Tuesday 26 May 2020

Again fewer Covid-19 patients in IC wards

Again fewer Covid-19 patients in IC wards

The number of people being treated in intensive care wards for coronavirus has fallen to 223, the coordinating agency said on Sunday. At the height of the epidemic the number of coronavirus patients in ICU neared 1,400. A further 499 patients are being treated in IC units for other health issues. ‘The overall occupancy rate is low and that means other care is getting back up to steam,’ Ernst Kuipers of the national acute care agency said. ‘The number of... More >

Emergency Covid-19 hospitals were unused

Emergency Covid-19 hospitals were unused

It is unclear who will pick up the bill for two emergency hospitals which were built to take coronavirus patients but which were never used, according to investigative journalism platform Investico. In Rotterdam, the Ahoy exhibition centre was turned into a temporary hospital, as was the MECC centre in Maastricht. But neither saw any patients and both are now being dismantled. The total cost of the two emergency hospitals is put at €14m and both were set up without the... More >

Dutch excess mortality rate disappears

Dutch excess mortality rate disappears

The official coronavirus death toll in the Netherlands rose by 13 overnight to 5,788, the public health agency RIVM said in its Friday update. A further nine people were taken to hospital after testing positive for the virus. At the same time, preliminary figures show that fewer people died in the week to May 17 that would have been expected for the time of year, national statistics agency CBS said. This is a further indication that the government’s measures to... More >

Masks on tram plan raises many questions

Masks on tram plan raises many questions

Public transport unions say they are concerned about who is going to makes sure train and tram users wear face masks from June 1, when normal services are resumed again. Masks, which should not be of ‘medical quality’ will be compulsory from June 1 and people who refuse can be fined €95. Prime minister Mark Rutte said at Tuesday’s press conference that chief conductors will issue fines on trains and that local authority wardens (boas) will do the job on... More >

Covid-19 hospital admissions rise by 14

Covid-19 hospital admissions rise by 14

The number of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 rose by just 14 in the latest update from national statistics agency RIVM. In total, 11,629 people have now been hospitalised for coronavirus at some point since the epidemic began. The official death toll rose by 33 to 5,743, including deaths which were not reported in the previous few days. However, the real figure is likely to be up to 40% higher, as the official total only includes people who have... More >

Blood thinners for risky Covid-19 patients

Blood thinners for risky Covid-19 patients

Family doctors are going to prescribe daily doses of blood thinning medication to people who have or are thought to have coronavirus and who have a (family) history of thrombosis, as well as cancer patients, broadcaster NOS reports. The new Dutch protocol is the first in Europe to enable doctors to prescribe preventative treatment and is aimed at preventing the serious complications which can occur in people belonging to these high-risk groups, family doctor and UMC Utrecht researcher Geert-Jan Geersing,... More >

Menthol cigarettes banned from Wednesday

Menthol cigarettes banned from Wednesday

Menthol flavoured cigarettes such as Belinda Green will be banned from the shelves of Dutch tobacconists from Wednesday, following a European court of Justice decision four years ago. The court ruled that the flavouring encourages smoking at a time when EU policy is aimed at getting as many people as possible to stop. Afficionados of menthol cigarettes in the Netherlands have been buying as many of their favourite smokes as possible and are coming up with ways to replace them,... More >

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