How does coronavirus affect children, and what role are children playing in the spread of the virus? It is these questions that need to be considered before  relaxing coronavirus measures becomes a possibility in the Netherlands.

As of now it appears that children do not display severe symptoms of the infection, NOS reports. In fact, some cases are so mind that symptoms are not even present. Rarely does coronavirus result a fever for children.

Nonetheless, this doesn’t apply for call cases of coronavirus among children. A 12-year old girl in Belgium died as a result of the virus, without having previously underlying complications. Furthermore a 16-year old boy in Breda was hospitalised and in intensive care, fighting for his life.

The Outbreak Management Team, which advises the Dutch cabinet, stated in their advice (issued April 14) that reopening primary schools and nurseries will not drastically affect the number of of IC beds, since most cases among youth are mild. Thus, it has advised the cabinet to gradually begin reopening schools in May. 

How contagious are children?

Although cases among children may not be quite as serious as they are among the elderly, it’s important to remember that the virus could possibly spread between children who could then infect their parents as well as others.

NOS reports that the RIVM (which closely monitors coronavirus in the Netherlands) has been studying the virus in families, so more will be known after June 1.

Although virologists and epidemiologists agree that more serious infections are more contagious than mild infections, much is still unknown about contagiousness and mild cases. So it is unclear whether children with no symptoms can infect others.

Spread of coronavirus through stool

Even though children may have mild symptoms or may display no symptoms at all, the virus is still reportedly present in nasal fluid and in stool, studies show.

Italian virologist, Massimo Gatti recommends flushing the toilet with the lid closed as a way to prevent spread through this avenue, since flushing releases molecules into the air, which has the capacity to spread infection, NOS states. In practice this is difficult to implement.

So all in all, we still need more research to see exactly how coronavirus affects children. What is known, however, is that it affects them less severely than adults.

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One of the industries that has been majorly affected by the coronavirus crisis is hairdressing salons. Considering that we all need a trim from time to time and that attempting to cut our hair at home can result in some unfortunate aesthetic accidents, when can we expect them to open?

A new protocol has been developed and proposed by two unions, CNV and FNV, with the help of hairdressing organisation ANKO, in order to allow hairdressers to get back to work, reports RTL Nieuws.

Safety precautions

One of the potential ways of re-opening hairdressers involves taking some necessary safety precautions. As such, both the hairdresser and the customer need to wear face masks, while the hairdresser also needs to wear gloves. Hairdressers will also need to keep a distance from each other within the salon.

More demand for hairdressers

As the weeks have gone by since businesses have closed, so has the demand for hairdressers.

If the protocol does pass through and hairdressers open for business once more, the pricing will be more expensive. This is because people will now need to pay extra for the safety equipment of the hairdressers, as they cannot support the costs on their own.

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The Outbreak Management Team (OMT) has advised the cabinet to begin to reopen schools in May, according to documents seen by RTL Nieuws. 

Tonight, the Prime Minister will give a press conference, detailing the decision that the cabinet has taken about the next phase of the coronacrisis in the Netherlands. Until 28 April, the current social distancing measures are in place: these include school closures, no cafes or restaurants offering sit-down meals, and lots of crossing the street when you see someone.

The 1.5 metre society is here to stay

Last week, Rutte emphasised that even with the best case scenario, we will definitely not be returning to normal life in May: the 1.5 metre society is here to stay. But, in terms of what we can expect from tonight’s press conference, the OMT’s advice is a good indication of what the government might decide to do.

OMT advises gradual reopening of primary schools in May

First of all, primary schools are likely to be reopened in May, and summer holidays will probably be shortened to make up for the time children have missed in school. The OMT recommends for primary schools to start with smaller groups of students, staggered throughout the day. There has not been any indication yet about what high schools should do, but it is likely to be similar.

Cancel public gatherings til September or October

Public gatherings and events should be cancelled until 1 September, or even October, according to the OMT’s advice: so that’s bad news for any of you hoping for a late-summer festival or concert. It will also be interesting to see how this extension will affect universities, which closed in March when public gatherings were banned.

Catering industry to remain closed till mid-May

The OMT also advised for the catering, restaurant and cafe industry to remain closed until the middle of May, so don’t expect to go for a meal out any time soon. Healthcare institutions can think about allowing one or two visitors per patient, according to the OMT, and zoos and museums can work on developing a plan to reopen, so long as they still respect the 1.5 metre rule.

Of course this will all become clearer and more certain this evening, after the 7 PM press conference, but for now, this is what we can expect.

