Man diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Netherlands
A man has been diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Netherlands and is receiving hospital care at the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis (ETZ) in Tilburg. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) confirmed the diagnosis after carrying out laboratory tests. The man had recently returned from the Lombardy region in Italy and was immediately placed in isolation at the hospital. The municipal health service (GGD) is tracing anyone who may have come into contact with him.
The virus can be spread via air droplets, released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. To prevent the further spread of the virus in the Netherlands, the municipal health services (GGD) are working with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) to trace anyone who has been in close contact with him. These people will be monitored and must take their temperatures twice daily, reporting the readings to the GGD in their area. They must also report any symptoms that may develop. These measures reduce the likelihood that the virus will spread further in the Netherlands.
RIVM experts are staying alert to any potential new infections and always ensure the same protocol is applied: isolating the patient, tracing anyone they may have been in close contact with and carrying out continued monitoring.
Symptoms include fever, shortness of breath and coughing. COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or new coronavirus. Anyone who in the last 14 days has come from an area where COVID-19 is widespread (such as China and South Korea, but also some municipalities in Italy) and who develops a fever and a cough or shortness of breath can be tested for the virus. Doctors can also request that anyone who has been in contact with a COVID-19 patient be tested.