WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) closely follows all developments in the field of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and has an internal team that cooperates with the disaster team to ensure that the staff are well prepared and the protocol follows in case the virus reaches Curaçao. As a health institute, CMC will review all points of the protocol Hygiene and Infection Prevention (HIP) department and will implement the protocol to prevent an infected person from spreading the virus.
CMC wants to emphasize that people who show the symptoms should not come to the hospital but stay at home and call their doctor! If the doctor considers it necessary, he will inform GGD (Public Health Department) to take the necessary tests. The symptoms are coughing, respiratory problems and fever combined with contact with people who have been to countries where the virus has been circulating in the last 14 days, or of course as the person in question went to one of the countries where the virus is present. These are the following countries: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Iran and Italy.
All general practitioners are aware of the Corona Virus protocol. If a patient shows symptoms, the GP will contact GGD who will then take a sample at the patient's home to test for the Corona Virus. If the result is positive, the patient will be isolated at home. It is very important that someone who exhibits symptoms does not leave the house to not infect others. GGD will indicate whether it is necessary to go to the hospital. If GGD indicates that the infected person must go to the hospital, the ambulance will immediately be dispatched, and the hospital alerted to make the necessary preparations to receive the patient. In the meantime, CMC has prepared the isolation room at the Emergency Department to be able to place the patient here immediately upon arrival. Part of the protocol means that the patient is given a mouth cap so as not to infect others around him.
We want to limit the number of people who come into contact with the patient as much as possible and we want to remind everyone to take the precautions, such as washing hands regularly and coughing in the elbow or in a tissue instead of in the hand.