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The latest numbers from the RIVM regarding the coronavirus are here. As of today, there are 750 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 33,405. There are now 9,779 hospitalizations, an increase of 75 since last count. There are also 67 new reported deaths, bringing the total to 3,751.

This week we’ll gain some clarifications about the state of the deadline of the current measures of April 27. Based on the decisions of the cabinet, we might see an extension of the previous deadline, but we might also get some easing of some of the measures.

Fake NL-Alert message from the RIVM

The RIVM has announced on Twitter that today, a fake NL-Alert message was sent, posing as the RIVM, promising care packages. The RIVM has warned not to click on the link, as it is a scam.

Waarschuwing! Vanochtend is er een vals NL-Alert verzonden. In het bericht wordt gesproken over zorgpakketten die het #RIVM zou aanbieden. Dit bericht is niet van het RIVM afkomstig. Klik niet op de link in het bericht.#NLAlert #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/gZSczigZg7

— RIVM (@rivm) April 20, 2020

Fewer elderly in intensive care units

In March, one out of three patients in intensive care units were 70 years or older. Now that number has decreased to one in four patients. The largest age group in regards to hospitalizations also used to be those between 70 and 75 years old, now the age group has fallen to 60 and65 years old.

The reason is not necessarily that there are fewer elderly getting sick, rather that they are offered palliative care, meaning that they receive the treatment they need at home. As these people are not registered by the RIVM, this means that we do not have a full perspective over the number of coronavirus cases among the elderly.

Ice cream store starts selling face masks amidst controversy

An ice cream store in Amsterdam has started to sell face-masks, 25 euros for three masks. This has caused some controversy and backlash, as it is known that medical personnel are struggling with a lack of protective gear.

According to the owner of the ice cream store, who gets his masks from China, he did try to sell the masks to the RIVM (which allows this option), but in his view, his offer was too expensive.

The man defends his option of selling masks by saying that he does it simply to aid paying the rent and that he makes more of a profit just by selling his ice cream.

Students from Dutch association kicked out for throwing illegal party

15 members of Vindicat, A Dutch student association based in Groningen, were recently expelled for throwing a party.

The police were tipped over a possible party happening on the grounds of the association and upon arriving, they found students throwing a party and disrespecting social distancing measures.  The students were subsequently fined and then expelled from Vindicat.

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It appears that fewer and fewer elderly people are being referred to intensive care. This number can perhaps explain the reason for fewer hospitalizations.

In March more than one in every three patients in the IC was 70 years or older. Now the number is one in every four, according to figures released in Trouw. Furthermore, the largest group of hospitalisations was previously aged between 70 to 75, now it has fallen to between 60-65. Trouw also reports that fewer elderly are hospitalised at all.

But don’t get your hopes up just yet. It doesn’t mean that the elderly are falling ill less often, just that they are being treated at home more, receiving oxygen and medication there. Professor of geriatric medicine, Marcel Olde Rikkert, told Trouw that this is because home treatment is less isolating and more comfortable.

Dutch approach to palliative care

Palliative care is ingrained in Dutch culture. It focuses on improving the quality of life for a person who is suffering from a life-threatening illness. The aim is to decrease suffering and painful symptoms and provide “social, psychological and spiritual support” so that patients do not spend the last few weeks of their life in a hospital hooked up to machines.

READ MORE: The problem with the Dutch mortality rate

The patient has the right to choose this procedure, and the Netherlands is renowned for offering high standards of palliative care to patients. Many elderly patients may choose this approach once diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, such as coronavirus.

Explaining the number of hospitalisations

Perhaps the fact that elderly are not being admitted to hospital as often helps explain the reason for fewer hospitalisations in the Netherlands.

Since April 9, the number of hospitalisations in the Netherlands has been decreasing, prompting Dutch hospitals to consider whether they’ll soon return to normal levels of care (i.e. the normal ICU capacity).

It is unknown how many deaths among the elderly resulting from coronavirus occur at home, according to RTL Nieuws. This information would make figures on coronavirus more clear and show whether the number of hospitalisations going down signifies a decrease in coronavirus cases. As of now, the elderly are still the most vulnerable group to the virus.

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Vindicat, a Dutch student association in Groningen, recently expelled 15 members for throwing a party yesterday night at the Grote Markt.

Clearly, the members were not complying with the coronavirus social distancing measures in place. Consequently, the police received a report of a possible party being held on association grounds, according to RTL Nieuws. 

When the police reached the site, they found 15 members of Vindicat and fined them for not adhering to the corona crisis rules.

