GPs feel more personalised care for chronically ill patients was useful during coronavirus pandemic During the coronavirus pandemic, GPs had to take over some of the tasks of hospitals and mental healthcare providers.
European air quality limit values can be met if proposed policy measures are implemented In 2022, the European Commission introduced a proposal for stricter air quality standards. With existing policy measures, the air quality in most of the Netherlands will meet these requirements by 2030.
Brief decline in air quality over Easter RIVM expects the air quality to be poor or very poor for a brief period over Easter, particularly in areas where Easter fires are lit. This is because the burning of wood leads to high local concentrations of particulate matter in the air. These high concentrations may cause health problems. People affected by these problems are advised to avoid strenuous physical activity.
Post-COVID less common after Omicron infection After a SARS-CoV-2 infection involving Omicron, 1 in 10 people still have symptoms three months later. This is almost 2 times lower than after an infection involving the Delta variant. This is evident from new results of the LongCOVID study at RIVM. There is variation in the frequency of specific post-COVID symptoms after an infection with the Omicron or Delta variant.
Safe recycling of textiles possible, but still in its infancy Textiles are produced using chemicals. Although many hazardous chemicals may no longer be used in textile production, they may still be present in donations of old clothing. RIVM has conducted a study into the safety of recycled textiles.
International research confirms: lockdowns have negative impact on many young people Lockdowns have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of many young people. They get less exercise and experience more feelings of depression, loneliness and insecurity.
Quality of protective equipment insufficient during COVID-19 crisis The personal protective equipment (PPE) purchased at the national level during the COVID-19 crisis for use in the healthcare sector only partly met the required standards of quality.
Nearly a quarter-million positive COVID-19 tests last week Last week*, 242,961 positive COVID-19 tests were reported to RIVM**. That is an increase of 21% compared to the week before that.
200 thousand people tested positive in one week 201,536 positive COVID-19 tests were reported to RIVM last week. That is an increase of 77% compared to the previous week. Such high numbers of reported infections within just one week have never been seen before in the Netherlands.
Omicron causes 35% increase in positive COVID-19 tests, despite lockdown In the past week*, the number of reported positive COVID-19 tests increased by 35% compared to the week before that. The number of people tested by the GGD was about the same.