The number of patients who are being treated in hospital with coronavirus infection is gradually rising, the Chief Medical Officer said at the Monday online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic.

Cecília Müller said 261 of the 280 persons who had died due to the coronavirus were over 60. Elderly care homes and hospitals are most at risk from infection, and so using protective supplies correctly in those institutions is especially important.

The Chief Medical Officer also reported that the first Hungarian patient had received blood plasma therapy. The person suffering from kidney failure had undergone three-day therapy, and was “in a hopeful condition”. However, it will take some time to determine how effective the treatment is.

She said they are planning to provide blood plasma therapy for several patients, and are looking for persons who have undergone the infection, feel healthy and are ready to donate blood plasma for further therapeutic purposes.

Regarding different types of face masks, Ms. Müller highlighted that medical and surgical face masks are disposable; these are typically used by surgical teams during operations. Their purpose is to protect the patient during interventions. The use of special – ffp2 and ffp3 – face masks protects the wearer from pathogens. These, too, seal well and are tightly attached to the face, and so air only flows in through the masks. The filter on the face mask filters the inflowing air. At the same time, upon exhalation, a valve opens up on the mask, and so if it is worn by a person who is not healthy, the air exhaled by them is released into the air in a larger, more concentrated quantity. Therefore, an unhealthy person is forbidden from wearing such a face mask, she pointed out.

The expert also spoke about the wearing of home-made cotton face masks. She said we must equally pay attention when putting them on and taking them off. These masks, too, must cover the nose and the mouth, and must be as closely attached to the face as possible. Once on, the wearer should abstain from touching it, and should thoroughly wash their hands both before putting on the mask and after taking it off. At the same time, these face masks should be washed at a temperature above sixty degrees.

At the same time, Ms. Müller drew attention to the fact that the wearing of a face mask does not substitute for keeping an adequate personal distance from others and observing the general rules of hygiene.

In answer to a question, Ms. Müller said so far the infection has appeared in 25 elderly care homes, and is present in very different degrees. There are larger homes with higher numbers of patients, while there are care homes where there is only one infected person. So far, 64 persons from elderly care homes have died in connection with the coronavirus.

In answer to another question, she said they are aware of three homeless shelters where there are confirmed coronavirus cases. In these places, too, the procedure is the same as in all other cases, she added, meaning that they start a contact search and screening.

In answer to a question regarding the number of infected health care workers, Ms. Müller said 13 per cent of all infected persons are health care workers, and this percentage is comparable with international experience. She added that many of them had already recovered from the disease, and they had not all displayed symptoms.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)