GGD and Amsterdam UMC are also going to test for flu after corona test
Anyone who is tested for the coronavirus in a test street is also tested for the flu virus. have that the GGD and the Amsterdam UMC decided. There is a fear of a severe flu wave and the tests can provide insight into the number of infections.
That reports One today. “People with flu or cold complaints already go to the test street,” Menno de Jong, virologist at Amsterdam UMC, told the television program. “We’re getting a better idea of when the flu virus will start circulating and to what extent.”
Testing for the flu virus must take place in the short term. The same sample used for the corona test is used for the test. An extra cotton swab is therefore not necessary. De Jong says that in addition to the flu, other respiratory viruses are also being looked at.
According to the virologist, it is important to monitor the number of infections, because it predicts what can happen in hospitals. Vulnerable groups can end up in hospital because of the flu. Measures that can be prevented.
In a conversation with AT5 in the summer, De Jong already said that measures must be taken in the autumn because of the flu.