Coronavirus update: 166 more deaths and 625 more hospitalisations

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Ailish Lalor
Ailish Lalor
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The RIVM has published the latest count of coronavirus cases in the Netherlands. The new number is 14697 cases. This is an increase of 1083 cases since yesterday’s count, with 166 more deaths (total: 1339) and 625 more hospitalizations (5784 in total). 

These numbers are somewhat higher than those reported yesterday, but it’s important to remember that the numbers might be off by a bit, as the RIVM itself also has reported. Testing is not widespread enough to give us a good idea of how many people are infected, and recoveries are not currently being recorded. Furthermore, deaths and hospitalisations are not always reported on the day they occur.

What is important is the number of intensive care units that are left, because having enough capacity is crucial to stopping unnecessary deaths. Currently, there are 1400 beds available across the country, with 1191 being filled yesterday. The Netherlands also has an agreement with Germany, which will take some of our IC patients if we run out of beds.

What else is happening with coronavirus in the Netherlands today?

Virologists expect coronavirus rules to persist til July at least

The big news today is that Dutch virologists are expecting most of the current coronavirus measures and regulations to extend well into the summer, to July at the earliest. They also reckon that the rules will be relaxed in a staggered mechanism, with schools going back first, then restaurants, and then perhaps public gatherings by late autumn. But much is still unclear, and a lot of research still needs to bear fruit before further decisions are taken by the government on 28 April.

The Netherlands suggests a European emergency fund for coronavirus

Rutte has suggested a emergency European relief fund for countries hit particularly hard by coronavirus. This fund should total between 10 and 20 billion, and countries should contribute proportionally. Hoekstra suggested in an interview yesterday that the Netherlands would give one billion euros to the fund.

Coronavirus to cause drugs shortages in coming years

There are likely to be long term shortages in pharmaceutical drugs as a result of coronavirus. India and China produce 80% of the pharmaceutical drugs sold in the Netherlands, but because factories there have closed as a result of the outbreak, a drugs shortage is likely to persist for years in the Netherlands.

Caterpillars to be left in peace this year

And, one unexpected story: because protective clothing is being used by the healthcare industry much more than it usually is at the moment, the people who usually suck up the nests of oak processionary caterpillars cannot do so. They need protective suits to fend off the stinging hairs the caterpillars release.

Follow the DutchReview Facebook page for more updates on COVID-19 in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

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Ailish Lalor
Ailish Lalor
Ailish was born in Sydney, Australia, but grew up by a forest in south-east Ireland, which she has attempted to replace with a living room filled with plants in The Hague. Besides catering to her army of pannenkoekenplantjes, Ailish spends her days convincing her friends that all food is better slightly burnt, plotting ways to hang out with dogs and cats, and of course, writing for DutchReview.

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