Frequently asked Questions

How should I behave in order to be little as exposed as possible ?

Stay home. Limit your social contacts to the strict minimum. Leaving your house is restricted to the following activities:

  • purchase of food, pharmaceuticals and basic necessities,
  • purchase of agricultural, viticultural, horticultural and forestry products,
  • going to health services,
  • going to the place of work for the exercise of the professional activity,
  • assistance and care for the elderly, minors, dependent people, disabled people or particularly vulnerable people,
  • going to social security services in case of an emergency,
  • going to financial and insurance institutes, as well as postal services, in the event of an emergency,
  • going to commercial entities and service providers as listed under the question: "Which commercial activities continue to be available?"
  • individual outdoor leisure activities or limited to people living together, excluding gatherings and under the condition that an interpersonal distance of two metres is respected.
Does the new coronavirus pose a threat to pregnant women and fetuses ?

According to what is currently known, the SARS-CoV-2 does not seem to pose a particular threat to pregnant women. Pregnant women are therefore not subject to additional protective measures other than those normally recommended in the context of their pregnancy. 

To this day, the coronavirus has not been associated with fetal anomalies or a heightened risk of a premature birth.

Source: ECDC: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china/questions-answers

Source: CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/pregnant-women-and-children.html

Is COVID-19 transmissible during sexual intercourse ?

COVID-19 is not a sexually transmitted disease. However, the virus being present in the respiratory secretions and being able to be transmitted by direct contact of person to person, sexual intercourse is favorable to a transmission of the virus, if one of the partners is infected.

How is the COVID-19 virus spread ?

The COVID-19 infection is transmitted by people carrying the virus. The disease can be spread from person to person through respiratory droplets expelled from the nose or mouth when a person coughs or sneezes.

These droplets can persist for some time on objects or surfaces around the person in question. An infection with COVID-19 can occur if you touch these objects or surfaces and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth. COVID-19 can also be contracted by inhaling droplets from a sick person who has just coughed or sneezed. This is why it is important to keep a distance of more than two meters from a sick person and to respect basic hygiene measures.

If I am suspected of being infected with COVID-19 and a test was executed , who receives the result of the test ?

The test result is sent to the physician who requested the test, through a secure channel, who communicates it to the patient without delay. The result is also sent to the Health Inspectorate, in application of the law of 1 August 2018 on the compulsory declaration of certain diseases. At the patient’s request, the result can also be passed on to his/her physician.

Can a family doctor prescribe a laboratory test to identify the SARS-CoV-2-virus ?

A laboratory test carried out on medical prescription can identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.  However, this test is of no use in the absence of symptoms. Your personal physician is in the best position to assess the value of the test in your case.

If needed, contact your physician via telephone. Do not go to a physician's office.

Can a blood test detect the presence of the virus ?

No. Only a test on respiratory secretions is currently available to detect the presence of the new coronavirus.

What are the Symptoms?

Symptoms vary from moderate to severe respiratory infection, accompanied by fever, coughing and breathing difficulties. Seniors and people with pre-existing chronic illnesses seem more vulnerable and at risk of complications.

The incubation period, the time between contamination and the appearance of the first symptoms of COVID-19 infection, is maximum 14 days.

What is a pandemic?

There is no universally applicable definition. However, it can be said that a pandemic is the increased and sustained propagation of an extraordinary infectious human disease that rapidly affects all parts of the world and a large part of the global population.

Where did the Coronavirus appear ?

SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of coronavirus that had not been seen in humans before. The epidemic began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, capital of the Hubei province. At first, the epidemic seemed to be linked to the South China Seafood City market. This market hosts merchants for seafood, poultry, bats, marmots and other wild animals, which indicates a probable animal origin of this virus. The virus was later confirmed to also transmit between humans. Cases have since been discovered in other regions of China and in other countries, often linked to a previous visit of Wuhan. The health authorities of the various affected countries are currently investigating this new coronavirus and the sources of the contamination.

Pages