Frequently Asked Questions of Covid-19
By the Department of Public Health (DVG Aruba)
1. What are the symptoms and complications that COVID-19 can cause?
Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat.
2. When can I get tested?
To be tested, you need to comply with several criteria. If you experience the symptoms of the coronavirus, call the national Call Center (2800101) and the professionals will assess and inform you if you meet the criteria for testing. If this is the case, you will be provided with further instructions. If you are not being tested, this means that you do not comply with the criteria.
3. Why is preventive testing not done?
Because it is not effective; it gives information on a specific point in time and the likelihood of a positive test result in the absence of symptoms is very low. Furthermore, because of testing capacity, only those complying with specific criteria will be tested. There is a sufficient amount of tests available for those complying with the criteria.
4. What are the criteria for testing?
The criteria for testing is adapted in accordance with the developments surrounding the virus. At the moment, the criteria for testing include the following:
A patient with acute respiratory illness (cough or shortness of breath or sore throat)
AND one or more of the following (3) criteria:
with a travel history during the past 14 days (prior to onset of symptoms)
OR who has been in close contact with a confirmed case during the past 14 days (prior to onset of symptoms)
OR who has had repetitive close contact (within 1 meter) with anyone with a travel history during the past 14 days (prior to onset of symptoms)
5. Can a person test negative and later test positive for COVID-19?
A negative result means that the virus that causes COVID-19 was not found in the person’s sample. In the early stages of infection, it is possible the virus will not be detected. For COVID-19, a negative test result for a sample collected while a person has symptoms likely means that the COVID-19 virus is not causing their current illness.
6. When do I need to go in quarantine?
You need to go in quarantine if you recently travelled abroad, or if you are instructed to do so by the Department of Public Health. The latter may be because you have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
7. How long should I stay home if I have coronavirus-like symptoms?
If you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started.
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
8. Who is at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness?
Older adults, people with underlying medical conditions (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, HIV). Therefore, they are recommended to self-quarantine as a preventive measure.
9. I live in a house with a person that has been sent into quarantine, can I leave the house?
You can leave the house if you have maintained yourself (yourselves) to the follow rules:
Sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Using separate areas. If you are sharing the same space, clean this area regularly.
Maintain “Social Distancing” with a minimum of 2 meters (6 feet) distance from each other at all times.
Keep your house as open as possibel.
