Almost 12% of COVID19 patients develop heart problems, including heart rhythm disorders and even cardiac arrest, according to a recent Dutch study. It is the largest study yet on the link between coronavirus and heart problems.

The study included 3,011 hospitalized corona patients, and was supported by the Heart Foundation, reports De Telegraaf. Of these, almost a third already had cardiovascular disease, and the mean age was 67 years old.

Heart conditions

Pulmonary embolism occurred in 7% of hospitalized coronavirus patients. But atrial fibrillation and other atrial arrhythmias proved to be the most common heart problems among test patients. More serious conditions including heart failure (55 patients), myocardial infarction (15 patients), cardiac arrest (14 patients), and inflammation of the heart (8 patients) were rarer, and tended to occur in critically ill patients in intensive care.

Deaths and long-term effects

Of those hospitalized, 595 died and 16 of these were from heart problems. Patients who died were in the hospital for seven days on average, and patients in intensive care were there for an average of 13 days. Other studies have shown that permanent lung damage may be another effect of the coronavirus, but more research needs to be done on the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Do you know someone experiencing long-term effects from the coronavirus? Let us know in the comments below.

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As the Netherlands adjusts to the latest measures that came into effect Tuesday evening, the RIVM has reported 3,831 confirmed coronavirus infections as of 10:00 AM this morning. 

It brings the seven-day average to 3,147 positive tests per day. The previous average was 2,268.

Hospital numbers have also continued to increase, with 733 coronavirus patients currently admitted. Of this, 42 patients have been admitted in the past 24 hours.

Weekly deaths and hospitalizations averages rise

A reported 160 hospital patients are in the ICU, says the National Coordination Center for Patient Distribution (LCPS).

Nine patients have succumbed to the virus in the past day. Yesterday, that number was 13. The seven-day average is 14. This has almost doubled from the prior weekly average of 8. However, deaths are often delayed in being reported to the RIVM, so the number could be higher.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague continue to make up the majority of infections. The three cities make up 867 of the total infections of the past day.

Daily developments of coronavirus in the Netherlands

In other coronavirus news, the Dutch government is ready to strike a deal on the coronavirus law, which will significantly reduce penalties for people who break coronavirus measures.

Meanwhile, the Dutch Minister of Education has advised that the government won’t push universities, MBOs and colleges to urge students to wear masks when on campus.

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Students at universities, colleges, and MBOs will not be urgently advised to wear a mouth mask, says the Dutch Minister of Education Ingrid van Engelshoven. 

The Dutch government released urgent advice on Tuesday for everyone in the Netherlands to wear face masks in public places. The announcement was a significant backtrack after months of claiming face masks weren’t necessary.

Yesterday, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Arie Slob also issued advice for secondary school students to wear face masks in busy areas, such as corridors and auditoriums, from Monday onward.

Despite these two issuances, Education Minister Van Engelshoven has said that there is “no reason” to urgently recommend using a mask in higher education locations.

Trade unions think otherwise

Education trade unions CNV Onderwijs and Algemene Onderwijsbond disagree. They think not advising older students to wear a face mask will be confusing. “Why wear a mouth mask in shops and stations and not at school”, the chairman of CNV Education De Vries said to NOS. “And why in some schools and not in others?”

Van Engelshoven says that issuing national advice for higher education institutions is unnecessary. After consulting with students, trade unions, and institutions, she believes that keeping 1.5 metres distance is possible. She says the trade unions “understood very well.”

Do you think masks should be worn in universities? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Dutch Lower House has struck a deal with inside parties on the coronavirus emergency law.

One major turning point is that the fine for breaking measures has been significantly reduced from €390 to €95. However, for the thousands of people already fined, the old amount still stands, reports RTL Nieuws.

In addition to the fine reduction, the maximum prison sentence for serious offenders has been halved, from one month to two weeks.

Another part of the deal will lift the national ban on visiting nursing homes.

Finally, while the cabinet initially wanted the law to be in place for six months, it will run for a maximum of three months with an option to extend it by one month. If the Dutch cabinet wants an additional measure, this also must be discussed and ratified by the Lower House before it can be actioned.

Corona law

When the pandemic began to hit the Netherlands in early March, the government put into place an emergency regulation. However, emergency regulations are only intended for short-term events — like preventing a riot at a protest.

With coronavirus dragging on, the Dutch Lower House was tasked with creating a coronavirus emergency law. It was originally intended to come into play before July 1, but received considerable criticism.

Now that a deal on the law has been drafted after extensive deal-striking among the parties in the Lower House, it will be taken to a vote.

What do you think of the corona fines and enforcements? Let us know in the comments below.

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On Wednesday evening, Mark Rutte “strongly advised” that people wear mouth masks in public spaces. This has left retailers and shoppers confused. 

The cabinet will clarify what the Prime Minister meant by this tonight. In the meantime, shop owners and customers have been left to decide for themselves whether or not a mouth mask is necessary.

