Does it make sense or not?
Should I voluntarily quarantine myself before Christmas?
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The prime ministers suggest that you go into quarantine before Christmas so as not to infect the family. Does that really make sense?
Everyone who wants to visit their family for Christmas is faced with the question of how to deal with the coronavirus. Do you want to celebrate together? How do you make sure that you don't infect each other? What about grandma and grandpa? Would you rather do without a common party? There is great uncertainty in Germany.
In order to minimize the risk of infection, the prime ministers have suggested that you voluntarily go into quarantine for several days before the festival. But how many days are really sufficient and can you protect others from infection in this way?
The course of the disease is different for everyone
There is often talk of five to six days of quarantine. According to scientists (such as those from the Robert Koch Institute), this is the average incubation time of the coronavirus. The problem: It can vary individually for each person. The Apothekenumschau quotes Tim Friede, medical statistician at the University of Göttingen, citing the dpa. He thinks that even after five days there is still a 50 percent risk of developing symptoms. In rare cases, the incubation period can even be up to 14 days.
In addition, you could be contagious one to three days before the first symptoms appear. Uwe Groß, the director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology at the University of Göttingen, even explains that you are particularly infectious during this time. The reason: Before the virus migrates to the lungs, it multiplies strongly in the oral cavity.
Another problem, according to Groß, is that 15 to 45 percent of those infected have no symptoms at all. So they don't know anything about their illness and may infect others. Even those who are previously in quarantine would drive their family so carefree and infectious.
So doesn't all of this help?
Yes, the experts say: Better a few days of quarantine than none at all. Of course, there is no guarantee that the virus will not get from A to B. But if you want to further minimize the risk, you can go into self-quarantine for 10 to 14 days.
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Sources: Apothekenumschau, BR, dpa