For complaints that resemble corona symptoms, you can have yourself tested at your local GGD since July. We know that side of the story. But what is it like to take the tests packed from head to toe? We spoke to three so-called sampleers about their experiences.
Divided over 109 test streets, 531 people in the Netherlands were active as samplers last week, says a spokesman for GGD GHOR Netherlands.
The work is warm, during a heat wave. “Putting on clean gloves after each collection can sometimes be very annoying. Try that with clammy hands,” laughs nurse Ingrid van Maanen-Laarakker (52). “Still, we keep the mood going, put on some music and dance nicely Y.M.C.A. We will have to. “
After experiments such as a cold pack vest – “that melted after half an hour and turned into a hot water bottle” – the air conditioning appears to be the best aid. “We have placed the thing in such a way that I keep walking past it during work. And in between I stand in front of it with my arms wide.”
“I am very sorry that the measures are not handled properly.”
Ingrid van Maanen-Laarakker (52)
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‘We can only warn’
For Maanen-Laarakker, sampling is a temporary part-time job in addition to her normal work. She has been on the move for two consecutive weeks now. “I work evenings, nights and weekends as a nurse. So I see people at the test, but also when they end up in hospital. Until the eventual death. Many people really forget the latter at the moment.”
“I am very sorry that the measures are handled badly. I lost my colleague because of COVID-19. Those who demonstrate against the measures have not seen the consequences from close enough,” says the nurse. “But yes, I can’t stop them. All we can do is warn.”
Shorts under the protective suit
Joost Koetsier (22) has time to talk during his 45 minute break. The interruptions have been made longer because of the weather, which is also bad for him. “It’s very warm in the suit and you sweat a lot,” he says. Fortunately, there is now a heat plan, which includes extra drinking breaks, as well as the option to wear shorts under the suit.
“People are happy that they can go somewhere with their complaints.”
Joost Koetsier (22)
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After his internship abroad, Koetsier unexpectedly had nothing to do for the master. He therefore registered as a sampler, and has now been doing the work for a month and a half, four days a week from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. “It is very rewarding work, people are happy that they can go somewhere with their complaints,” he says.
They are sometimes afraid of the test, and that is often due to internet videos. “But yes, they always belong to a person who is doing badly,” says Koetsier. “Many people say afterwards: was that all?” To prepare himself, he also underwent a test himself, to know how it feels. “It was not so bad for me. It feels like you have water in your nose.”
In the morning on the test street, in the afternoon on the phone
Mariska Bavelaar (27) studied health sciences and will start her studies in veterinary medicine in September. She works up to six days a week, alternating testing with call center work for the corona advice line. “I really like that combination. Sometimes I’m on the test street in the morning and on the phone in the afternoon.”
Since she has been taking tests, she has noticed a difference in her own behavior, Bavelaar explains. “There was a period, before I started testing at the beginning of July, when I became less careful myself. Now that I work here I am much more aware of the 1.5 meters distance and wearing a mouth mask. I am going faster anyway. but not to that party. “
“Perhaps it is actually scarier to walk around the supermarket.”
Mariska Bavelaar (27)
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Bavelaar is not frustrated that peers still take that ‘looser’ attitude. “I understand the conflict. If you look at how deadly it is for them, it is not too bad. But it does pose a great danger for many people.”
Is it actually scary to do this work, knowing that you will see people with complaints for hours? “Of course people are potentially infected, but we have all kinds of protocols and protective clothing. I sometimes say: maybe it is actually more scary to walk around the supermarket.”
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