Xinhua News Agency, The Hague, October 26 Roundup: After the Netherlands "unsealed", the new crown epidemic rebounded seriously
Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xiangjiang
Since the Dutch government announced the lifting of most of the COVID-19 measures at the end of September, the country's COVID-19 rebound has gradually intensified, and the Dutch government said it is considering restarting the lockdown measures.
On September 25, the Dutch government announced new COVID-19 prevention and control measures, lifting most of them. For example, the 1.5-meter social distancing requirement in public places is only recommended; school teachers and students no longer need to wear masks, but must wear masks on public transportation; and vaccination certificates are required to enter bars, restaurants, and other social and cultural establishments.
The reporter recently saw in The Hague that in addition to passengers on public transportation such as buses, light rail and trains, everyone wears masks as required, and few people wear masks on the streets, train stations and even supermarkets and shopping malls.
With the relaxation of prevention and control measures, the number of new confirmed cases of new coronavirus in the Netherlands, which was stable at an average of about 2,000 cases per day before and after the "unsealing", gradually climbed, reaching the level of more than 5,000 cases per day by the end of October, and the number of new hospital admissions and severe cases also increased significantly.
According to the latest data released by the Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and Environment on the 26th, since October 19, there have been 38,733 new confirmed cases of new coronavirus, a 50% increase over the previous week; 584 new hospital admissions, an increase of 34% over the previous week; 110 new severe cases, an increase of 31% over the previous week. The data show that the new cases are distributed across the Netherlands and among people of all age groups. The institute believes that the sharp increase in new confirmed cases may be related to the relaxation of prevention and control measures and seasonal factors.
In the face of the intensification of the rebound of the epidemic, the Dutch government held a cabinet meeting on the 25th to discuss the epidemic. Health Minister Hugo De Jonghe said after the meeting that the outbreak rebounded earlier and faster than previously expected, so the government was considering restarting the lockdown measures. He said the outbreak in the Netherlands was complex and four out of five critically ill patients were not vaccinated.
It is reported that the Dutch government will hold a press conference on November 2, when it will announce whether to take new epidemic prevention and control measures.
Official Dutch figures show that 87.1% of adults in the Netherlands have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine, and 83.5% of adults have completed the full dose of vaccination. According to the latest data released by the World Health Organization, as of the 26th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Netherlands 2082563, and the cumulative number of deaths was 18314.
Source: Xinhua Net