Attention Istanbul residents! 'Social distancing should be maintained in public transport'

The rise in upper respiratory tract infection cases in Istanbul has caused concern. Istanbul Provincial Health Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Emre Güner pointed out that the source of the increase is seasonal and warned citizens.

Güner stated, “The situation we need to pay attention to here involves our elderly and citizens who cannot leave their homes, whom we call sensitive and disadvantaged groups. With the opening of schools, we have the potential to face an infection transmission that is tracked alongside our children.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güner explained that the pandemic taught them how important hand washing and hygiene are, noting that this habit should not be lost and that citizens should be diligent about the matter.

Stating that colds and common cold symptoms increase in the city during cold weather, Güner said, “We are currently generally encountering influenza in Istanbul. Besides this, we may be facing viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infections that we see every year.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güner noted the following regarding upper respiratory tract infections:

“Upper respiratory tract infections are seen in the elderly as well as the young. These infections are seen at high rates in children due to higher contact and their inability to acquire the habit of protecting themselves, but we do not expect very high morbidity in children.

We also do not expect very significant damage in adults, but viruses can be dangerous for people with comorbidities, cancer patients, those bedridden at home, and those with suppressed immune systems, and may require hospitalization.
Since autumn, we have taken our precautions by increasing our chest diseases and infectious diseases units and wards. We have also taken our precautions regarding intensive care units. We are trying to get through this winter and spring, a period when infections and transmissions increase, with the least amount of damage.”

Emphasizing that they track disease statistics in hospitals day by day, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güner stated, “We have a Public Health Infectious Diseases unit for this. We are constantly monitoring by operating an early warning system regarding a possible pandemic or outbreak with our experts. Although there is a seasonal increase in upper respiratory tract infections in Istanbul compared to last year, we are not facing any threatening situation compared to the previous year.”

In the continuation of his remarks, Güner issued the following warnings:

"We do not have a situation that will create a crisis, but the most important point here is that our elderly should have received their flu and pneumococcal vaccines before the spring months arrive.

Our elderly who have received these vaccines are currently spending the winter months much more comfortably. What we ask of our citizens is to ventilate their homes frequently. Ventilating homes is of great importance in the fight against viral infections.
Along with this, we need to pay attention to social distancing in public transport. We are explaining the importance of hygiene and hand washing to our children in schools.”