Decline, Thursday, February 27. Rob (57) and Monic (55) are lying on the couch watching television. They have a fever and are each under their own fleece blanket. On television is a broadcast dedicated to the corona virus. The then Minister Bruins reads a note. The first infection with the dreaded virus in the Netherlands is a fact. It is a man who has visited carnival in Tilburg. “Immediately we looked at each other,” says Rob. “It won’t be true, will it? What had we done the weekend before? Carnival celebrated in Tilburg! “
Three days later, Rob himself is national news. He is the first corona patient in Drenthe. More than a day later, his wife Monic also appears to be infected. Rob is especially in a bad condition. He has a high fever, muscle aches and is exhausted. The days after that it only gets worse. The man in his fifties sweats enormously and feels enormous pressure behind his eyes. Toilet visit is just succeeding, with the support of his wife. No one is welcome in the house except the doctor. When she comes to visit, she wears a mask and is wrapped from head to toe.
“Every year to the carnival in Tilburg. Tradition’
The couple is originally from Tilburg. Every year the couple visits the carnival in the birthplace with their now grown-up children. “Tradition,” says Monic. “My sister from Almere comes with her husband and children and we all stay with my parents.”
This was also the case this year. The weather left much to be desired and for that reason the parade was canceled. But that didn’t spoil the family’s fun. When he returned to Dalen, Rob in particular did not feel very well. ,, I paid little attention to it. After three days of partying, it is not surprising that you feel a little broke in your fifties. “
On the Tuesday after Carnival, Rob just went to work as a production manager at Bannink Golfkarton in Coevorden. “That went well. The next day I had to go to the hospital in Hardenberg for an interview. Because of coughing complaints, I had previously had a lung examination. Because I started to feel less and less fit, I decided to report sick. The next day, so Thursday, Monic returned from her work at the energy company ENGIE in Zwolle with serious flu complaints and we were both home sick. And then we saw that broadcast in the evening in which the first corona infection in the Netherlands was announced. “
“The first thing I thought of was Monic’s parents and my own mother.”
Because the carnival in Tilburg was explicitly mentioned, the couple all alarm bells rang. After consultation with the GGD, the GP took tests from Rob, who now had a fever of 39.5 degrees. On Sunday afternoon, March 1, it is clear: the resident of Dalen is infected with the coronavirus. “The first thing I thought of was Monic’s parents and my own mother in Tilburg. All people over eighty who we had visited in Tilburg. They may not survive such a disease. Fortunately, it later turned out that they did not contract the virus. “
The same was true for all family members who celebrated carnival in Tilburg. Except for Monic, Rob’s wife, whose body temperature had also risen to 39.5 degrees. Later it turned out that several colleagues of Rob at Bannink Corrugated Board were also infected.
“When I heard this, I felt guilty at first. Later that feeling ebbed away again. I did not want this and could not help it. “All contacts the couple had recently had were accurately portrayed. No one was tested positive at the Monic company in Zwolle. ,, As a precaution, the management decided that the people in my department should work from home for two weeks. So that was before the government officially required it. “
“Be careful and follow regulations and advice from experts”
Rob did not have to go to hospital for treatment. He recovered with a lot of codeine and paracetamol after ten days. His wife was fever free again after about five days. They are still tired quickly and suddenly have a very bad condition. But they are happy that the virus is out of their body. ,, The complaints could have been even worse, but it was really horrible. Much worse than just a flu. “
In Brabant, almost everyone now knows someone who has or has had the coronavirus. “In the Northern Netherlands, the number of infections is still relatively low. Maybe that’s why there are people here who think they are not at much risk and that things are not so bad. Well, it doesn’t. We therefore call on people to exercise caution and adhere strictly to expert regulations and advice. In your own interest, but also in the interest of people around you who may be a lot more vulnerable. “
“Soon a lot of apps, also from journalists from all over the country”
The couple was surprised how quickly it became known that Rob was the first corona patient in Drenthe. “Even before the press conference of Mayor Bert Bouwmeester van Coevorden ended, I received the first apps. And after that it kept going on with messages, also from journalists from all over the country. The mayor had not mentioned my name, but the statement that it was a middle-aged man from Dalen who had attended carnival in Tilburg apparently was enough information for many people. “
Not everyone received a response via the app. “We were physically unable to respond to everything.” The couple is moved by the help that came from the immediate vicinity. “Our dog Diesel had to be walked. People from the neighborhood did that. We let Diesel walk in the backyard and neighbors took her out for a walk. Meals, pans with soup and flowers were also placed at the door. Very sweet. “” The doctor and the GGD also receive a compliment. “No effort was too much for them.”
“Unbelievable, it has become silent everywhere”
Monic went out for the first time last week, Rob did this this week. It was immediately clear to them that the coronavirus not only turned their lives upside down. “Unbelievable, it has become quiet everywhere. You hardly hear any noise anywhere and there are far fewer cars on the road. “The couple is afraid that the number of actual infections is considerably higher than is currently known. “The corona virus was found in Coevorden during an investigation in the sewage water. Will that really be because of the fifteen infections that are now known there? I hope so, but I’m afraid not. “
At the request of the couple, only their given names are used in this article.
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