Prime Minister Mark Rutte has faced media again to give an update on the government’s approach to coronavirus. 

No major decisions have been announced regarding the lifting of the measures, but Rutte did speak of three major points.

Congratulations to the Dutch

Firstly, he was particularly proud last weekend that despite the sunshine, people still followed instructions. The majority stayed at home, and if they went out they kept 1.5 metres distance from each other.

He noted there were some minor exceptions but said those people got fined. “That’s also the only way”

Easter weekend

Secondly, he made a point to say that the measures have been successful, with numbers increasing far less dramatically. But, he cautioned that can also create a risk, and warned people not to relax. “It has to be clear that we can’t make a bigger mistake, we have to keep it up. Otherwise, everything we have built up so far will be gone.”

While the upcoming Easter weekend is normally busy for Dutch families, Rutte said this year needs to be different. “I ask everyone to celebrate Easter at home, maybe with a digital visit to Opa and Oma,” he said. He reiterated that it is not allowed to go out with bigger groups, including on bikes or motorbikes.

What will life look like on the other side?

Finally, Rutte acknowledged that life is looking very different, and likely will for a while. “There’s a lot of questions about how we can go back to the life that we were used to. But we have to be careful that we don’t make a choice between health or economy,” he said.

“If we let go now, the virus will start spreading more and the economy will take even more damage.” The government is now trying to think of intelligent ways to reform society.

“One thing is crystal clear: it will take a long time to go back to normal.” he said, adding that if they do start to remove restrictions on April 28 as planned, it will only happen very slowly.

Rutte encouraged companies to think about how they will implement social distancing measures if restrictions are slowly lifted, for example by ensuring people continue to stay 1.5 metres away.

In the week leading up to April 28 they will start to think about how it happens. But, things will only go back to normal if people follow the measures and the rules, Rutte warned.

Rutte finished his speech by asking the public to spare a thought for those who have lost their family and friends, and for the people who are lonely.

“Keep helping each other and support each other if possible. Ask for help if you are a little lost yourself.”

What do you think of Rutte’s speech? Do you think the restrictions are ready to start being lifted? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: NOS

The RIVM has just released the newest coronavirus statistics. There are 777 new reported cases, bringing the total to 19,580. In addition, there are 234 new reported deaths. The total number of deaths in the Netherlands is now 2,101. 

Sinds gisteren zijn er:
– 292 mensen gemeld die opgenomen zijn (geweest) in het ziekenhuis
– 234 mensen gemeld die zijn overleden

Deze mensen zijn niet allemaal in de afgelopen 24 uur in het ziekenhuis opgenomen of overleden.#coronavirus #COVID19https://t.co/3orMSiQO8t

— RIVM (@rivm) April 7, 2020

In terms of new reported infections, the number is less than yesterday’s count (new infections yesterday were 952). However, the mortality rate is over twice that of yesterday, which was 101. This number is also the highest by far — the highest previous report was on April 2, with 154.

The number of hospital admissions reported today is 292, bringing the total to 7,427.

However, RIVM warns that the number can be misinterpreted because not all of these occurred in the past 24-hours. “On Tuesdays, the number of notifications has consistently been the highest of the week,” they explained. “This can be explained by the fact that many of the deaths and admissions are processed and reported on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Monday.”

Previous downward trend in growth rate for ICU patients

Until today, the Netherlands was experiencing a downward trend in ICU patients over past few days. According to the RIVM’s figures, the increase of ICU patients from the day before on Thursday was 82, the next day it was 51 more than the day before, on Saturday it was 26, Sunday 25 and yesterday the number was 24.

Today the change between yesterday (260) and today (292) is 32. Nonetheless the number isn’t growing exponentially. Dutch hospitals have not as yet reached their full capacity for ICU patients. However, caution should still be taken.

The Netherlands ranks 69th in the world when it comes to land mass. But when it comes to the country with the highest coronavirus cases, it ranks 12th worldwide. So what exactly has made coronavirus spread so quickly in the Netherlands?