In a press release, Vindicat stipulated, “we do not accept the failure of our members to adhere to the guidelines, thereby endangering others.” Furthermore, it noted that “we do not want anything to do with this behaviour.”

Expulsion

Vindicat has therefore removed these students from its association, lauding the police for its actions in response.

Ironically, Vindicat students offered free babysitting for people working in necessary professions:

De lieverds van Vindicat bieden gratis oppas aan voor ouders met een vitaal beroep.

Ook: vannacht zijn 15 van deze lieverds beboet omdat ze een feestje vierden in hun clubhuis op de Grote Markt.

Ik vind dat heel, heel ernstig.

— Minke – THIS IS NOT A DRILL (@M_nke) April 18, 2020

It should, however, be noted that group of 15 doesn’t necessarily represent the entire association and doesn’t mean that all members are responsible for their actions.

Nonetheless, in times like these, large groups of students should be aware that their actions can have wide-ranging implications.

Do you think the Netherlands needs a complete lockdown in order for people to start taking measures seriously? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Feature mage: Papoise/Wikimedia Commons

An ice cream store has started selling face masks in Amsterdam, and people are furious. The Netherlands has been dealing with a shortage of face masks for healthcare workers for weeks.

The owner of the shop, Hank, is friends with a man who imports certified face masks from China. According to Hank, his friend did try to sell the face masks to the RIVM, but they refused to buy them. Hank’s theory is that the face masks were too expensive for the RIVM, RTL Nieuws reports.

RIVM cannot always buy what people offer

This can be a possibility, according to the RIVM. People who want to offer protection to the RIVM can do so through the National Consortium for Aid, but it is not always possible to take people up on their offer. “This could be because, for example, the stocks are offered at extortionate prices, or because inquiries show that the products are not available at all,” the RIVM has stated.

No one knows which authority should deal with this store

Given that there are healthcare professionals who still do not have sufficient protective equipment, it makes sense that people are angry about this enterprise. It is nigh on impossible to find out which Dutch authority is in charge of dealing with it, according to NOS, however.

The police, who did visit the store yesterday, say it is the municipality’s responsibility- but they say National Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is the organisation that should be handling it.

The NVWA says that actually, Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) should be doing it, which in turn says the Inspectorate for Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) is in charge. B

ut the SZW has told NOS that it can only inspect products coming into the country and in the workplace. “But anyone can sell what they want to sell in their store. There is no prohibition on selling mouth masks.”

“We don’t have enough yet” Minister de Jonge says

Last Thursday, Minister de Jonge was asked in cabinet about the face mask shortage, and said that the healthcare system was still facing a shortage. “No: we don’t have enough yet. We have ordered a lot. But that only works when it actually arrives. So we don’t have enough for the time being.” There is a national purchasing centre working on acquiring more masks.

Less profit on masks than on ice cream

According to Hank, there isn’t really a shortage of masks; there is a shortage of masks at affordable prices. In order to acquire them, you really have to pay top dollar: and that also shows in the prices he charges customers. €25 for three masks is a lot, but according to Hank he makes less profit on them than he does on ice cream.

Store owner just wants to “pay the rent and not fall over”

Hank says this business idea was about survival: he still has to pay rent and other bills on his store, which he wasn’t able to open as an ice cream store because of social distancing. “This man [referring to himself] really only wants to be able to pay the rent and not fall over. Just go back to work and help others, that is the only [way of getting through the crisis].”

What are your thoughts on this? Should stores be allowed to sell face masks? Let us know in the comments below. 

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The RIVM’s latest figures reveal that there have been 1,066 new cases of coronavirus in the Netherlands, bringing the total number of cases to 32,655. 

Additionally, there are 110 new hospitalisations. The total number is now 9,704. Lastly, there are 83 new reported deaths, bringing the total mortality count to 3684.

The hospitalisation figures show a continual decline, showing that the Outbreak Management Team’s expectation that intensive care units will go back down to their regular capacity by 1 May could be a real possibility. That means, in practice, that there will be 1200 total beds, of which 700 will be occupied by coronavirus patients.

The government has said that in order for normal life to begin to resume once again, three criteria need to be met. There needs to be less pressure on the healthcare system, there needs to be sufficient testing capacity, and there needs to be a way to track infections.

Here’s a look at some of our top pics from this week in coronavirus news.

Dutch companies develop software to diagnose coronavirus via X-ray

Two Dutch companies, Thirona and Delft Imaging, have developed a software that analyses the damage to someone’s lungs as shown on an X-ray, and uses a 100-point scale to determine whether the patient has coronavirus. This will be especially useful in poorer countries which do not have as much access to laboratory testing as wealthier countries.

