RIVM: growth of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands is declining

All praise and say hallelujah! We don’t have a real religious standpoint here, but lordy be we will praise the stroopwafel god for this: the coronavirus outbreak may be starting to be contained. 

At least, according to Jaap van Dissel, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Control (CIB) of RIVM — and that sounds like a pretty fancy title so we’re kind of inclined to trust him.

In a briefing with the House of Representatives this morning Van Dissel said that the measures taken to manage the outbreak have caused the outbreak to start to level off. He even said we’re seeing a “positive trend” — you hear that? Positive!

READ MORE: Good news: the first Dutch coronavirus patient has fully recovered and returned to work

Alright, alright, we won’t get our hopes too high, because he also said that this is an estimate. According to the current figures, the number of patients who infects another person is one, or less. Before, most patients transmitted the virus to at least two other people. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: progress.

Van Dissel toont een hoopgevende grafiek: het aantal corona-patiënten opgenomen in het ziekenhuis neemt al een paar dagen af. pic.twitter.com/UZ8P1ZFKQm

— Marieke v/d Zilver (@mvdz_) March 25, 2020

The outbreak has probably also levelled “because not all hospitalized patients are tested”. But, according to Van Dissel, even taking this into account it’s looking good. “The exponential growth of the outbreak is therefore likely to halt.” That will give hospitals a fighting chance at taking care of very sick patients.

What now?

Let’s reiterate: this doesn’t mean that we’ll necessarily see fewer infections anytime soon. It just means those who are infected are likely infecting fewer people. It could take a while before this is reflected in daily statistics.

READ MORE: Coronavirus in the Netherlands: all you need to know (updated daily)

So does that mean you should rip open your front door and go party in a nightclub? Nah mate. Let’s be clear: there is a positive trend only because of the measures in place. We all have to keep doing our part to stay at home and #FlattenTheCurve. Then, we’ll (hopefully) keep seeing progress.

Are you happy to hear the news that staying at home isn’t necessarily in vain? Tell us in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow DutchReview on Facebook for all the information (good and bad) about coronavirus in the Netherlands.