First of all, according to a RIVM spokesperson, it is important to realize that the word research or sample does not fully cover the load. “There is no whole research design,” says RIVM spokesman Harold Wychgel. “We just put the thermometer in.” Clear language.
But what does the research entail?
To understand that, the existing structure of corona distribution research in the Netherlands is important. The sample that is held in hospitals from Saturday largely corresponds to the research that is already being conducted. There are currently laboratories throughout the Netherlands. There are a total of fourteen and they can be divided into upscaling labs (12) and reference labs (2).
Four of those twelve upscaling labs are in Brabant:
- PAMM Foundation in Eindhoven
- Microvida in Roosendaal
- Elisabeth TweeSteden Hospital (Tilburg)
- Jeroen Bosch Hospital (Den Bosch)
The up-scaling labs perform screenings and give an initial indication of whether patients with complaints have the new corona virus.
If such a test is positive, the up-scaling labs send the test data to one of the two RIVM and Erasmus MC reference labs in Rotterdam. According to the RIVM, if the results in one of the reference labs also indicate infection, it is certain: the patient suffers from COVID19, the disease that the new coronavirus transmits, and is contagious. That is then double checked.
If a scaling lab gets busy with tests and many tests prove positive, the RIVM can decide to “scale up” such a lab to a reference lab. In that case a double check is no longer necessary.
The sample among hospitals
On Friday evening, RIVM reported that it will also start from Saturday with a sample of Brabant hospital staff who have complaints. This mainly results in these three questions.
Why hospital staff?
The RIVM would prefer to test all people who are at home with complaints, but that is not feasible with manpower and time. Hospital staff are an ideal group in that respect, because hospitals are easily approachable for RIVM and many hospitals have already gathered information themselves in recent days by testing employees. So much of that data is already there.
What can the hospitals expect?
In principle that is simple: a bell. The RIVM asks the hospitals in Brabant what information they already have with regard to staff, and whether there are employees with complaints. They then receive a test. This process is simple (“we just put the thermometer in”) and cannot be confused with a large-scale investigation. But of course it takes a lot of work to collect all that data.
When will we get the results?
According to RIVM, it is difficult to say how much time it takes to collect all data. The research starts on Saturday and lasts “a few days”. In the meantime, the RIVM will not communicate a result. As soon as it becomes clear afterwards how many infections there are, the RIVM brings this out. Of course the hospitals are informed in time in the case of infections.
Read everything about the corona virus in Brabant on our theme page.
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