Another 84 Covid-19 deaths reported in Netherlands; 39 new hospitalizations

Another 84 coronavirus related deaths and 39 hospitalizations were reported to the Dutch health authorities, public health institute RIVM said on Thursday. That brings the total number of Covid-19 deaths to 5,288 and total hospitalizations to 11,192.

Of the new deaths reported to the RIVM, at least 22 people died on Wednesday. The other fatalities range back as far as March 6. Of the new hospitalizations, at least 21 happened on Wednesday, with the rest stretching back as far as March 15.

Another 455 people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of positive tests to 41,774. Laboratories have recorded the results of 249,655 coronavirus tests since March 9.

On Wednesday, the government announced a step-by-step plan to ease the Netherlands out of the coronavirus lockdown. On Thursday, RIVM director Jaap van Dissel spoke to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament about these plans.

He could not tell the parliamentarians at exactly how many new infections the government's Outbreak Management Team would hit the break and implement stricter measures again. It all depends on who gets infected where, and what caused the increase, Van Dissel explained, NOS reports. If the situation remains manageable, as it is now, he sees no reason for measures to be intensified again.

According to Van Dissel, it is inevitable that more people will be infected with the coronavirus. "The virus is among us, people will get sick," he said. But by testing more and more people, and doing proper source and contact research, the virus can be kept under control, he said. Source and contact research is to find out where a diagnosed Covid-19 patient was infected, and exactly who they had contact with so that those people can be warned that they may be infected too.