For example, there are signs that carnival accelerated virus spread in the regions of Tilburg, Loon op Zand, Breda, Prinsenbeek and Uden. Kluytmans, who works at the Amphia Hospital in Breda, calls these hot spots as regards the number of contamination cases in Brabant. There are relatively many corona patients there. However, with regard to the role of carnival, he nuances: “To really substantiate that, you need hard evidence. We don’t have that yet, but we do have solid indications. ”
In recent weeks, the role of carnival has been more often associated with Brabant, which houses the most corona cases in the Netherlands. Not only have most people tested positive here, but the number of hospital and ICU admissions is higher here than elsewhere in the country.
Carnival symptoms for carnival
The research conducted by Kluytmans and other researchers shows that two positively tested hospital staff had the coronavirus “with high probability” as early as the week before Carnival. “People started celebrating carnival with minor complaints such as coughing and snivelling. In full tents, of course, a virus can be quickly transmitted, ”says Kluytmans.
At the beginning of March, 1100 hospital employees with mild complaints were tested for the coronavirus. On March 12, it became clear that 86 had been tested positive. Researchers, including Kluytmans, analyzed the tests and complaints that employees indicated to have.
Seven of them said they had mild complaints before the first corona infection was officially diagnosed in our country on February 27. The coronavirus was therefore probably earlier in the Netherlands and that is, according to Kluytmans, “not so surprising”. “It must be very strange if the first patient who tested positive was actually the first person with the coronavirus,” he says.
Comforting
The study also shows that people who were infected did not always suffer from serious complaints, such as shortness of breath or fever. It was mainly mild complaints that positively tested hospital staff had to contend with. They thought they had a common cold and some just went to work.
Kluytmans states that the many mild cases are “reassuring.” “We initially looked at a virus with high mortality rates. But that does not seem to be the case with our employees. Many infected people seem to remain under the radar, which is a positive sign. The larger this group, the greater the herd immunity we strive for. ”
Mass testing
Kluytmans says he cannot give an estimate of how many people actually have (had) the virus. “You can investigate this by testing massively for antibodies in the blood. But these tests are not yet widely available. These are things that we will investigate in the near future. ”
However, Kluytmans warns against too much optimism. The coronavirus may be relatively harmless for many young people, but for those who are old and vulnerable, the coronavirus is extremely annoying. “We must therefore continue to ensure that this does not spread out of control.”
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