Wednesday, April 22, 2020, 3:08 PM
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In Overijssel, there has been no decrease in the spread of the coronavirus in nursing homes. This is striking because the number of infections in nursing homes is decreasing in most provinces in the Netherlands. Minister De Jonge writes this in a letter to the Second Chamber. In addition to Overijssel, there has also been no decline in North Holland and South Holland.
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The letter does not state how it is that the situation in Overijssel differs from most Dutch provinces.
The minister writes that the number of reports of a first confirmed covid-19 infection by nursing home locations has been decreasing since the week of March 24. That is a week after the start of the government-imposed measure that prohibits visits to nursing homes.
“There is, however, a diverse picture,” writes the minister. “The provinces of South Holland, North Holland and Overijssel are an exception to this trend.”
Different registrations
The figures for the number of confirmed and suspected covid-19 patients in nursing homes are an underestimate of the actual numbers. Nursing homes voluntarily register their data and the nursing home sector uses various electronic patient records.
The system most commonly used keeps track of deaths, but another widely used system does not. Data from a third system is not yet available.
Vulnerable group
People in nursing homes are vulnerable people who are sensitive to infections and have an extra risk of serious corona complaints. In addition, they often have close contacts with each other, which increases the chance of a rapid spread of the virus in a department or location.
“Where it seems difficult to prevent the spread of the virus on location, it remains encouraging that the number of reports per day of ‘new nursing home locations’ is leveling off,” the minister writes.
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