Friday, March 13, 2020, 6:00 AM
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THE HAGUE –
Professor Frits Rosendaal is very satisfied with the new measures taken by Minister Bruno Bruins (Public Health). “Social abstinence, working from home and staying home at the first sign of respiratory infections are good steps,” says the head of Clinical Epidemiology at Leiden University. “The goal now is to slow down the virus so that we don’t overload our healthcare system and healthcare providers.”
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Before Minister Bruins announced new measures on Thursday afternoon, Rosendaal was not happy with the government’s policy. “The Netherlands should immediately take stricter measures to limit the number of deaths from the coronavirus,” he said firmly. In the Omroep West radio program Studio Haagse Bluf, Rosendaal further discussed the new measures and the consequences of the corona virus.
Are we now in the next phase of the outbreak?
Yes. That happened. In phase two it is no longer possible to trace the origin of the virus, as is currently the case in North Brabant, for example. Contact research no longer makes sense there, because the virus can no longer be traced back to more than a hundred people.
What is the greatest risk if we do not take extra measures?
Then a lot of people get sick at the same time. A small percentage of these become very ill. A small percentage of many people is still a lot. We have no room for those seriously ill people in hospitals. That is why we must do our best now to spread the peak in the number of infections over a longer period of time.
Are the measures still on time?
I think so. You can argue that the measures should have come sooner, but that does not alter the fact that they are fine measures. Incidentally, these will not have an immediate effect. There is, of course, an incubation period of about a week. We will only see in a while whether these measures have any effect. Then we can see whether the measures need to be adjusted.
The schools are not closed because it would have little effect. It would also prevent healthcare workers from staying at home to care for children. Do you agree with that?
It is a valid point. In healthcare we now certainly need all people, but that also applies to people in other positions. The economy must continue to run. You might be able to close secondary schools because those kids are more independent. It is important that people now look at the measures with common sense. A ban on meetings with a hundred people does not mean that you can go to a party with fifty people without worries. It is sensible if people are strict about this for themselves.
What do you say to people who are now starting to worry?
This disease is more deadly than the flu, that’s true. However, most people are unlikely to get the disease. The people who do get it will not be bothered much. The most important thing is that we now keep the pressure on healthcare as low as possible.
Listen to the complete conversation with Frits Rosendaal below:
ALSO READ: Mapping Coronavirus: see here in which municipalities there are infections
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