Upward trend in infections continues Infections with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the Netherlands have increased for the third week in a row. The number of patients admitted to hospital nursing wards remained the same this week.
Nearly twice as many cases involving long-term symptoms after COVID-19 Three months after infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, almost half of people still report one or more long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and loss of smell.
New test for Lyme disease is not reliable To determine whether someone has Lyme disease, doctors in the Netherlands often use antibody tests. For some time now, so-called cellular tests have been available on the market.
Many more infections, limited increase in hospital admissions In the past week, the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Netherlands increased by 64% compared to the week before that.
Current knowledge on microplastics in the soil is still inadequate A literature review carried out by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has concluded that reliable standard techniques should be developed to analyse microplastics in the soil.
New crisis response organisation at RIVM to control future pandemics The cabinet has agreed to the proposal of Ernst Kuipers, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, to set up a National Functionality for Infectious Disease Control (LFI).
The spread of the UK coronavirus variant in the Netherlands The UK variant of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been found in 11 people in the Netherlands so far: 5 people in the Amsterdam region, 5 people in the Rotterdam region and 1 person in the Nijmegen
Improvement of air quality continues In 2019, the calculated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) were below the European limit values in almost the whole of the Netherlands. Locally, the limit value for nitrogen dioxide is still being exceeded.
RIVM international circular economy knowledge partner As of 7 December 2020, RIVM has become a knowledge partner of the international Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE).
First COVID-19 vaccination in the Netherlands on 8 January 2021 If the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approves BioNTech/Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine next week, the first people in the Netherlands will receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday 8 January 2021.