THE HAGUE, May 22 (Xinhua) -- For the first time in over two months, mortality in the Netherlands was lower last week than usual, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced on Friday based on provisional weekly death counts.
For week 20 (May 11 to 17), the number of deaths is estimated at around 2,850, which is 200 fewer than usual in this period. During this week the RIVM reported 159 deaths from COVID-19.
From week 11 to week 19 (March 9 to May 10), mortality in the country was higher than expected. In those weeks, almost 9,000 more people died than usual this period. This higher mortality coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The first confirmed patient in the country was reported on Feb. 27, and the first death involving COVID-19 was reported on March 6.
The daily figures from the novel coronavirus continue to be lower than the peak time of the crisis. The RIVM reported 13 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the COVID-19 toll to 5,788. The number of positive cases rose by 188 to 44,888, while hospital admissions grew by 9 to a total of 11,649. Enditem
