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The coronavirus causing COVID-19 disease was identified in China at the end of 2019.
It represents a new virus strain that had not been known in human environment yet. The disease is transmitted by a droplet infection, the estimated incubation period of the disease is 2 to 14 days.
Similarly to other infectious diseases, like flu or pneumococcal diseases, the novel virus is dangerous especially to seniors and long-term patients (cardiac, diabetic, oncological patients etc.).
For a healthy individual, fighting off COVID-19 infection is usually something like an unpleasant virus infection. This is the case for 4 out of 5 infected persons. Approximately 14 to 15% have the more difficult course of the disease, while it is serious at 5%. About 1 to 2% cases end with death. The fatal case percentage may be significantly lower due to the fact that we do not know how many are/were asymptomatic disease carriers. That is why it is more difficult to be controlled epidemiologically.
The novel coronavirus causes acute respiratory disease.
There are general symptoms of a virus disease or conventional respiratory diseases, like flu – fever above 38 °C, cough, muscle pain, joint pain, shortness of breath. It causes infections of airways up to pneumonia. The incubation period of this type of coronavirus is supposed to be 2 to 14 days. In most cases, the course of disease is only mild. However, it has been shown that the virus may be also transmitted by infected individuals without any visible disease symptoms.Preliminary studies suggest that the coronaviruses may live for several hours to days on surfaces.
If depends on a number of conditions – environmental temperature and humidity, type of the surface etc. Within prevention, you should consider frequent cleaning with disinfectants of surfaces in your surroundings.Evidence from South Korea, China and Italy suggests so.
In South Korea, where an extensive population testing has been applied, 30% of two thousand positively tested persons reported just the loss of sense of smell as the main symptom. At the same time, the course of infection was moderate. Especially younger patients may suffer the loss of senses of smell or taste without showing more often recognised symptoms of the coronavirus like high fever and persisting cough.
The disease is relatively rare in children and its course is mild.
A big study from China says that only a little more than 2% of disease cases appeared in children under 18 years old; out of them less than 3% had serious or critical disease.
We recommend the public to take preventive actions that are effective in relation to droplet infections:
It is true that the common masks do not provide 100% protection against viruses.
The reason is that virus particles are very small. However, they are often transmitted on mucus droplets. The masks prevent penetration of these big droplets of bodily fluids through nose and mouth while speaking, coughing or sneezing. Thus, wearing a mask decreases the volume of potentially infectious dose at close contact with an ill person. If no mask is available, improvisation may help – cover your nose and mouth with a scarf. Generally, anything that makes a barrier between airways of the ill and the surroundings at least partially prevents penetration of bacteria and viruses.No. Hot air hand driers are not effective in killing COVID-19, on the contrary, they may whirl aerosols (droplets) with the infection.
To protect against the coronavirus, you should often wash your hands with soap and water and then dry them using paper towels.The measures are very important to prevent sharp increase of the infection spreading that would lead to a collapse of the health care system and many deaths.
The slower will increase the number of new cases, the better the health care system will be able to take care of all patients who will need intense care.After decline of symptoms and/or at least three days after decline of fever without using antipyretics.
The person must have two negative samples for evidence of the virus RNA. The home isolation for family members is also terminated after their two negative samples for evidence of the virus RNA at the same time like in the symptomatic person. In asymptomatic persons (showing no symptoms), two negative samples for evidence of the virus RNA must be taken not earlier than 14 days after the initial positive result. The home isolation for family members is terminated after their two negative samples for evidence of the virus RNA at the same time like in the symptomatic person.The National Health Information Centre (NHIC) asks the people to limit their visits of doctors in this time and to use the e-prescription service preferably, i.e. to call to the doctor’s office and ask for issuance of the electronic prescription.
This regards chronic patients who visit public pharmacies regularly to take long-term medications (high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma etc.).
