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.
Quick action needed to prevent drinking water shortage in 2030 The demand for drinking water will increase until at least 2030. The supply is under strain due to climate change and pollution. There are already regional shortages. If measures are not taken, shortages will occur throughout the Netherlands in 2030.
Omicron variant dominant in the Netherlands, 25% drop in new hospital admissions There were 26% fewer new hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 last week compared to the week before. There were 25% fewer new patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU compared to the previous week.
Vaccination and previous infection provide less effective protection against infection with Omicron variant Dutch research results published today show that the protection offered by vaccination or previous infection is less effective in preventing infection with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 than infection with the Delta variant.
Downward trend in COVID-19, while vaccination and previous infection offer significantly less protection against Omicron There were 1,335 new hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 last week, 33% less than the week before.
Omicron advancing rapidly in the Netherlands Infections involving the Omicron variant are still in the minority for now, but are increasing rapidly.