Here is information on how to manage COVID-19 (Coronavirus, new Coronavirus, SAR-COV-2) infection.

How to recognise symptoms?

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 infection are: fever/feverish feeling, dry cough, difficulty breathing (e.g. while walking), chronic fatigue.

Less common symptoms in COVID-19 infection: sore throat, feeling cold, muscle or joint pain, loss of smell or taste, headache, chest pain or irritation

What to do if you suspect the presence of these symptoms?

IMPORTANT! If you or another person living in the same household in your home who shows symptoms described above, the advice is to enter home quarantine with all the residents of the house. In this case, it is not advisable to go out to shop or receive visitors. If the symptoms have stopped for 36 hours, you can go out of the house, but we recommend that you stay at home for up to 14 days to avoid infecting other people.

Most of the time the symptoms are mild and the treatment consists of rest and rest at home. Fever can be treated with paracetamol. Antibiotics are often NOT necessary, and are only administered on the prescription of a Dutch doctor.

It is recommended that you contact your family doctor (during working hours 8-17) either doktersdienst (family doctor on call, outside working hours and on weekends, in your area), in the following situations:

  • have a high fever (>39 degrees Celsius) for more than 3 days
  • you have difficulty breathing that does not improve over the course of a day, with little physical exertion (for example during walking or normal household activities)
  • you are over 70 years old and suffer from chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, oncological problems, etc.)

WARNING! Always call your doctor first, don't go to the office in person!

You can call the emergency number (112) only in immediately life-threatening situations (respiratory failure, asthma attack, loss of consciousness).

If you have any questions about the new coronavirus pandemic, you can call the national hotline provided by the Dutch government:
     0800 1351 (for calls from the Netherlands)
     +31 202051351 (for calls from outside the Netherlands)

Sources:
www.thuisarts.nl
https://www.rivm.nl/coronavirus/covid-19/

Rompro Facebook group for support and help Friends of ROMPRO. We have tried to make a list of useful links and information from the Netherlands for everyone.

1. Firstly, it is important to have a medical insurancealthough more and more countries around the world are giving assurances that they will try to treat everyone within the limits of the equipment and staff available in hospitals. A list of the most important insurance companies in the Netherlands can be found at this link: https://www.zorgverzekering.org/eng/insurance-companies/

2. It's important to try to isolate ourselves as much as possible during this period. That's why it's a good idea to stock up on supplies and go to supermarket as little as possible. No, toilet paper doesn't help us much more than blowing our noses at best in case we run out of tissues in case of illness. Also, try not to take foods that spoil in large quantities but also non-perishable foods, especially if you see that there are only a few pieces of each left on the shelf. We need to look out for others too, especially as some are more vulnerable. You can find a list of supermarkets that deliver to your home here. Cooked food can also be delivered by several companies. Find the list here.

3. Stock of medicines is another important issue people are thinking about these days. Although there is no concrete cure for the virus it is possible to treat its symptoms, outlined above. We can stock up on Paracetamol (I know I've always laughed at the Dutch fondness for this remedy but this time it really is recommended by the experts).

You can also buy cough syrup, nasal drops/spray, antipyretics. Don't forget that all these medicines, which don't require a doctor's prescription, can be ordered from most supermarkets that deliver to your home. Add the necessary medicines to your shopping basket. One of the useful apps for home delivery of medicines is here. Other pharmacies that deliver to your home are: apotheke-online or a list of online pharmacies.

4. Last but not least, don't forget the vulnerable. You may have neighbours, friends, acquaintances who need you for shopping or to get to the doctor. We can help them in 2 different ways:

  1. We try to come into physical contact with them as little as possible to avoid contaminating them. It is best to keep in regular contact with them by phone or from a distance of 3 metres.
  2. We help them with the delivery of the food and medicine they need. Many may not know how to order online or don't have an active card. We try to ask questions to find out how we can help them concretely. If we decide to do their shopping for them ourselves, it may be best to leave it at the door so that we have as little contact with them as possible.

It doesn't matter if your neighbours are of a different nationality. Humanity can go through this together. Take care of your health!

5. If you want to travel to Romania or any other country, make sure of the travel conditions for the destination country and transit countries. At the time of writing, many countries had institutionalised quarantine on entry, or limited transit, under police escort and at certain times.

Useful links

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1 Comments

  • Ileana
    Posted 18 March 2020 07:23 0Likes

    Thanks Beautiful for the information. Stay at Home ????????????

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