After prescription of medications (preferably with maximum possible quantities of used medications – it is a dose for three months in case of most medications or for one month in case of medications containing narcotic and psychotropic substances), we recommend to contact your pharmacy by phone to check the current availability of the prescribed medications to avoid visiting several pharmacies or returning to the same pharmacy if the medication must be ordered first.
Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber makes an appeal to patients:
Acute patients requiring dispensation of medications without doctor’s prescription or patients with medical prescription for medications not used for a long term (e.g. antibiotics, analgesics, antihistamines, etc.), please consider your personal visit of a public pharmacy and please ask your relatives or friends to get the medications for you, if possible. This way you will contribute to temporary decrease of concentration of ill patients in premises of pharmacies. Medications prescribed using the e-prescription can be dispensed also to your relatives.
All patients observing symptoms like fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, headache, joint pain should avoid contact with other people and should contact their general practitioner who will manage their further treatment.
Healthy clients of public pharmacies (requiring food supplements, medical cosmetics and other range of products of public pharmacies), please postpone your visit of a pharmacy at least by a month.
Sanitation procedures according to approved hygienic regime and ventilation of pharmacy premises should be applied more frequently, and emphasis should be put on personal hygiene of workers, especially at individual drug reconstitution.
In regions with confirmed presence of the virus, the Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber recommends to limit patients entering pharmacies and to dispense through an emergency window.The nursing benefit (OCR) can be arranged without visiting doctor and Social Insurance Agency.
Just fill in the form on the website of the Social Insurance Agency at socpoist.sk and send it to the respective branch address. The application can be delivered to the Social Insurance Agency to the respective branch’s e-mail address, electronically via eSlovensko, or by mail to the address of the respective branch available at the website of the Social Insurance Agency.
After amendment to the Act, from March 27, 2020 – thus, only in time of the crisis situation related to COVID-19 (extraordinary situation, state of emergency, extraordinary state):
The insured party has right to the nursing benefit if:
The right for the nursing benefit will last until the end of necessity of treatment/care, while insured parties may alternate in the treatment/care of the same case. Attention: Parents providing care for family members (requiring the nursing benefit – OCR) should send a statutory declaration to the Social Insurance Agency.
After amendment to the Act, from March 27, 2020 – thus, only in time of the crisis situation related to COVID-19 (extraordinary situation, state of emergency, extraordinary state):
An employee, a self-employed person (SZCO) and a voluntarily sickness insured person (DNPO) who will be recognised as a temporarily incapable of work due to the ordered quarantine measure or self-isolation will be entitled to the sickness benefit in the amount of 55% of daily assessment base (DVZ) from the first day of the temporary incapacity for work (PN), i.e. the sickness benefit from the first day of the temporary incapacity for work will be paid by the Social Insurance Agency.
The doctor is obliged to treat the patient – doctors have received exact instructions.
Effective from March 18, 2020, the Ministry of Health of the SR orders all health care providers to take all necessary steps and actions leading to limitation of planned surgeries that do not endanger life and health of patients if not executed.
In case of the nursing benefit (OCR), you need not to visit your doctor, just fill in the form on the website of Social Insurance Agency (www.socpoist.sk) and deliver it to the respective branch (by e-mail, via eSlovensko, or by mail). Information regarding application for the sickness benefit:
If an employer forces employees to ask their doctor for a certificate of temporary incapacity for work (PN) despite the employees are not ill, the employees may contact the respective labour inspectorate.
A person asking a doctor to issue a certificate of temporary incapacity for work (PN) without being ill may be criminally liable for inducement of the doctor to commit a criminal offence of a subvention fraud as well as a criminal offence of falsification and elaboration of untrue medical documentation.
The fact that your employer has decided to close the operations because of the coronavirus does not mean that you are temporarily incapable of work because of a medical reason.
If you are healthy, there is no medical reason for issuance of a certificate of temporary incapacity for work (PN). The doctor must not issue the certificate of temporary incapacity for work (PN) in this case.The quarantine serves for isolation of persons to prevent spreading of the infectious disease.