For such a small country, it’s not only interesting that the mortality rate for coronavirus cases is high, but also that the number of infected people is so high (over 20,000 as of today- the total is even higher as not all people infected report their symptoms or get tested).

#CoronaVirus Outside of China – 1,277,370 cases and 72,576 deaths.

To date a total of 75,907 deaths and 1,359,110 total #covid19 cases have been confirmed worldwide.#CoronaVirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/hcPztfZNm8

— Coronavirus Updates – Alexander Higgins (@kr3at) April 7, 2020

But the spread of the virus has wider implications. Already, Germany has named the Netherlands as an “International Risk Area,” which means that the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands could propel the spread of the virus globally.

Today we’re jumping in and investigating why the Netherlands has become a coronavirus hotspot.

Population density

Something to keep in mind is population density, which refers to how many people are in a given unit of an area. The Netherlands has a high population density. And you can tell. I mean, have you ever tried walking through the centre of Amsterdam in the pre-corona era?

In the Netherlands, the population density is 508 per km². In comparison, the population density of the UK is 281 per km². This means that the Netherlands has on average twice as many people living in its space than the UK does.

In fact, the population density of the Netherlands is even more than that of China as well as India (which have 153 per km² and 464 per km² respectively).

Why is population density important?

According to Peter Daszak, the president of Eco Health Alliance and a disease ecologist, who studied the link between the risk of pandemic and human population density, “there’s a strong correlation” between population density and the spread of illnesses. 

Of course, a densely populated region has its advantages in times of crisis. Hospital emergency response times are faster, there are many stores to pick up essentials, transport is easier, and so on. This is because there are more people around in a given space to make use of these utilities. But in terms of the spread of coronavirus, the closer in proximity people are to one another, the faster the virus will spread.

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York illustrated this view in a tweet:

This is not life as usual.

There is a density level in NYC that is destructive.

It has to stop and it has to stop now.

NYC must develop an immediate plan to reduce density.#StayAtHome

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 22, 2020

That’s why social distancing measures have been implemented across the world.

In a densely populated place, there’s a higher chance of coming in contact with someone who has the virus. If people cough or sneeze, the droplets they release into the air have a chance of infecting you. Of course, the proximity between people must be close for this to happen. And if you touch surfaces that have traces of the virus and you touch your face, you also have a chance of contracting it.

It ultimately comes down to the fact that more people means easier (and more) transmission.

The Netherlands is a popular travel destination

Another thing to note is that the Netherlands is a travel hub. In 2017, 17.6 million tourists and business people visited the country. That’s equivalent to, well, the entire population of the Netherlands. And of course, given its enormous foreign student population, the Netherlands is fairly multicultural.

Given the spread of the virus, you have people travelling to the country from other parts of the world who could potentially be carrying it with them.

More than 1.5 million cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed globally, with over 87,000 people killed.

Our interactive map tracks the spread of the outbreak 👇https://t.co/2YbJIdLjRs

— NPR (@NPR) April 9, 2020

And once one person has it, it’s easy for others around them to be infected- which is how the virus has spread around the world with such rapidity.

Public transport within the country

Additionally, public transport in the Netherlands is, as much as we complain about it, generally pretty good. But this also means that you’re moving from place to place, in a confined space with lots of different people, where you’re touching different surfaces, thereby facilitating the transfer of the virus more easily, maybe even unknowingly. That’s why it’s so important to refrain from going here and there — there’s a reason measures are in place, and it took a while for people to take them seriously.

The problem with looking at numbers

On a side note, it should also be kept in mind that the numbers you see are not always easily comparable to each other (i.e. comparable to that of other countries) and may not always be entirely accurate.

For instance, the Netherlands has a seemingly high mortality rate but this is due to a number of factors including a delay in reporting deaths, emphasis on palliative care and may therefore differ in methodology from other countries. We’ve written about the mortality rate in the Netherlands in greater depth.

In terms of the spread of coronavirus, the RIVM reports the latest coronavirus figures in the Netherlands, but notes that the actual number of infections is higher than the reported number, as not all people displaying symptoms are tested for the virus (and even more may not have noticeable symptoms at all).

Thus, it may be difficult to compare how the virus is spreading through the Netherlands to other countries.

Government measures

Initially, it took a while for the government-imposed social distancing measures to enter into force. Then it took a while for people to adjust to them, as initially they weren’t taken as seriously. So potentially that’s why the first two weeks of coronavirus cases were increasing at such a rapid rate.

Overall, many factors could have propagated the spread of the virus across the country, including population density, travel both to and within the country and adjustment to social distancing measures.

What other factors may have contributed to the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Many of our DutchReview readers have been wondering why the mortality rate in the Netherlands is so high, with one of the highest in Europe. Meanwhile, people have taken to Twitter wondering what exactly the Netherlands is doing wrong.

But the figures can be misleading. 

#coronavirus mortality rate c.f yesterday:-
Italy 12.32->12.47%
Algeria 11.52->12.16%
France 11.46->11.98%
UK 10.32->10.41%
Netherlands 9.89->9.93%
Spain 9.50->9.75%
Indonesia 8.71->8.39%
Belgium 7.35->7.84%
Egypt 6.65%=
Morocco (New)->6.38%
Sweden 6.12->6.89%
Global 5.44->5.56%

— Andy Mullen (@AndrewJMullen) April 6, 2020

When looking at the coronavirus mortality rate, the number appears a bit worrisome. The Netherlands currently has one of the highest rates in Europe, up there with Spain, Italy and the UK, according to De Volkskrant. And for such a small country, that’s perhaps a little concerning — Germany, the Netherlands’s much larger neighbour, has far less deaths in comparison.

But, according to professor of theoretical epidemiology at Utrecht University, Hans Heesterbeek, comparing the mortality rate in the Netherlands to other countries is of little use at the moment. “This has to do with several factors. For example, it is not always determined whether someone dies from the coronavirus itself.”

Daily #Coronavirus update in the #Netherlands

115 deaths bring the total to 1766.

Dutch death toll curve heading towards 2000.
Real improvement or just less cases reported @rivm ? pic.twitter.com/1clTb8lFD2

— Antonio (@agabriele) April 5, 2020

*NB: the data in the graph above was current as of April 5

What Heesterbeek hints at is that the number you see is a lot more complicated than it lets on. For a start, mortality rates are highly dependent on how many people are tested. In this article, we’ll be comparing mortality rates based on population size.

Mortality is not easy to measure

Not all coronavirus cases or mortalities caused as a result of coronavirus are registered. If a person does not report their illness and then passes away later as a consequence, their information is not necessarily reported to RIVM.

Healthcare is also important

The quality of healthcare is also important. Countries that are able to treat patients more quickly and effectively will have a lower mortality rate. For example, Germany has far more ICU beds compared to, for example, the Netherlands (25,000 compared to 1150 beds)

But beds aren’t the only criteria. The US, on the other hand, doesn’t have easily accessible healthcare for poorer groups of society. And, as De Volkskrant states, Dutch doctors are less inclined to bring elderly patients into intensive care. Three-quarters of patients that have died in the Netherlands were in nursing homes or at home. But this isn’t necessarily a criticism — it’s actually a part of Dutch approach to palliative care.

Dutch approach to palliative care

The topic of palliative care in the Netherlands would need an article entirely dedicated to the concept, but we’ll keep it brief for now.

Palliative care is focused 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.

The patient has the right to choose this procedure, and the Netherlands is renowned for offering high standards of palliative care to patients.

It’s all relative

Countries have different ways of measuring stats

Reporting of statistics is variant per country. For instance, regarding China, there is speculation as to how reliable the data is. Already, the government was late in reporting the coronavirus outbreak to the world.

Given the unreliability of the official data, how can we judge the situation on the ground? #China #coronavirus https://t.co/b1p2fEXMyL

— J.V. (@elektrolito) April 2, 2020

Additionally, some countries may be better at testing than others, meaning their count is more accurate.

