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A red tent has been set up in Vaassen on the grounds of the fire brigade. Anyone who has a referral drives his car into the tent, where some cheek and nose mucus is then removed with a cotton swab. More than 24 hours later they hear whether they are actually infected with the corona virus.
To or not to work?
Ilse Berends from Hattem is one of the seventeen people who get tested today in Vaassen. She works in care for the disabled and since a week a number of residents have been sick at work. She also has corona-related complaints. “I have to cough, sneeze, catch a cold, headache, fever and have no smell and taste.” She is very concerned. “I’m a lung patient, so I’m afraid the symptoms will get worse.” With a test, she hopes to clarify whether or not she has the virus.
The uncertainty about this entails a difficult choice: do you go to work or not? “It is very difficult. If you have not been tested it is uncertain whether you are sick or not. And you don’t want to make other people sick. And in disability care it is really not possible to keep 1.5 meters away. ‘ Ilse is happy that she is being tested today, although it also brings tension. “Yes, exciting. But fine if I know for sure later. “
Who is eligible for a test?
The test street is intended for healthcare workers outside hospitals. Think of people who work in care for the disabled, a nursing home, a residential care center, district nursing, a general practice or a midwifery practice. In short: professions in which the continuity of care is at stake if the employee cannot go to work.
Healthcare workers with clear complaints can request a test from their company doctor, institutional doctor or general practitioner. The aim of the test streets is that as many employees as possible can continue to work in healthcare. When corona is suspected, people now stay at home. ‘But there are also people who just have a cold or have a mild flu, then you could possibly work,’ says Jan-Willem Brethouwer of the GGD Noord-Oost Gelderland. A test must clarify this.
More testing
The cabinet announced this week that there will be more tests in our country. Healthcare personnel who have direct contact with patients, in particular, should be able to have a test performed quickly. The test streets are located in the supporters’ home of Vitesse, Nijmegen (GGD building) and in fire stations in Vaassen and Zelhem.
About twenty samples were taken on the first test day in Vaassen. The GGD Noord-Oost Gelderland expects this number to increase. “We have the assignment to do 100 tests per day, so in principle we will do 50 here soon and 50 at the other test location in Zelhem.”
Brethouwer expects the drive-ins to be used for at least a few more weeks. “I think we’re going to increase capacity sooner than one, two, three disappear here.”
Also see: Tests for healthcare staff in supporters home Vitesse
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