If the self-isolation in home environment applies to you, your general practitioner will issue the certificate of temporary incapacity for work (PN) because of the COVID-19 quarantine. No person in the quarantine should go outdoors.During the corona crisis, the Social Insurance Agency will extend the range of parents who will be entitled to the nursing benefit for children in various life situations.
Thus, the nursing benefit (OCR) will be granted also to those parents who would not be entitled to it otherwise. This concerns those parents whose parental leave ends and have no chance to put their child to a pre-school facility, as well as those parents who have cancelled their attendance in public facilities and now they have no chance to put their child to another facility or to find a nurse who could take care of the child. Also those parents who are health insured and whose child was cared for by another person (nurse, grandparents etc.) may apply for the nursing benefit. All these parent categories need no doctor’s confirmation for awarding the benefit.The drive-through examination and sampling is done directly from your car driven to one of the sampling points, provided that you have booked an appointment in advance.
The examination is not paid from the health insurance and the patient should pay for it as a self-payer.The State Institute for Drug Control requests for people to stay prudent with such self-tests.
Results of such screening tests shall be verified with a test for direct virus detection, and thus the result cannot be considered 100% reliable. You should be cautious also when buying a test. “When buying diagnostic tests, we recommend the public to verify the basic parameters that should be met by such a medical tool. The outer package should include information of the manufacturer and/or so-called authorised representative (in case that the manufacturer is out of the EU), CE marking and name of the product in the Slovak language. The medical tool should also include a user’s manual in the Slovak language,” notifies the State Institute for Drug Control.Results are not known earlier than 48 hours after sampling.
The National Health Information Centre provides for announcement of results (both positive and negative) to the patient, their general practitioner, respective Regional Public Health Authority and the Public Health Authority of the SR.
In the current situation of the COVID-19 disease spreading, the quick tests may be useful in certain stages of the disease –for example in ill persons with distinct clinical symptoms lasting for several days, to distinguish COVID-19 from other respiratory infections.
However, the quick tests usually do not reach the sensitivity of the molecular biological methods. It is an informational examination that will have to be confirmed with a more sensitive method.Yes.
However, the condition is that also a private laboratory must first test those persons who are recommended by a doctor to be tested. Testing of self-payers must not to be to the detriment of people whose testing is indicated by medical reason.
Sampling – by a swab from nose or throat.
Then the sample is sent to a laboratory where RNA is isolated and diagnosed. Finally, test result is evaluated.Yes, please click to the contact form, then select the option I am interested in examination.
Fill in and send the application form. The application form will be registered and the applicant will be contacted by a health care professional to agree on the further procedure or to book a specific date and time of sampling for the applicant.If any of the following symptoms appears:
please contact your doctor by phone.
Monitor your health condition, do not go among people, do not admit visitors. Same like in case of other respiratory infections, you should protect your housemates preventively by strict hand hygiene, not coughing into hands but to disposable tissues to be disposed of immediately, or to one’s sleeve.
Considering the current worldwide migration of people and the way of infection transmission (droplet infection, air way), each travel may be risky – for example being in an airport hall, on board of an aircraft, in a train.
Therefore, you should consider the necessity of travelling, especially if there is a high probability of a close contact (distance less than 2 m) from other people.
Such cases should be notified by phone to the Public Health Authority of the SR and the regional Public Health Authorities.
The mandatory quarantine in the facilities specified by the state for a period necessary for performance of laboratory diagnostics of COVID-19 applies to all people with permanent of temporary residence in the SR who have returned from abroad.
Consequently, after negative result, a home self-isolation in total cumulative duration of 14 days is ordered. The home self-isolation is ordered also to persons living in the common household. For the entire wording of the measure please see the website of the Public Health Authority of the SR.
No, the measure is not applicable to:
Attention! Truck drivers, crew in river freight transport, train drivers and operators, train crews and operators in railway freight transport during their stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic are ordered to stay in home self-isolation, except for performance of their work obligation, preferably out of persons living in their common household.
