COVID-19: Death toll hits nearly 3,000 in Netherlands

By Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) - The Netherlands has diagnosed over 27,000 COVID-19 cases along with nearly 3,000 virus-linked deaths, authorities said Tuesday.

Latest figures are updated daily by the National Institute for Public Health and Environment on its website.

Currently, 8,939 patients are under treatment at hospitals, with 210 new admissions reported during the last 24 hours.

The death toll moved up to 2,945 after 122 more patients lost their lives over that period.

The institute clarified that the actual number of infections could be higher "because not everyone who may be infected is tested for the virus".

At this point, the European country has opted for "maximum control of the virus" or social distancing, rather than a lockdown.

This means that the government "is working together to ensure that people follow the hygiene rules, avoid public venues (such as cafés), and maintain physical distance from each other."

Overall, about two million people have tested positive for the virus in 185 countries. Over 120,000 -- the most in Italy, Spain and the U.S. -- have died.

According to the World Health Organization, most people infected with the virus experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.

However, older people, and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness.

The virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

There are no specific vaccines available at this time. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments.