The RIVM has released this weeks coronavirus figures and they are looking more hopeful than in previous weeks.
The RIVM has announced that there were 3,588 new positive corona cases this week. These numbers show a slight decrease in the number of infections with 425 less cases than last week.
The figures also show an increase in the number of people who got tested with 38,000 more tests carried out this week. 2.5% of those who got tested last week received positive results.
This follows a similar drop in the previous weeks numbers which saw 4,013 new positive corona cases, 23 less than the week before.
Similarly to last week, most of the cases are found in South Holland, North Holland and Brabandt.
These figures can offer some hope following a recent spike in coronavirus cases across the Netherlands. The rise in numbers has been a cause of worry for many, with Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo De Jonge urging people to abide by social distancing laws.
Hospitalisation admissions and deaths rise
The number of hospitalisations has risen. This week saw 84 new admissions to hospital, 34 more than last week. However, less people have been admitted to the ICU with only 26 admissions.
This low number of ICU admissions is due to the fact that most of the recent corona cases are accounted for in young people. Given that younger members of the population are less likely to need hospitalisation, hospital staff have been able to cope.
The number of deaths has also risen with 32 people passing away from coronavirus. This is an increase of 16.
The number of elderly hospitalisations has luckily not increased. Experts believe this is due to the fact that the elderly and young are still keeping their distance.
Numbers remain hopeful
Experts believe the figures are promising, indicating that the current outbreak of the virus is manageable. Physician-microbiologist, Jan Kluytmans believes that we have the recent tightening of restrictions to thank for the drop in numbers “with that wake-up call and relatively simple measures, it appears to be possible to bring the number of infections back to a lower level”, reports the NOS.
According to the RIVM, the rate of reproduction has dropped slightly from last weeks 1.19. Experts are unsure of which exact aspect of the recent restrictions is responsible for the drop in cases. Kluytmans believes this is because multiple measures were imposed at the same time.
Restrictions still remain
However, while the drop in figures is hopeful, people are still asked to follow coronavirus safety measures. The virus is still very much a danger and continues to disrupt everyday life in the Netherlands. For example, yesterday brought some bad news for holiday hopefuls as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Spain and parts of France were now considered to be a code orange risk.
Indeed, even as numbers reduce again, the nature of the virus is not fully known. The Netherlands has had its first known case of a reinfection. This could mean that those who have previously had the virus are not immune to becoming infected again.
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