Coronavirus risk level in several Dutch regions could be downgraded next week

The number of people diagnosed as being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has fallen acutely over the last five days, and the drop could be enough to reduce the warning levels in over a half-dozen regions of the Netherlands. Domestic authorities divide the country into 25 different security regions.

This past Wednesday, the Dutch government categorized 23 of them at the “Severe” risk level, the worst of four. The other two, Drenthe and Zeeland, were categorized at the second-highest level, “Serious”. The risk levels are assessed based on number of infections per 100 thousand residents, and the number of Covid-19 hospitalizations each week. The Netherlands updates its regional alerts every Wednesday.

An analysis by newswire ANP using preliminary data from the RIVM showed that The five regions of Flevoland, Friesland, IJsselland, Noord en Oost Gelderland and Zuid-Holland-Zuid could all be downgraded from Severe to Serious after a sharp drop in coronavirus infections were recorded there this week. If figures continue to fall in Utrecht, Noord Limburg and Limburg Zuid, they too could be downgraded to Serious.

An NL Times analysis of figures in Drenthe show that it was just on the border of a lower risk level based on infection total, and could be downgraded to level two, “Concern”. Average weekly infections in Zeeland would need to fall by another ten percent to reach that threshold.

The newswire pointed out that per capita infections in Amsterdam-Amstelland and Groningen were halved in a week, not yet enough to reduce the alert levels in those regions. There is currently no impact on increasing or decreasing coronavirus risk levels in the Netherlands. All 25 regions are subject to the current coronavirus restrictions until at least August 13.

European Union countries often use the risk assessment from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to guide their developing border restrictions. The ECDC releases its findings every Thursday based on data submitted from national governments. It divides the Netherlands by the 12 provinces, and not the 25 security regions.

Seven of the 12 provinces were placed at the ECDC’s highest risk level, with the other five at the second highest level.