Student housing units do not qualify as households

Seventeen students were fined this weekend for being out in public together, raising the question of whether those who live in student housing together should be counted as households or not. According to the police, they do not. But do students really deserve the condemnation they received from the public about this?

What will King’s Day look like this year?

From bells to national anthems to a special NOS broadcast, the details of this year’s King’s Day have been revealed. Of course, it’s going to be very different from usual, but hopefully will still be a heartwarming day. What are your plans for celebrating it (indoors)?

Delft students create ventilator design in just three weeks

Within three weeks, students at TU Delft have created a ventilator design, in order to help with the potential shortage of ventilators as a result of coronavirus. The government has put in an order of 500 machines with them, which should be delivered by the end of April.

3% of Dutchies have antibodies against coronavirus, early study shows

Only 3% of Dutch people have coronavirus antibodies, according to a study by blood donation organisation Sanquin. This is in line with the case in other countries, too. Not good news for herd immunity: but, according to Marion Koopmans, head of the Erasmus MC virology department, we would expect to see more people having antibodies further on in the epidemic, as they usually continue to appear up four weeks after infection.

Events could be canceled until September, but other restrictions may ease

The cabinet will be meeting at the start of next week to decide what to do about the current deadline of the coronavirus measures on April 27.

There is a proposal circulating among top officials stating that events could be cancelled until the first of September. Despite a possible ban on events until the first of September, the government is also looking into the possibility of relaxing other measures. This includes primary schools, after-school care, as well as the option of potentially opening up sports organisations for the youth.

Will the coronavirus vaccine be developed first in the Netherlands?

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, major pharmaceutical companies, governments and universities have begun the search for a vaccine, including here in the Netherlands. The President of the EU commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that a coronavirus vaccine would likely be developed by the end of the year which made headlines in several Dutch news sources. This forecast might be a little optimistic: but nonetheless, many pharmaceutical companies are currently investigating the possibilities.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for all coronavirus-related news in the Netherlands.

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The latest figures from the RIVM have been released. Today, 142 new deaths have been recorded, bringing the total to 3,601 deaths; 129 new hospitalizations have occurred, bringing the total to 9,594; and 1,140 new cases have been recorded, bringing the total to 31,589.

Now, as you probably already know, these numbers are not fully accurate. There is no widespread testing in the Netherlands, so the real number of coronavirus cases is probably much higher. Deaths and hospitalisations are not always recorded on the day they take place, the RIVM notes itself. From today onwards, GPs will be able to register suspected cases of coronavirus with the RIVM, though these figures may not be made public immediately.

How many beds are available in the ICUs?

Because of this uncertainty around figures, the number everyone is paying attention to at the moment is the number of people in the intensive care units with coronavirus. At the moment, this is well under the total availability and has been steadily dropping over the past few days. The Outbreak Management Team expects to be able to return the number of ICU beds to 1200, the regular amount, by 1 May.

Today 1235 patients related to the #coronavirus are on the intensive care. This is 23 less than yesterday and the sixth consecutive day with a decrease of occupied IC beds. #coronavirusNL #coronaNederland pic.twitter.com/wJsDhNTVRk

— TAG (@itsTAGofficial) April 17, 2020

Along with today’s daily update, we’re bring you three long reads that hopefully will bring a smile to your face. From supporting local businesses to bird watching, today’s selection is all about finding reasons to be cheerful during coronavirus.

How to support your local businesses in The Hague

Times are tough for local businesses as a result of coronavirus, so we put together an article on how you can support them. This particular article is about The Hague, but we’ll be coming out with more of these about different cities in the Netherlands over the next couple of weeks. Plant stores, cafes and restaurants are big in this one, so get reading!

Birdwatching from your backyard or balcony

Something that has been rising in popularity in the Netherlands over the past weeks of lockdown is birdwatching. Birds, of course, have been there all along, but now we have time to pay them the attention they deserve. Plus, it is the best time of year to watch them: they’re nesting, and some species are coming back from the south. Check out our guide to some awesome Dutch birds, from ravens to seagulls.

Will the coronavirus vaccine be developed in the Netherlands?

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, major pharmaceutical companies, governments and universities have begun the search for a vaccine, including here in the Netherlands. The President of the EU commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that a coronavirus vaccine would likely be developed by the end of the year which made headlines in several Dutch news sources. This forecast might be a little optimistic: but nonetheless, many pharmaceutical companies are currently investigating the possibilities.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more coronavirus updates. 

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