147 patients deceased, 308 new patients, a total of 20,549 confirmed cases
On April 8 2020, 308 patients were or have been admitted to hospital. There were 147 persons reported as deceased. Not all of the hospital admissions or deaths occurred within the last 24 hours.
There are significant regional differences in the epidemic. In the Netherlands, up to 20,549 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Most confirmed coronavirus cases live in the province of Noord-Brabant. Almost a quarter of the total number of confirmed cases in the Netherlands concern residents of the province of Noord-Brabant (4,799 confirmed cases). The province of Groningen with 227 confirmed cases is the province with the lowest number of cases, 1,1 per cent of the total number of cases, closely followed by the provinces of Drenthe (232 cases, 1,1 per cent), Friesland (260 cases, 1,3 per cent) and Flevoland (293 cases, 1,4 per cent).
These differences can be explained by the fact that the novel coronavirus is not equally spread throughout the Netherlands. In Noord-Brabant, the epidemic seems to be flattening. The number of reported cases in the north of the Netherlands is steadily low.
More tests have been carried out since 6 April. The extension of testing is intended for care workers outside the hospital, such as general practitioners, nursing home workers, disabled care workers or home care workers. Also, more patients are being tested with a high risk of a severe course of coronavirus infection, such as the elderly and people with severe underlying health conditions or a disorder.
As more patients are tested, more confirmed cases will likely be found. Therefore, an increase in the number of reported confirmed cases does not mean that the disease will spread faster.
See also the report on data on coronavirus in the Netherlands (only in Dutch).