News | RIVM

Operations postponed due to pandemic result in 320,000 healthy life years lost

The COVID-19 pandemic caused over 305,000 operations to be postponed in 2020 and 2021 in the Netherlands.

Nearly twice as many cases involving long-term symptoms after COVID-19

Three months after infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, almost half of people still report one or more long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and loss of smell.

Man houdt tablet vast met vragenlijst over Long COVID

Many more infections, limited increase in hospital admissions

In the past week, the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Netherlands increased by 64% compared to the week before that.

Decrease in visits to GP only during first wave of COVID-19 crisis

During the first wave of infections in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 crisis (March–June 2020), the total number of visits to the GP was 11% lower than during the same period in 2019.

More than 1 in 5 young people had suicidal thoughts during last lockdown

More than 1 in 5 young people (22%) between the ages of 12 and 25 years seriously thought about ending their lives between December 2021 and February 2022. A lockdown was in effect in the Netherlands at that time.

People who work at night are more likely to get infected with coronavirus

People who occasionally or regularly work at night are 37% more likely to test positive for coronavirus than people who only work during the daytime. This is one of the conclusions of a study by the RIVM (Netherlands).

Care workers working at night wearing a facial covid protection screen

BA.5 variant detected in the Netherlands

The BA.5 variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was detected for the first time in the Netherlands this week.

Public opinion: keep society open and continue providing healthcare during COVID-19 surge

In the long-term approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dutch government is assigning a key role to civil society and private citizens. When asked what their priorities are in that context, the answer was to prevent delays in surgical interventions.

Hardly any decrease in overweight, smoking and alcohol use since 2018

In 2021 half of all adults were overweight. 21% sometimes smoked, 7% were excessive drinkers and 8% heavy drinkers.

Groep mensen aan het sporten in een sportschool

Impact of coronavirus outbreak on participation in National Immunisation Programme limited

Participation in the vaccinations against mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) and diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus and polio) (DTaP-IPV) has decreased slightly among infants (-1%).