Coronavirus fatalities and hospitalizations remain low; Death toll stands at 4,893
Public health agency RIVM confirmed the deaths of at least 30 people who tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the country's death toll up to 4,893. In total, 98 more fatal cases were reported by the agency; deaths which occurred between March 24 and April 30.
At least 26 people with the virus were admitted into hospitals on Friday, with the agency learning of 85 more hospitalizations in total from March 21 through May 1. So far, the Netherlands has had 10,854 hospital admissions connected to coronavirus and respiratory illness Covid-19.
So far, 39,791 are known to have been infected by coronavirus in the Netherlands. Nearly 226 thousand people have been tested.
The RIVM confirmed to NL Times that Dutch labs can handle 17,500 coronavirus tests per day without working overtime. This only involves PCR tests which use cotton swabs to accumulate mucus needed for an analysis to determine if someone has an active coronavirus infection. The Dutch health authorities want to conduct more blood tests, testing for antibodies to see if someone has or has had the virus, but they are still investigating how to do so efficiently.
A German lab offered to do some 5 thousand coronavirus tests per day for the Netherlands, but the Dutch authorities have not yet made use of this offer because the extra testing capacity is not needed at this stage, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health said to the NL Times.