Shouldn’t be up to the employees

Many chains of retailers and supermarkets in the Netherlands have said that they will not be enforcing the advice on their customers, for now.

This is because they believe it should not be left to the employees to enforce corona regulations. Many already receive abuse when they ask customers to abide by the new rules.

Liane ter Maat of the CBL (Central Bureau for Food Trade) has told the NOS that “we do not want to have to argue with customers about a cap. Employees are already sometimes treated unfriendly when they point out the rules to people. Moreover, it is not up to the supermarkets to take such corona measures.”

It must be made clear

When interviewing shoppers in Lelystad, many said the cabinet has left them confused. “They must provide clarity” one shopper told the NOS.

The cabinet initially told people that they did not believe a mouth mask would help prevent the spread of coronavirus because it could give people a false sense of security. This decision was met with scrutiny from independent experts and even internationally by United States’ Dr Fauci.

It seems that the criticism has hit home with cabinet and hopefully we’ll receive some clarity surrounding the change in opinion tonight.

What do you think about mouth masks? Let us know in the comments below! 

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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has reported that 10,067 are suspected to have died from coronavirus in the first six months of 2020. The Netherlands saw a significant increase in the number of deaths between the months of March and May.

As coronavirus deaths continue to climb in the second half of 2020, the CBS has released the number of deaths from coronavirus between January and June. These numbers are made up of those who had confirmed cases of the virus (7,797) and those whose cause of death was suspected to be coronavirus (2,270).

Spike in the number of annual deaths

The CBS has also shared the number of people who died in the first six months of this year. In 2020, this number stands at 86,000 people, which is almost 9,000 more people than the first half of 2019 and 5,000 more than the first half of 2018.

Many of these additional deaths occured between the months of March and May, during which coronavirus numbers peaked throughout the Netherlands. According to the figures released by the CBS, almost 9,000 more people died during weeks 10-19 (March 2 to May 10) than would usually be expected.

Having examined the cause of death certificates of those who died during this period, the CBS has concluded that this excess in mortality was “entirely caused by death from the new coronavirus.” The overall mortality rate returned to a relatively normal number from May 20, with 4.6% of deaths being caused by coronavirus.

More male deaths

The statistics also show that slightly more men succumbed to the virus than women. According to the CBS, 5,345 of deaths by coronavirus were men, whereas 4,722 deaths were women.

This phenomenon was seen in all age groups with almost twice as many men dying from the virus in the age group of 75-80 years old than women. The mean age of men who died from coronavirus was 79.7 years old. However, the mean age of women who died from the virus was slightly higher at 84.4 years old.

Mortality from other causes

The mortality rate from other causes of death such as cancer, heart attacks and other disorders remained similar to that of previous years, the CBS reports. This rate includes natural as well as unnatural causes of death such as accidents, suicides and murders.

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Iconic logos like Marlboro and Camel will struggle to gain familiarity among youth, with new neutral packaging laws coming into effect from today. 

A push to reduce cigarette smoking rates in the Netherlands, particularly among young people, has resulted in the new rules.

Now, the familiar logos will no longer bring street cred. Instead, brands may only include the brand name and brand variant on the package. Furthermore, this can only be displayed in neutral letters.

To reduce the appeal of the packs even further, Dutch regulators have made packages the muddy colour combination of mostly green and brown. Warnings and other legal regulations are plastered over the box, and a barcode and manufacturer information take up the rest of the space.

However, today only marks the start of the change period. Producers and retailers are given one year to adjust the packaging and clear old stock. Repeat offenders afterwards can be fined up to €4500.

MORE >> Smoking rate among young people remains high

Why is the government changing cigarette packaging?

The Netherlands already has strict rules that restrict branding on cigarette packages. Already, two-thirds of a package has to include warnings.

However, until today brands could still decorate the packages with their logo, attractive colours, or other text. The Dutch cabinet is concerned that this distracts from the warnings on the package, encouraging young people to make a purchase.

The Dutch government discourages smoking and wants to intervene before youth begin. Many smokers are teenagers or young adults when they start, a time when they are particularly sensitive to branding and advertising.

While only cigarettes are being targeted now, cigars and e-cigarettes are also on the radar. Rules for these products will likely take effect in 2022.

Will plain packaging be effective?

At this stage, it’s unknown if the new measures will reduce smoking rates. In 2012, Australia was the first country to introduce neutral packaging for cigarettes. However, plain packaging was introduced alongside broader measures aiming to stop smoking. That makes it difficult to tell whether it worked.

The Dutch government are an extension of measures introduced earlier this year. Smoking has been banned on school grounds, supermarkets have to hide their smoking materials, and excise duties have increased twice in the past nine months.

It’s not just the Dutch government who are discouraging inhaling carcinogenic smoke for fun. NS and ProRail also removed all of their smoking facilities as of today.

Do you think the changes the cigarette packaging in the Netherlands will help? Tell us in the comments below!

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