Proposed European PFAS ban officially submitted The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway today took the first formal step towards a European ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by jointly submitting a restriction proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
Reported COVID-19 infections are still rising, but less rapidly The number of reported COVID-19 infections continued increasing last week. However, the number of newly reported infections once again rose less quickly than in the week before that.
Coronavirus measures: public support remains high, despite concerns With the rapid increase in infections, people estimate their own risk of becoming infected as higher than it was 6 weeks ago (previously 10%, now 18%).
Novel coronavirus continues to spread unabated The number of reported cases of COVID-19 continues to rise in all regions and in all age groups. The Municipal Public Health Service (GGD) reported that 43,903 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week.
Initial results of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 very promising Two antigen tests for rapid diagnosis of COVID-19, which detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus proteins within 15 minutes after testing, show very promising initial results.
Staying 1.5 metres apart is growing more difficult Staying 1.5 metres apart seems to be more and more difficult for people to manage.
Mortality still significantly elevated between 30 April and 6 May, but much lower than in previous weeks The total mortality rate in the Netherlands was significantly elevated in the week of 30 April to 6 May 2020. However, excess mortality was much lower than in previous weeks.
The 1.5-metre society is difficult to maintain Personal hygiene measures, such as not shaking hands, or using paper tissues, are not considered a problem by most Dutch people.
COVID-19 in nursing homes is stabilising The number of new nursing homes with COVID-19 patients is stabilising.
Rapid diagnostic tests are not reliable The Serology Task Force of the National Coordination Centre for Testing Capacity – a partnership between RIVM, hospitals and laboratories – has collected research results on rapid diagnostic tests