The woman sitting next to her at the table was already running a high fever. When she got worse and because she had "been in contact with people in Heinsberg", she had herself tested for the corona virus. The Bornheim woman was identified as so-called contact person 1 and contacted by the public health department. Two days after the last contact with the Düsseldorf colleague, the Bornheim woman already showed symptoms such as cough and fever.

Meilicke explained that the number of persons with whom the Bornheim woman had had contact was relatively manageable: Of a total of nine contacts she had, eight were in Cologne and one in Bornheim - her partner. The latter, however, "had contacts (with persons) in the region". Both the woman and her partner are doing well, they are in domestic seclusion and are being looked after by relatives and friends.

The test results of two family members of the 38-year-old man from Königswinter both came back negative. The results of the laboratory tests of a third family member are still pending. Meilicke assumes that he will get the results this weekend. "But we have learned from Heinsberg," said the head of the health department. He added that there could not yet be an all-clear signal, and that infection could still not be ruled out in "family situations". Meilicke: "The window is not closed yet.”

As of Friday noon, 534 corona cases had been reported in Germany, 281 of them in NRW. There are two confirmed cases in the Rhein-Sieg district. For eleven people, the health department speaks of "suspected cases". 28 persons have had direct contact to persons possibly infected with the corona virus. 41 persons are currently in "domestic isolation", which means they are in voluntary quarantine at home. According to the head of the health department, Dieter Schmitz, among these 41 persons are not only those connected to the cases in Bornheim and Königswinter, but also persons who have been identified as contact persons by health authorities in other municipalities.

When asked, Meilicke confirmed that the progression of the disease seems to be significantly faster in smokers. The virologist Christian Drosten, who co-discovered the Sars virus, said on the Maybrit Illner talk show a few days ago that smoking increases the risk of severe cases. However, the websites of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) do not (yet) give any indication of the effects of smoking on Covid-19 disease, although Bonn virologist Hendrick Streeck suspects a connection between smoking and a severe progression of the illness. Still, Streeck also emphasizes that this is neither virologically nor epidemiologically proven.

Meanwhile, a Königswinter father was infected, as reported, at his workplace in Bonn. His immediate colleague from the Rheinisch-Bergisch district has also tested positive for the corona virus. The press office of the city of Bergisch-Gladbach reports that he had contact with two persons from that district and they have been identified and are being monitored. Another five people from Bonn and Cologne have been referred to the responsible health authorities. According to the city, the man stated that he had neither been active in carnival nor had he attended other events. The origin of his infection is not known at this time, but the district reported that the kindergartens and schools where the children of the 38-year-old attend have also been informed. Information was not given out as to which schools or kindergartens they were.

At the press conference, Meilicke pointed out that a particularly strong wave of influenza is making the work of the health authorities and medical professionals in the region more difficult. In his opinion, this is the strongest wave in ten years. At present, 175 cases of influenza have been registered in the Rhein-Sieg district alone. Meanwhile, District Administrator Sebastian Schuster has also informed the parliamentary groups in the district council about the current situation. A special meeting of the district health committee has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 24.

As of Friday evening, here was the situation with coronavirus cases in both Bonn and Rhine-Sieg. On Saturday, February 29, it was announced that a Bonn university student, who works at a school in Poppelsdorf looking after children in the afternoon, was infected with the virus. He had celebrated carnival in Heinsberg and probably got infected there.

A Bornheim woman was also infected. She was probably got the virus during a two-day seminar in Düsseldorf, because sitting next to her at a table was a woman who had celebrated carnival in Heinsberg. On Thursday, the Rhine-Sieg District reported a case of corona virus in a man from Königswinter, who was probably infected at his workplace in Bonn by a man from the Bergisches Land. That man from the Rheinisch-Bergisch district was also reported as having a confirmed case of the virus. He works with the man from Königswinter at a Bonn company. A connection to Heinsberg has not been established.

A new case of the coronavirus became known in Bonn on Friday evening. Bonn International School reported an infection confirmed in one student in a press release put out by Bonn International School on Friday evening. According to the school management, all parents and staff were informed immediately. The school is expected to remain closed until March 23. "Teaching is to be continued via an online learning portal", said director Patricia Baier.

(Orig. text: Dylan Cem Akalin; Translation: ck)