COVID-19 figures decreasing, but still high There were 1,998 new hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 last week, 7% less than the week before. 343 new patients with COVID-19 were admitted to ICU, a 9% decrease.
Omicron variant confirmed in another 18 people in the Netherlands RIVM is monitoring the spread of the Omicron variant in various ways. For that purpose, the test samples taken from people who tested positive for COVID-19 are subjected to further analysis.
Wider availability of self-tests leads to higher willingness to test As of Friday 3 December, the recommendation in the Netherlands is to use a self-test in case of mild symptoms, as an alternative to a test by the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs). Beeld: ANP
Healthcare utilisation increases with Long COVID symptoms More than 15,000 people are taking part in the LongCOVID study conducted by RIVM. Participants with existing long-term symptoms after COVID-19 (Long COVID) reported higher healthcare utilisation.
Largest drop in number of tuberculosis cases in the Netherlands in fifty years Last year, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the Netherlands fell sharply. The 17% drop is the largest in fifty years. In 2020, 623 cases were notified compared to 754 in 2019.
Situation growing worse in the Netherlands In the week from 17 to 23 March, 46,005 people received a positive test result for COVID-19, an increase of 16% compared to the week before that. The reproduction number continued to rise, from 1.06 on 1 March to 1.11 on 8 March.
Method for safe and sustainable recycling of waste The method developed by RIVM to assess whether waste treatment is sufficiently safe and sustainable, can contribute to the European ambitions for a safe and more circular economy.
The 2020 Nitrate Report: nitrate levels in the water on farms on the rise again since 2017 More nitrogen and phosphorus have been ending up in the soil on farms since 2015. As a result, nitrate concentrations have been rising since 2017 in leachates and ditch water from those farms.
Vaccination with AstraZeneca vaccine will start again The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) has decided to resume vaccinating with the COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca within the near future.
Number of positive COVID-19 tests at the same level as last week In the week from 2 to 9 March, 31,959 people received a positive test result for COVID-19, about the same as in the week before that. More than 360,000 people were tested, an increase of nearly 14% compared to the week before that.