The RIVM has published the latest weekly update on coronavirus in the Netherlands.
The update brings bad news this week: the number of coronavirus cases has almost doubled, compared to last week. The RIVM reports that 987 people have tested positive for coronavirus this week, in comparison to 534 last week.
This week, the RIVM reports that 19 people have been hospitalised as a result of coronavirus, and are now receiving medical care. That is an increase of three people, compared to last week.
Unfortunately, the virus continues to cause casualties. Since last week, seven more people have passed away. Last week, eight people died as a result of coronavirus, so we’re seeing a slight decrease here.
Overall, the increase of new cases this week is bad news for the Netherlands. It should be “a wake up call” for the government, according to Aura Timen from the Center for National Coordination of Infectious Disease Control.
Coronavirus vaccine purchased by the Netherlands appears to be safe and working
A vaccine developed by the University of Oxford had human trials, and the results so far suggest that it is safe for human use and that it’s working.
The vaccine helps the body develop antibodies and T cells that help tackle coronavirus. Researchers have nevertheless stressed that it’s still too early to determine if the vaccine provides adequate protection against the virus. By the end of the year, the researchers hope to know for sure if the vaccine is effective or not.
A million coronavirus tests remain unused in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has one million tests for detecting coronavirus that have not yet been used. Of the 1.5 million tests that are available, only half a million were used.
When widespread testing became available on 1 June, it was believed that more people would go out to get tests. However, the maximum daily capacity of 30,000 tests per day was never reached.
Experts are currently debating what to do with all of the unused tests. No matter the case, the RIVM is preparing an expanded testing capacity of 100,000 tests for autumn, when many people will have colds.
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