Coronavirus deaths tops 4,500, with increased fatal cases slowing
Some 4,518 people in the Netherlands who tested positive for coronavirus have died, public health agency RIVM said on Monday. People with the viral infection who required hospitalization reached 10,521.
At least 12 people died on Sunday, and 34 on Saturday, the health agency said. In total, 43 more deaths were reported by the agency, all of which took place between Friday and Monday.
Meanwhile, 21 more people were hospitalized on Sunday, in addition to 55 on Saturday. Including new data stretching back to March 27, the RIVM said it new of 65 more hospital cases involving coronavirus and respiratory illness Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health wants a first group of nursing homes to start allowing visitors again to a limited extend and under strict conditions from May 11, he said to Nederlands Dagblad. There's been a strict ban on visitors at nursing homes since March 20. Conditions include visits only per appointment, and that visits can only happen in separate rooms. De Jonge will submit a plan for relaxing this measure to the Outbreak Management Team next week, he said to the newspaper.
To date, 38,245 people have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 400 from figures released on Sunday. In its daily update, the RIVM reminded people that its data is constantly updated as it receives more information about testing statistics, causes of death, and hospital patient statuses.