Covid-19: 700 excess deaths in NL last week; Risk levels escalated in two regions

Last week, week 44 of 2020, a total of 3,600 people died in the Netherlands, 700 more deaths than expected for this period, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday. The excess mortality coincides with the second Covid-19 wave in the country, but it is not possible to say exactly how many of the excess deaths were due to the coronavirus.

Public health institute RIVM reported 285 coronavirus related deaths last week. Not all reports are in yet, and not everyone is tested for the coronavirus, so that number may well be higher.

In week 43 a total of 3,419 people died in the Netherlands, 600 more than expected for that period.

The number of new Covid-19 infections seems to be leveling off in the Netherlands, but the situation is still serious. The risk levels in two security regions were escalated on Thursday, due to increasing coronavirus infections. Veiligheidsregio Zeeland was moved to "serious", the second highest risk level. And Veiligheidsregio Noord- en Oost Gelderland was moved to the highest "very serious" level, RTL Nieuws report.

Before Thursday, Zeeland was the last security region to still have the "worrisome" status. In addition to Zeeland, four other security regions are now at "serious" - Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe and Zuid Limburg.

The other 20 security regions are at the highest risk level. These are the entire provinces of Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, Noord-Brabant, Gelderland, Overijssel, and Flevoland, as well as Veiligheidsregio Limburg-Noord.