There are several rules applicable for functioning of a household during the mandatory quarantine.
Try to arrange your shopping by your friends or relatives and ask them to leave it in front of your door or at another specified location, or use a food delivery service directly to your home, if available. If this is not possible, shop at the time period when few people are there and have a list prepared in advance to spend the shortest possible time in the store.
Prevention against viral infection includes mainly thorough washing of hands with a disinfecting soap and frequent rapid airing of the rooms. You should disinfect doorknobs, surfaces and commonly used items more frequently with a chlorine or alcohol containing disinfectants. Use disposable paper towels and wet wipes, each family member should have own towel. Also have your own plate, cup and cutlery. Ideal solution for a family member who has come from abroad is a separate room and minimal contacts with others. Even if this is not possible, each family member should do their best to avoid potential transmission of the disease.
During the home self-isolation:
In relation to the directive of the Main Hygienist of the SR on closing facilities providing services (with some exceptions), many hotels have closed their operation.
During your transfer to the home environment, try to avoid contact with other people and do use individual transportation as much as possible since the 14-day quarantine applies to you.If you are coming from abroad, you have to keep the 14-day quarantine.
This cannot be maintained in a hotel where many people move around.The quarantine does not apply to truck drivers who enter the territory of the Slovak Republic to transfer, load or unload goods.
This means that if you go cross the border to pick up your family member, you must go to the quarantine.The best solution is to contact your municipality that can be helpful in this matter.
Yes, you should contact the Slovak embassy in the respective country.
Please find more information about the repatriation at the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the SR.
All members of the common household must stay in the quarantine for its entire duration.
If you do not know who is your doctor, please check it based on your permanent or temporary residence
at VUC.Please contact the Ministry of Interior of the SR at the info line 02/48593312.
Aiming to plan free capacities in the quarantine centres as close to the residence of the person Slovakia as possible, it is necessary to register in the registration form in advance (at earliest possible before return to Slovakia):
The accommodation is for free, but a contribution for meals is to be paid.
The quarantine means you should be at home. Your shopping should be arranged by somebody else.
The quarantine applies to people living in the common household with the person who returned from abroad.
It does not apply to people in a separate housing unit. If you have a common entrance but each have their own floor, you are not obliged to stay in quarantine. This is a similar case like in a block of flats with a common entrance and individual housing units.The measures application for border crossings related to coronavirus COVID-19 are published by the
Ministry of Foreign AffairsMeasures taken in the world in relation to coronavirus COVID-19 are published by the
Ministry of Foreign AffairsGroup repatriation of SR citizens are conditioned by a decision of the Government of the SR and the Main Hygienist of the SR to locate to group repatriated citizens to isolation in quarantine facilities of the Ministry of Interior of the SR.
In case of a request to arrange a repatriation, this should be sent to the e-mail address of the Embassy of the SR in Vienna at emb.vieden@mzv.sk.
The request shall contain the following information:
Then, the Embassy of the SR in Vienna will record the request for repatriation to the SR. After recording, the Embassy of the SR in Vienna will send a confirmation e-mail reply about recording of the person’s request.
For more information click here
Citizens of the SR with permanent or temporary residence in a frontier area of Austria (within 30 km from the borders with the Slovak Republic) who are employed in the Slovak Republic are allowed to commute.
Citizens of the SR who have permanent or temporary residence in the Slovak Republic and have an employment relation in the area of health care or nursing care and perform their work in the territory of Austria in the frontier area with the Slovak Republic are allowed to commute.
The mandatory quarantine may be ordered by the regional Public Health Authority or a doctor in the case that you were in contact with a person with confirmed COVID-19 disease.
