The number of cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) is also still growing in the Netherlands. Chances are, therefore, that you are increasingly concerned about the risk you are taking, especially if you are not feeling well. Fortunately, the chance that you will indeed contract the disease is still quite small, especially if you have not had direct contact with someone who is infected and have not been to areas where many more people are already infected with the virus. Nevertheless, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now advised all countries in the world to test as many people as possible for infection with the corona virus. Unfortunately, performing such a test takes quite a lot of time and there is now a threat of a shortage of the necessary equipment and experts to be able to conduct the tests. In the Netherlands, therefore, for the time being, only people who have serious symptoms and need to be hospitalized will be officially tested for infection with the coronavirus. If you feel very ill, for example if you have a high fever and difficulty breathing, or if you think you may have been exposed to the coronavirus, call your doctor and ask if he or she thinks you can be tested. If the doctor thinks you are indeed at risk, he or she can try to arrange for you to be admitted and, if available, have you tested. In this article you can read how a test for the coronavirus works. It is also possible that you live in an area outside the Netherlands where the possibilities to be tested are even greater.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Know if you qualify for a test
Step 1. Determine if you have a fever
Most people diagnosed with COVID-19 have had a fever. You have a fever if your body temperature is higher than your normal body temperature. Your average body temperature is 37ºC, but your normal temperature may be slightly higher or lower. The most accurate way to tell if you have a fever is with a fever thermometer, but symptoms such as sweating, chills, muscle aches, weakness, or dehydration can also indicate that you have a fever.
- If you are an adult and your temperature is 39ºC or higher, call your doctor right away.
- For babies up to three months old, call the pediatrician or child health center immediately if their temperature is 38ºC or higher, or if your child is between 6 months and 2 years old, if your child is between 6 months and 2 years old, it is 38.8ºC or higher.
- Always call the doctor if you have children who are older than two and who have a fever for more than three days, whether or not in combination with other symptoms.
Step 2. Look for symptoms that indicate you may have a respiratory condition
The most common symptoms of the coronavirus are coughing and difficulty breathing. Other symptoms may include a stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat and extreme tiredness. However, these symptoms can all have other causes. It is therefore important that you do not immediately panic if you have one or more of these symptoms.
Did you already know this?
About 80% of all cases of COVID-19 are so mild that special medical treatment is not necessary. On the other hand, if you are older or have other medical conditions, such as heart problems, diabetes, or high blood pressure, you are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus.
Step 3. Check whether you are at high risk of being infected with the coronavirus
Just like in the rest of Europe, the risk of infection with COVID-19 is currently also increasing in the Netherlands. You are certainly at risk if you have been to a country that has been previously affected by the disease, or if you have been in close contact with someone who has symptoms or has tested positive for infection. Even so, even if you meet one or both of these criteria, but don't show any symptoms of the disease within two weeks, there's still a pretty good chance that you won't be infected.
The areas hardest hit by COVID-19 were initially China, Iran, Japan and South Korea, but the center of the outbreak has now moved to Europe. The worst affected countries in Europe so far have been Italy and Spain, but measures have now been taken all over Europe, including the Netherlands, to limit the further spread of the virus
Step 4. Find out if you could have another illness
The fact that you are sick does not automatically mean that you do indeed have the coronavirus. If there are no reported cases of infections in your area and you have not been abroad recently, there is still a good chance that your symptoms are caused by a normal flu or cold, and not by the coronavirus.
For example, if you have a colleague who has recently had the flu, there is a much higher chance that you also just have the flu, instead of COVID-19
Step 5. If you think you may be infected with the coronavirus, call your doctor
If you have a fever and difficulty breathing, and you have reason to believe that you have been in contact with the virus, call your doctor and ask if you can come by. By calling in advance you warn the doctor and the rest of the staff in the practice, so that they can take the necessary measures to ensure that no one else gets infected. Your doctor can also tell you what to do next over the phone.
The doctor will probably not be able to test you for the coronavirus himself. In the Netherlands, he or she can at most, in serious cases, have you admitted to hospital. Outside the Netherlands, you may be referred to a laboratory to have a test performed
Part 2 of 2: Getting the test done in a lab
Step 1. If you are somewhere where you can get yourself tested in a lab, go to the lab designated by your doctor
In some countries tests are still performed at home or even in special 'drive-thru' test locations, but in the Netherlands people are currently only tested in hospital to save time, resources and personnel. Below you can see how a test in a laboratory works, if you are somewhere where you can be tested for the coronavirus in a laboratory.
- Make sure you get to the lab on time.
- Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, there are no special instructions you should follow before the test.
Step 2. Have the lab technician or lab technician take a swab from your nose and throat
To test someone for infection with the coronavirus, a swab is taken from the nasopharynx (nose) and the oropharynx (throat). While taking the swabs, try to lie as still as possible while the technician swabs a small amount of material from your nose and throat for testing.
To make the swab, the technician will hold a cotton swab all the way to the back of your nose and throat for five to ten seconds. This can feel a bit annoying
Step 3. Provide a sputum sample if they ask you to
If you cough up phlegm, the lab may ask you for a sputum sample. To do this, you must first rinse your mouth with water and then cough up some mucus and then spit it into a sterile collection cup.
Very occasionally, when someone is very short of breath, a sputum sample is taken by injecting a saline solution into the patient's lungs, but if you only have mild symptoms this is in principle not necessary
Step 4. Wait for the results
After they have collected the samples from you, the laboratory will pack the material and send it to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) for research. You usually get the result the next day.
The original lab may do another test on you first to determine if you may have another respiratory condition. If they determine that you have another illness, they can immediately rule out infection with the coronavirus. Keep in mind that the guidelines may change as more research is done and we learn more about the coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease
Step 5. If the result of the test is positive, follow the instructions of the doctor
There is currently no cure or treatment plan for infection with the coronavirus, but your doctor can prescribe a treatment to relieve the symptoms and prevent them from getting worse. Therefore, carefully follow all instructions from the doctor.
If your symptoms get worse, such as if you have severe breathing problems, your doctor may have you hospitalized so you can get more intensive, supervised treatment
Step 6. Take all necessary precautions to avoid spreading the disease further
If you are sick, stay home except to see your doctor. Try to isolate yourself from the rest of your roommates as much as possible by staying in a separate room. If you have to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or tissue and throw it away immediately.
- Wash your hands very regularly with soap and water and also keep all surfaces in the house that are frequently touched as clean as possible. In this way you ensure that the chance that your housemates become infected is as small as possible.
- If you are indeed infected, wear a face mask to prevent you from transmitting the virus to others. Just don't count on a mouth cap to protect you against the virus if you're healthy.
Warning:
If you are infected, and until more is known about COVID-19 and the coronavirus, try to have as little physical contact with your pets as possible, in case it turns out that the disease can be passed from person to animal.