Of the more than 80,000 people who are infected with the corona virus worldwide, around 3,000 have died. The virus and the COVID-19 disease can therefore be fatal, but cure is also possible. More than 30,000 people are now better again.
Worldwide ill due to coronavirus
Since December 2019, a new coronavirus has been causing the COVID-19 disease. People with COVID-19 get a fever, have a cough and can be short of breath. The disease can also lead to death.
European infections
The first corona infections occur in the Chinese region of Wuhan, after which it spreads rapidly across China. The rest of the world does not follow much later. It also makes people sick in Europe, and particularly in Italy. Currently, there is a ban on entry and exit in 10 northern Italian municipalities where the virus was found and COVID-19 has also been detected in humans in the Austrian and Swiss border areas. In addition to Italy, Austria and Switzerland, people in these European countries have also been infected: Croatia, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Finland and Sweden.
Coronavirus in the Netherlands
On Thursday, February 27, 2020, it will be announced that there is also a first patient in the Netherlands. This is a 56-year-old man from Loon op Zand and he is in the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital in Tilburg. The man was admitted to hospital on Wednesday and is in an isolated ward. Last week he would have celebrated carnival in Tilburg, but during a press conference on 28 February 2020, the mayor of Tilburg announced that the man was not contagious during carnival. Furthermore, the patient is doing well under circumstances, and home insulation is being considered. According to RIVM, the patient recently visited the northern Italian region of Lombardy.
Patient from Amsterdam
On Friday, February 28, it is announced that a second patient with COVID-19 has been diagnosed. It is a resident of Amsterdam and she also visited Lombardy (Italy) last week. The patient has mild symptoms and has no link with the first patient. The woman is in home insulation in Diemen, because her house is being renovated in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Municipal Health Service (GGD) maps out who this patient has been in contact with through contact investigations. The woman works at the Amsterdam UMC, at the AMC location. She does not do patient-related work there, the hospital says. The chance of infection in the hospital is therefore small. The hospital also reports that the patient still worked in the hospital on Thursday. She has been in contact with “about 20” people there. Those people have since been informed and have received instructions. A hospital spokeswoman cannot say whether these people are still being tested.
In a short film, RIVM explains how a contact investigation proceeds after a patient has been diagnosed with an infectious disease:
Research into contacts with Dutch patients
While a patient is being isolated, the GGDs are investigating who he or she has been in contact with. These people are checked for possible symptoms of disease. If they have it, they too will be isolated. Such contact research makes it easy for new patients to be found and the spread of the disease to be prevented, according to the video. Anja Schreijer explains the head of the GGD team leader and infectious diseases doctor in Amsterdam as follows: “We will call all those people and ask them to keep a close eye on their health for 2 weeks and to report for symptoms. If someone is infected, the entire protocol starts again. “
Government opens information number
Central government is opening an information number where people can go with questions about the new corona virus. Minister Bruno Bruins (Medical Care) reports this. According to the minister there are many questions about the corona virus. Much information can already be found on the website of the central government, but those who would like someone on the line can visit the public information number 0800-1351 during the afternoon.
Not necessarily deadly
Not all Europeans who have been infected with the corona virus are in critical condition. This can be seen, for example, on the interactive map that accurately tracks the American John Hopkins University. This map shows exactly how much and where the infections were observed. It is also stated how many people died and how many people were healed.
If you look at this card, you will see that the infected people in Finland, Sweden and Belgium have already recovered. In France the virus has been found on 14 people and 11 people have since recovered. In Great Britain, 8 out of 13 people with COVID-19 are now better again.
People heal further away from home. The 3 COVID-19 patients from India are now better again and the virus has disappeared in Vietnam too. In Australia the virus seems to be on its way again.
Precautionary measures
Although the virus can in principle be cured, caution is of course recommended. Against better knowledge traveling to northern Italy is not so wise, just to mention an example. Wearing a mouth cap just in case it makes little sense. In the video at the top of this article, Dr. Ted explains why.
It is useful to wash your hands more often and sneeze or cough in your elbow. This will not prevent a corona virus infection, but it will reduce the chance.
Doctor Ted is on Friday, February 28, 2020 at Time for MAX to talk about this topic. He then answers questions via the Facebook page of Tijd voor MAX.
(Source: RIVM, John Hopkins University, Ministry of the Interior, ANP)
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