of arrival does not impose restrictions on foreigners. For example, the EU has decided to close the borders for citizens of other countries for 30 days.
6․ How and how long does the infection persist on different objects?
The World Health Organization says it is not yet known how long the virus can survive on surfaces. Studies show that coronavirus, including a new type of coronavirus, can survive on surfaces for several hours to several days. This may be due to different circumstances – temperature, humidity, etc. The best option offered by the WHO is to frequently disinfect surfaces, especially if there is a suspicion that they may be infected.
7․ Is it true that the new coronavirus does not withstand high temperatures?
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses are heat resistant; the new type of coronavirus can spread to all parts of the world, regardless of temperature. And some types of coronaviruses can withstand temperatures up to 70 degrees. The degree of heat resistance of the new type of coronavirus has not yet been scientifically proven, but the WHO denies rumors that coronavirus will retreat as the weather warms.
The Fact Investigation Platform will continue to publish materials answering questions of interest to our readers.
Ani Avetisyan
Sevada Ghazaryan
