Two contacts of existing patient test positive for COVID-19

Last night, two direct contacts of an already confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) patient, a woman currently in isolation in Diemen, tested positive for the virus. The woman had been in the Italian region of Lombardy. Because the municipal health service (GGD) in Amsterdam immediately started tracing people who had come into contact with the woman, these two new cases were rapidly identified. All the people who the two new patients had been in close contact with are now also being traced.

The GGD in Amsterdam yesterday got in touch with contacts of the woman in Diemen, who remains in home isolation. Because some of these contacts had symptoms that could point to COVID-19 they were put in isolation and tested for the virus. They were not permitted to leave their homes. The partner and youngest child of the first woman tested positive for the virus. They will also spend the coming period in home isolation. The remaining contacts all tested negative for the virus. Over the next 13 days they need to keep a check on their health. If they show possible COVID-19 symptoms (fever and respiratory problems) they will be tested.

Experts from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) 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.

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 GGD is working with RIVM to trace anyone who has been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients. These people will be monitored and must take their temperatures twice daily, reporting the readings to the GGD in their area. These measures reduce the likelihood that the virus will spread further in the Netherlands.