Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Small inquiry because of Corona and my situation

March 27, 2020 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello again Mrs. Gehring,

At the moment, I am not really scared anymore, but I re-read your previous message regarding Corona and my situation at the cash register, where you mentioned that I am a little more at risk, but not significantly more, due to not receiving immunotherapy.

I wanted to follow up on this point - as I am currently taking Azathioprine, 2 tablets a day, so I believe it's 100mg. I am also taking Chloroquine and Prednisolone (the dose varies between 5 and 10 mg). I am unsure if you were referring to stronger substances or higher doses, as I am not receiving MFF or Cellcept, nor have I had any infusions or similar treatments.

Do you see the situation differently now? I want to reiterate that I rarely feel sick or unwell, and I am usually fit. If I do have any symptoms, they are minor discomforts (such as occasional sore throat in winter) or like the cough I mentioned recently.

I have been isolating myself as much as possible, and when I do work, it is mostly in the store and not at the cash register. Although there are occasional hours spent at the cash register, they are now equipped with plexiglass which provides all-around protection, except for a small opening at the payment counter. I also wear a face mask (a simple one, which I believe is beneficial for the entire population in reducing spread). Do you think this is sufficient? I just wanted to get your assessment, especially regarding my medication, where I was unsure if you were aware that I am on Azathioprine.

Thank you, and hopefully you can reply shortly!

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good evening.

I wasn't aware that you are taking Azathioprine alongside small amounts of prednisolone, sorry. However, this is only mildly immunosuppressive and not nearly as strong as Cellcept or even chemotherapy. Therefore, you are still somewhat more vulnerable, but it's not something that can be measured in percentages (and it doesn't really help anyway).

It's great that you now have protection at the checkout, which is already a significant help, and you can also isolate yourself quite well. That should be sufficient! You are less at risk than many of us, and you can never completely eliminate the remaining risk. It's important to remember that despite the high numbers, in Germany there are around 70 infected people for every 100,000. So your world is not full of them.

Warm regards,
Dr. Gehring