Now that the coronavirus has also emerged in the Netherlands, the question arises: are we prepared for a pandemic?
Every country has the scenario ready in the form of its pandemic protocol. In the Netherlands, RIVM is responsible for this, together with the GGDs. The WHO does not yet officially speak of a pandemic, but warns that we should take it into account.
The following happens here in the Netherlands in the event of a pandemic:
- There will be exceptional isolate places where contaminated patients are thought about.
- There must be rules for the treatment of patients.
- There will be criteria for who is admitted to the clinic and who isn’t.
As soon as there is a vaccine, it is recorded who will be the first to receive it.
Special team
A so-called Outbreak Management Team (OMT) is now working at RIVM. It contains scientists and specialized doctors who know a lot about combating infectious diseases. They discuss how to deal with an outbreak and advise the Ministry of Health on how to combat it.