Regions versus countries

On another note, what also needs to be taken into account is regions versus countries as a whole. On a regional level, the death toll may appear higher than on a national level.

To put this into perspective, in China the nationwide mortality rate is two people in every million. But, in the Hubei region, where the city Wuhan is located, mortality totalled 50 people per million inhabitants.

Size matters

The Netherlands is a relatively small country (a population of roughly 17 million) and if you compare it to say, the state of New York (a population of roughly 19.5 million), it fares considerably well. The death toll in New York City alone (keep in mind the state of New York is far larger than those five boroughs that make up NYC) has surpassed 1,000. 

Then again, the mortality in the region of North Brabant is higher than elsewhere in the country, making comparison increasingly difficult.

Vanaf vandaag toont de kaart bij de dagelijkse update het aantal ziekenhuisopnames (per woonplaats van de opgenomen patiënten). Deze data geeft een beter beeld van de verspreiding dan het aantal gemelde patiënten op de oude kaart.

Meer informatie: https://t.co/WzveDofipS pic.twitter.com/Ne1PnKfxNp

— RIVM (@rivm) March 31, 2020

On the RIVM’s map above, you can see that the southernmost areas of the Netherlands (roughly where North Brabant is located) has the highest concentration of hospital admissions (per residence of admitted patients). It doesn’t necessarily show mortality but gives an indicator of where the largest amounts of coronavirus cases are, which would likely be the places that experience the highest mortality. This is because there is a higher probability of becoming infected with the virus.

Other factors affecting the accuracy of the number

Data regarding whether the patient had previous complications as well as age should also be taken into account. In this regard, some countries have a larger elderly population than others, which makes people more susceptible.

Additionally, it is after all flu season, and flu, rather than the coronavirus outbreak, could have resulted in an increase in the death rate, especially around this time.

The virus will also naturally hit each country differently depending on aspects like poverty, population, maybe even weather as well as other illnesses that are circulating. In some areas it will grow exponentially (such as in Italy and Spain). The Netherlands may still be early on in the crisis. For now, however, the country resembles Belgium and France more closely, where the rate at which the death toll grows is more constant.

So how bad is the Dutch mortality rate?

While it is easy to point to a number on paper and insist the Dutch are doing something wrong, when it comes to counting coronavirus deaths countries have far too many differences for a fair comparison.

The amount of testing conducted in a country, access to healthcare, cultural approaches to palliative care, and different ways of measuring statistics are all factors affecting statistics. By looking solely at the numbers it’s impossible to gain a clear overview of how the Netherlands is doing compared to other nations.

Should the mortality rate in the Netherlands even be compared to other countries in the first place? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Yesterday, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care after suffering from severe symptoms of coronavirus. Well-wishers, including the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, took to Twitter to share some kind words.

55-year old Johnson, was admitted to St. Thomas’s Hospital in London after pervasive symptoms that did not decrease during his home isolation in London. As of now his situation has not significantly improved, NU.nl reports.

Yesterday evening, Mark Rutte tweeted, “on behalf of the Dutch cabinet, I wish @Boris Johnson and the British people strength during this time. I hope to speak to him soon in good health.”

On behalf of the Dutch cabinet, I wish @BorisJohnson, his family and the British people lots of strength during this difficult time. I hope to be able to speak to him soon in good health.

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) April 6, 2020

We too, wish Johnson, the  rest of the UK and other parts of the world all the best during this difficult time.

Feature Image: Andrew Parsons, BackBoris2012 Campaign Team/Flickr 

Spending so much time at home can be an opportunity to get creative — and that’s what two inventive Dutchies did while self-isolating at home.

Esther and Joran were stuck in quarantine when inspiration struck: “Why not make some coronavirus emojis?” And so they did. Their creations have already proven successful, RTL Nieuws reports.

Instant viral content

After spending some time playing around with photoshop, the duo had 12 emojis ready. Once they put them up for download on the internet, the demand was so high that they decided to make a website for them. They also got flooded with suggestions for new emoticons.