Home self-isolation for 14 days is ordered also to all people who have returned from abroad. Please note that the mandatory quarantine applies also to all others living in the common household! Naturally, you must stay in home self-isolation also when you have confirmed COVID-19 disease.The home self-isolation does not apply to:
Please check the Frequently Asked Questions section in the website of the
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic
The order of isolation in the facilities specified by the state is not applicable to the following persons:
These persons are ordered to stay in home self-isolation for a duration of 14 days. Minors entering the territory of the Slovak Republic without an accompanying person are ordered to stay in home self-isolation in a duration of 14 days. The home self-isolation is ordered also to persons living with them in the common household.
From April 8 to 17, the domestic borders of the Slovak Republic may be crossed only at some border crossings that are open 24/7.
If a person crosses the domestic border of the Slovak Republic elsewhere, they commit an offence that can be penalised up to €300 or up to €165 of on-the-spot fine. Please find the LIST here.Used masks or respirators definitely do not belong to the separated waste.
You should put them to a plastic bag/sack and tighten it. The bag or sack should be disposed of to the general communal waste (the black container). Naturally, then you need to wash your hands and follow all hygienic rules.The Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic has denied this information.
No measure of the Central Crisis Staff of the SR can be understood as a ban on contact among closest relatives.The virus lifespan is estimated to be several hours, not days.
So, the risk of spreading of the novel coronavirus from products or packaging is very low.Please check the NHIC website for an interactive map of processed laboratory data with an overview of COVID-19 positive results based on localities, gender and date.
LinkSuch an order is issued by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic (UVZ SR) and the Main Hygienist or the establishing authority.
It is upon consideration of each person; if there are no symptoms, they have not been in contact with an ill person, have not returned from a risk country, then they may. There is no prohibition on this.
The measures do not apply to natural healing spas and spa sanatoriums based on a doctor’s recommendation.
From March 13, 2020, until cancellation, operation of the following facilities have been prohibited: natural and artificial swimming pools, sports facilities, body care and beauty facilities, facilities for children and adolescents including facilities for care of children up to 3 years old except for social care facilities, facilities of social-legal protection of children and social custody and special education facilities. Public catering facilities are prohibited, namely cake shops, snack bars, cafés, bars and similar public catering facilities, except for restaurants and fast food stands. The following has been prohibited to: operation of wellness centres including pools in accommodation facilities, operations of recreational nature, like casinos, cinemas and other spare time facilities like ski resorts, reconditioning stays.Staying somewhere at fresh air is welcome. However, you should avoid places with concentration of people like children’s playgrounds.
Effective from March 16, 2020, 6 a.m., all retails stores and all services have been closed for 14 days, except for:
From March 30, 2020, also the following stores, services and shops are permitted to be open:
All stores will be closed on Sundays due to a sanitary day and for the staff to have a rest, exception has been granted only to emergency pharmacies and veterinary offices.
Currently, physical distribution of leaflets is significantly limited.
Some towns, town parts or municipalities have prepared leaflets separately and published them on a publicly accessible places. For example, Bratislava has started a phone line for seniors that is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on working days at a free of charge number 0800 242 000. Older citizens of the town can contact the info line with their questions or with requirements for assistance, for example to pick up medications.When shopping online, the delivery period from Asian countries (e.g. from China) is usually three and more weeks.
It is not expected that the virus would survive so long on surfaces. So, the risk of spreading of the novel coronavirus from products or packaging is very low this case.Based on the guideline of the Main Hygienist of the SR, public church services remain suspended also during Easter holidays.
More here.
The Social Insurance Agency informs pensioners who receive their pension in cash by post on the 10th and 12th day of a calendar month about change of these payment days during Easter.
Those pensioners who receive their pension on the 10th day of a calendar month will receive their pension one day earlier – on Thursday April 9, 2020. Pensioners with payment date on the 12th day of a calendar month will receive their pension on Tuesday April 14, 2020.During Easter, payment date of injury benefits and survivor's injury benefits is not changed.
If the payment date of these benefits falls on a public holiday, the Social Insurance Agency will make the payment in the previous working day before the public holiday.