Even after the holidays, people in Germany sniffle. The cold wave still has the country firmly in its grip. We tell you how to get better quickly.
Did you catch a sniffle at the New Year’s Eve party? They are not alone in this. According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute, around 6.4 million people are still suffering from an acute respiratory disease. Although this is a clear decrease in a weekly comparison, the rate is still above the value of previous years.
This is also shown by a look at the doctor’s offices. “Our ENT practices continue to be very well attended. We treat acute cases and the surplus from the Christmas and New Year days,” said the German professional association of ENT doctors FOCUS online on request.
Many practices are therefore difficult to reach by telephone. We ask for your understanding and, if possible, an online appointment. However, it also emphasizes: “Emergencies such as severe pain, shortness of breath and bleeding are of course looked at immediately.”
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If you have a cough or a cold, you don’t necessarily have to go straight to the doctor. “Most people, infected patients, those affected know what helps them,” says ENT doctor Bernhard Junge-Hülsing, who runs a practice in Starnberg, Upper Bavaria, with three partners. “It can range from hot chicken soup to calf wraps to inhalations.”
The ENT doctor specifically recommends:
When is it better to see a doctor? Junge-Hülsing says: “In the case of severe pain, at any time and after two days at the latest. A doctor, pediatrician or ENT doctor should be consulted if the fever rises in waves or if there are symptoms that last longer than seven days.”
Basically, the following applies: “Corona is not over.” That is why people with a cold should take it easy at first. Junge-Hülsing also recommends wearing a mask, for example when shopping or on the way to work or university.
Because: “If you have a cold, you are not only contagious, you can also be infected more easily because the mucous membranes are inflamed and therefore more permeable.”
