The RIVM has released its weekly coronavirus figures from October 19 to October 26. The number of hospitalisations and ICU admissions have increased, while the number of deaths also climbed in the past week.
Over the past week, the RIVM has reported 38,733 new infections in the Netherlands. This is a significant increase compared to last week’s report of 25,751 infections.
The percentage of positive tests also increased to 15.3% compared to 12% the week before.
Deaths
The number of patients who have died from coronavirus-related complications has increased significantly in the past week. This week, 78 people passed away, compared to 48 people the previous week.
Hospitalisations
Both the number of admissions to the nursing ward and the ICU has gone up. The past week saw 474 new admissions to the nursing ward and 110 new patients in the ICU. The week before, there were 353 and 84, respectively.
Cabinet considering new measures
The cabinet will be holding a press conference on November 2 to discuss possible new measures in light of the rising Covid-19 infections amid the relaxation of the measures — reports RTL.
It’s still not clear what the potential new measures would look like, according to outgoing Health Minister, Hugo de Jonge.
The news comes less than a week after the chairman of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), Jaap van Dissel, said that he didn’t expect a lockdown or curfew this winter.
Booster shots are being offered to Dutchies with immune disorders
Beginning two weeks ago, Dutchies who have a serious immune disorder have started receiving their invitations for a third coronavirus shot, a.k.a. a booster shot. The process of booking a jab is the same as it was for the first two.
For the time being, the Health Council doesn’t consider it necessary for the rest of the population to receive a booster shot. However, this could change if it turns out that protection against COVID-19 offered by the vaccine declines significantly over time.
A high-risk country again: the Netherlands turns red on the coronavirus map
On October 7, the Netherlands went from red to orange on the ECDC coronavirus map, meaning that the country was no longer considered ‘high-risk’. There was even hope that some provinces would soon turn green (low-risk).
However, just a week after turning orange, the Netherlands went back to red again, as the number of infections increased significantly.
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