A Dutch lung specialist explained in a Twitter thread that went viral exactly what the coronavirus does to the body and lungs of an infected person.
Sander de Hosson, a Dutch pulmonologist connected to the Wilhelmina Hospital Assen in the north of the Netherlands, has taken to Twitter to urge people not to panic about the coronavirus amid the increasing number of infected people turning up across the world.
Wat is er bij een corona-infectie nu precies aan de hand? Wat speelt er als je milde klachten hebt en wat als zieker bent? Een draadje ?.
— Sander de Hosson (@shossontwits) March 1, 2020
Translation: "What exactly is happening in case of a corona infection? What if you have mild symptoms and what if you are sicker? A thread."
If a person develops viral pneumonia in addition to "regular" bronchitis, according to the doctor, and the patient is clearly suffering from more than a regular cold, the coronavirus (Covid-19) may be at play.
Het spectrum van symptomen van #corona varieert erg: van milde klachten (bronchitis met hoesten) tot zeer forse ziekteverschijnselen bij longontsteking.
Hier zie je symptomen bij een grote groep patiënten in China: vaak hoesten, opvallend weinig typische verkoudheidsklachten ? pic.twitter.com/wFT5KDM4EH — Sander de Hosson (@shossontwits) March 1, 2020
Translation: "The spectrum of symptoms of corona varies greatly: from mild symptoms (bronchitis with coughing) to very severe symptoms of pneumonia. [On the image in the tweet] you can see the symptoms from a large group of patients in China: often 'coughing', remarkably few typical cold symptoms."
Dan de behandeling: Het veruit belangrijkste geneesmiddel tegen covid19 is je éigen immuunsysteem. Antibiotica hebben tegen een virus uiteraard geen zin.
— Sander de Hosson (@shossontwits) March 1, 2020
Translation: "Then the treatment: By far the most important remedy against covid19 is your own immune system. Antibiotics obviously have no use against a virus."
Bij milde klachten heeft dat geen zin en is zelfs schadelijk. Antibiotica kunnen ook weer bijwerkingen geven. Gepast gebruik dus!
— Sander de Hosson (@shossontwits) March 1, 2020
Translation: "Yet we often give antibiotics to patients with viral pneumonia who are so sick that they are in hospital. Virus diseased lung tissue is more accessible to bacteria (we call this superinfection)."
"In the case of mild complaints, this makes no sense and is even harmful. Antibiotics can also cause side effects. Use appropriately!"
For the latest info on the virus, he links to the website of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. In Belgium, the latest information on Covid-19 related to the country can be found on the website created for this purpose by the FPS Public Health. The French and Dutch versions of the website are updated immediately, the English and German versions, however, are a little slower
De Hosson stresses that there is no reason to panic, and asks to not post or share "nonsense on social media," as it does not help anybody.
En blijf handen wassen ?, in je elleboog hoesten en bewaar afstand van hoestende mensen.
En: pic.twitter.com/HKLMpTjpLV — Sander de Hosson (@shossontwits) March 1, 2020
He advises to "keep washing your hands, cough in your elbow and keep away from coughing people," and above all, "keep calm."
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
