Statements of the National Institute for Health and Environment (RIVM) in The Netherlands via its official twitter account about the coronavirus (Jan. 22 – Mar. 15, 2020)
Jan. 22, 2020: The coronavirus is hitting mostly the city of Wuhan in China. We keep a close eye on the situation and take measures in case there is a patient in The Netherlands. Incidentally, that chance currently seems small.
Jan. 24, 2020: We are in close contact with other organizations, such as the WHO and ECDC. With what is now known, the disease doesn’t seem very contagious.
Jan. 26, 2020: It is possible that the virus also comes to The Netherlands but it is unlikely to spread here.
Jan. 28, 2020: With what is now known, the disease does not seem very contagious. Nor does the disease appear to be easily transmitted from person to person.
Feb. 3, 2020: We are very well prepared should the virus show up here. It’s not necessary to expand our testing capacity (dozen per day) at the moment.
Feb. 11, 2020: People can also have the virus without showing any symptoms, but only when they get sick can they infect others. Someone without symptoms can not spread it.
Feb. 14, 2020: The head of the Center for National Coordination of Infectious Disease Control explains why we do not have to worry about COVID-19
Feb. 21, 2020: You don’t have to worry. If the virus arrives in the Netherlands, we will report it immediately on our website
Feb. 24, 2020: There is sufficient capacity to admit critically ill patients to intensive care (IC).
Feb. 25, 2020: With what we now know, the virus is indeed a bit like the common flu.
Feb. 27, 2020: The first patient with COVID-19 was diagnosed tonight in The Netherlands.
Mar. 2, 2020: There is no need to close the schools at the moment.
Mar. 5, 2020: There is no need to avoid or cancel any big events / festivals at the moment.
Mar. 12, 2020: At the moment, the death rate in the country does not seem worrying.
Mar. 15, 2020: The government is taking measures to tackle the coronavirus.
The latest figures for The Netherlands
Tweets were gathered by Elsevier Weekblad (Dutch)
Infographic by @jodigraphics15
