Three new patients were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 1st, bringing the number of coronavirus patients in the Netherlands to ten. One patient was hospitalised in the Beatrix Hospital in Gorinchem. The hospital will be temporarily closed as a precaution.

Patients

Of these three patients, it is not yet known how they became infected. One male patient is from Drenthe and one female patient from Tilburg. Both patients are at home in isolation. How they became infected is currently being investigated. The Municipal Public Health Services (GGD) in question are also tracking down the contacts.
The other female patient was in the Beatrix Hospital in Gorinchem without knowing that she was infected with the coronavirus. The woman has been transferred to the Erasmus Medical Center, where she is being treated in isolation.

Beatrix Hospital

The Beatrix Hospital has taken a number of measures as a precaution. The patient’s contacts, including the care personnel, are being tracked down and monitored by the GGD. Furthermore, the hospital has announced a patient stop.  This means that no new patients will be admitted to this hospital temporarily. In addition, the hospital will also be closed to visitors.

Travellers from areas with coronavirus

People who have been in one of the areas with many coronavirus infections and have symptoms of the common cold or a fever are advised to stay at home. If the symptoms get worse, contact your doctor by telephone. These are people who have been in China, South Korea, Iran, Singapore and North Italy. In Northern Italy, the provinces concerned are the Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino-South Tyrol, Friuli-Julian-Venice, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria.

Restriction for patients' roommates

People who are roommates of either confirmed patients or those who have been at risk should limit their social contacts. This means that these people should not be allowed to work and should leave their house as little as possible.

COVID-19

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can spread through droplets. For example, if someone coughs or sneezes in another person's face. To prevent the disease from spreading further in the Netherlands, the GGD and RIVM track down who has had close contact with the infected patients. These contacts are monitored and have to take their temperature twice a day and report this to the GGD. They must also report any health complaints they have. If they have symptoms that fit novel coronavirus (COVID-19), they are also isolated and tested. Through these measures, we reduce the chance that the disease can spread in the Netherlands.