The increasing number of diagnosed corona infections in the Netherlands is likely to lead to more admissions to intensive care units in four or five weeks. That’s what Professor Andreas Voss said This is the Day on NPO Radio 1.
Voss, professor of Infection Prevention in Nijmegen and a member of the Outbreak Management Team, emphasizes that there is no cause for alarm. “This increase was expected after the release of the lockdown,” he says. He speaks of “a bump” and not of the dreaded second wave. He does not expect that until the flu season arrives, in winter.
RIVM reported today on the corona dashboard 144 positive tests, there were 127 yesterday. Such numbers had not occurred in a month. Most infections today are in the 20 to 40 years (34 percent) category, followed by 40 to 60 years (32 percent), 0 to 20 years (19 percent), and 60 to 80 years (13 percent). In the 80+ category, three people were tested positive, or 2 percent.
Parties
“It is mainly about young people,” says Voss. “Teenagers and young adults. They too often get close to each other, go to parties.” He points out that young people do not usually get very ill from the coronavirus, although the long-term consequences for them are not yet clear.
The infections among young people can indirectly lead to a peak in the ICs, Voss calculates. “In two or three weeks you will also see more infections among the somewhat older generation, ie their parents. And they have a chance of ending up in IC two or three weeks later.”
Voss emphasizes that people with complaints should really have themselves tested. “The virus is still there and is waiting for the chance to infect new people.”
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