Dutch Doctor: Hantavirus on MV Hondius Less Contagious Than COVID

The Dutch unit treating a patient from the MV Hondius said the current hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship is significantly harder to spread than COVID-19, AFP reported on Thursday.

In an interview with AFPTV, head of infectious diseases at Leiden University Medical Centre, Karin Ellen Veldkamp, noted that her unit was eager to receive more patients if required.

When asked about fears the hantavirus could be the new Covid, she said, "No, it is not like that. It is not easily transmissible from person to person.”

“We know person-to-person transmission is possible, and we suspect that has happened on the boat… but it is not like Covid; transmission is much more difficult,” Veldkamp stated.

She refused to give precise information about the patient that arrived at the hospital on Wednesday night but stressed the hospital was well equipped for such cases.

Patients are kept in an isolation room and cared for by well-trained staff and strict disease control protocols, she said.

“Our principle is that we simply take good care of the patient. We don’t refuse to go in (to the isolation room). We are just well trained to do that in a safe way,” Veldkamp affirmed.

She noted that patients typically stay in isolation as long as they show symptoms, and when they are feeling better, they are tested, and if the test is negative, isolation can be lifted.

“We do not know exactly how long someone can carry the virus. But we assume that once someone is feeling better, they are no longer contagious,” she stated.

According to Veldkamp, the facility in Leiden is used to treating patients with similar communicable diseases, noting that more places would be available in the event of an outbreak.

“And there are several hospitals in the Netherlands that can do this, so we can share out the burden a bit,” she added.