Another 10,000 get their own Covid-19 test appointments; Few positive tests

Almost 16 thousand appointments for coronavirus tests were made through the national hotline since it launched on Monday, an increase of about 10 thousand. So far health service GGD tested nearly 9,600 people, 94 of whom tested positive. That means that around 1 percent of tested people had the coronavirus, RTL Nieuws reports.

The hotline, 0800-1202, is meant for people who have symptoms that could indicate an active Covid-19 infection. It is not for a serological test to determine if someone was previously infected. The government hopes that by testing everyone with even the mildest symptoms, they will be able to detect coronavirus outbreaks more quickly and thus take targeted action.

The GGD expects to be able to increase the number of daily tests in the coming days. There are 80 locations across the Netherlands where people can get tested. Those who call the hotline are referred to the nearest location with available appointments for a test.

If a person tests positive, they will have to home quarantine for 14 days. The GGD will also contact their housemates, asking them to do the same. Non-housemates who had close contact with the new patient form more than 15 minutes will be asked to stay home as much as possible for two weeks. And people who had 1.5 meters distance contact with the patient for more than 15 minutes, such as colleagues at work or classmates, will be asked to monitor their symptoms closely, but will not be asked to stay home.