Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 1:53 PM
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The coronavirus is on the rise in Europe. After reaching European countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Germany, it seems a matter of time before the virus is diagnosed in someone in the Netherlands.
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“I expect that will happen this week,” says Alex Friedrich, RUG professor and microbiologist at the UMCG. He has daily contact with other Dutch hospitals and healthcare specialists abroad about the corona virus.
‘We have come to the moment when we have to act. I suspect that there are already people in the Netherlands with the corona virus. We just haven’t noticed it yet. It is a matter of time before we have a case here. “
Consult with management
Friedrich talks to the UMCG management on Thursday about the state of affairs regarding the corona virus. The Groningen hospital has plans ready in case. The staff has received extensive instructions on how to act.
If we pull everything out of here, we would also find the virus
With every development in the outbreak of the corona virus, the scripts are examined again. This is now done several times a day.
Less waiting
The microbiologist believes that the Netherlands should be a little less cautious about the corona virus.
“In Italy and other European countries, they have now also switched policy. Since the detection of infections, they have started actively tracking people down. They really pull everything out of the closet. If we were to do that here, we would also find the virus. If all the countries around you have infections, you can hardly prevent it. “
Illness symptoms
The corona virus causes flu-like symptoms. A large proportion of patients have upper respiratory tract complaints. Risk groups are people with reduced resistance, for example the elderly.
There is no vaccine yet, but many pharmacists are working on it. Once those vaccines are available, they still have to be tested extensively. Only then can they enter the market. That will take months according to the RIVM.
Also read:
– Dollard College still puts a stop to Rome trip
– GGD doctor: ‘Much uncertain about coronavirus, but we are prepared’
– No products due to the corona virus; how do companies cope with this?
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