The truth is that the coronavirus is among us and will remain among us for some time to come. The truth is that in the near future, a large proportion of the Dutch population will be infected with the virus, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands said in a statement to the nation.
There are three possible scenarios.
The first scenario is: maximum control of the virus. This means controlled distribution to the lowest risk groups. This is our chosen scenario.
Maximum control means that we try to use measures to reduce and alleviate the peak in the number of infected people and to spread it over a longer period. With this approach, in which most people will have minimal complaints, we build immunity and provide an opportunity for the healthcare system to cope.
The second scenario is to let the virus spread uncontrollably. This will completely overwhelm our healthcare system at the peak of infection, leaving insufficient capacity to help vulnerable, elderly and other high-risk patients. This, of course, must be avoided at all costs.
The third scenario is to try to stop the virus endlessly. This means a complete country lock. Such an extreme approach may seem appealing at first glance, but experts say it’s definitely not a matter of days or weeks. In this scenario, we will actually have to close our country for a year or more, with all the consequences it entails.