The collection is now comprised of 26 emojis. Esther’s personal favourite is the man working in his underpants, something that we can all relate to on some level, especially those among us who are working from home.

For her, making the emojis is about raising awareness and to find a way to explain the measures needed to contain the virus in a light-hearted way.

Popular internationally

The emoticons gained traction not only in the Netherlands but abroad as well. The emojis have been downloaded a lot in the United States, but also in China.

Companies have also approached the duo, asking if they can have the emojis on posters.

If you want to have a go yourself at using these emojis, you can find them on this website. They’re free of charge, but you’re encouraged to make a donation to the Red Cross instead.

What’s your favourite emoji from the list? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: corona-emojis.com

When it comes to the growth rate of ICU admissions, there has been somewhat of a downward trend in the past few days. 

According to the RIVM’s figures, the increase of ICU patients from the day before on Thursday was 82, the next day it was 51 more than the day before, on Saturday it was 26, Sunday 25 and yesterday the number was 24.

Downward trend

This shows a downward trend in the growth rate, according to NOS. “If this continues, I’ll be very optimistic,” says Diederik Gommers, the chairman of the Dutch Association for Intensive Care. Gommers notes, however, that the number could easily rise again— It takes two weeks for a peak in the admittance of patients.

"We" zijn goed bezig mensen✌

Data van NICE en RIVM#FlattenTheCuve #covid19nl pic.twitter.com/occThJpoaP

— Wim Berkhof (@wimberkhof) April 6, 2020

According to Ernst Kuipers of the Landelijk Netwerk Acute Zorg, credit has to be given to the Dutch population since social distancing measures are being adhered to fairly well. And this should continue.

When to be optimistic

Feature Image: Calleamanecer/Wikimedia Commons 

The most recent coronavirus numbers are in. The RIVM reports 952 new cases, bringing the total to 18,803. Additionally, 260 new patients have been hospitalised, and there are 101 new deaths (14 less than yesterday). This brings the total mortality count to 1,867.

So far, it appears as if the growth has plateaued, in that the rise of cases and deaths is no longer exponential as it was in the beginning, although numbers may slightly vary here and there. This suggests that the government-imposed measures have some effect.

Zou het niet zinnig zijn om ook gegevens van de laatste 7 dagen te publiceren ?
Dan wordt de ontwikkeling wat beter zichtbaar. pic.twitter.com/qFDOoN4Nov

— Gerard Koolstra (@ggerardk) April 6, 2020

It should, however, be noted that these numbers may not illustrate the actual coronavirus numbers in the Netherlands, since not all people with symptoms are being tested, and not all deaths are reported.

The Netherlands increases its testing capacity

However, the Netherlands has increased its testing capacity from 4,000 to 17,500 beginning today. The new tests will primarily be used for healthcare workers, but also for other at-risk or vulnerable groups. GPs will now also be allowed to test people who are in vulnerable groups.

To cope with the new number of tests, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has also increased the number of testing labs to 41, from the initial 15 testing sites, which would increase testing capacity as well. These changes will hopefully make the numbers more accurate.

Dutch ICUs are less busy than expected

The Netherlands has increased its ICU capacity to 2,400 in order to cope with the number of coronavirus patients that need urgent medical care. As of now, there are a total of 1385 patients in ICU care. This is an increase of 25 patients from yesterday.

The good news is that the influx of patients seems to be flattening because the numbers of patients remain the same as people who were sick before are now leaving the ICUs.

Borders with Germany might be closed

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Germany, equivalent to the RIVM, has classified the Netherlands as an “International Risk Area.” This classification means that there is a persistent transmission of the virus between people and that further spread of the novel coronavirus will likely have wide-reaching consequences. As a result, Germany may partially close its borders shared with its Dutch neighbour.

Also included in Germany’s list are the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Iran, Austria and France.

And finally…

Be sure to check out our guide on coronavirus for any questions/comments/concerns you might have about the virus in the Netherlands.

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

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva