Sex Workers' Everyday Security in the Netherlands and the Impact of COVID-19.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare and exacerbates the existing insecurities of sex workers. This paper asks: What are sex workers' everyday experiences of (in)security? And: How has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced these? Methods: We engage with these questions through collaborative research based on semi-structured interviews carried out in 2019 and 2020 with sex workers in The Hague, the Netherlands. Results: Revealing a stark mismatch between the insecurities that sex workers' experience and the concerns enshrined in regulation, our analysis shows that sex workers' everyday insecurities involve diverse concerns regarding their occupational safety and health, highlighting that work insecurity is more multi-faceted than sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Widespread employment and income insecurities for sex workers are exacerbated for transwomen and male sex workers. Their legal liminality is enabled not only by the opaque legal status of sex work in the Netherlands, but also by the gendering of official regulation. The COVID-19 pandemic made visible how the sexual and gender norms that informally govern sex workers' working conditions intersect with hierarchies of citizenship, complicating access to COVID-19 support, particularly for migrant sex workers. Conclusions: Sex work regulation in the Netherlands leaves workers in a limbo-not without obligations and surveillance, yet, without the full guarantee of their labour rights. Policy Implications: To effectively address sex workers' insecurities, a shift in regulation from its current biopolitical focus to a labour approach is necessary. Besides, public policy and civil society actors alike need to address the sex industry's harmful social regulation through hierarchies of gender, sexuality and race.

Leaving the hospital on time: hospital bed utilization and reasons for discharge delay in the Netherlands.

Inappropriate bed occupancy due to delayed hospital discharge affects both physical and psychological well-being in patients and can disrupt patient flow. The Dutch healthcare system is facing ongoing pressure, especially during the current coronavirus disease pandemic, intensifying the need for optimal use of hospital beds. The aim of this study was to quantify inappropriate patient stays and describe the underlying reasons for the delays in discharge. The Day of Care Survey (DoCS) is a validated tool used to gain information about appropriate and inappropriate bed occupancy in hospitals. Between February 2019 and January 2021, the DoCS was performed five times in three different hospitals within the region of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. All inpatients were screened, using standardized criteria, for their need for in-hospital care at the time of survey and reasons for discharge delay. A total of 782 inpatients were surveyed. Of these patients, 94 (12%) were planned for definite discharge that day. Of all other patients, 145 (21%, ranging from 14% to 35%) were without the need for acute in-hospital care. In 74% (107/145) of patients, the reason for discharge delay was due to issues outside the hospital; most frequently due to a shortage of available places in care homes (26%, 37/145). The most frequent reason for discharge delay inside the hospital was patients awaiting a decision or review by the treating physician (14%, 20/145). Patients who did not meet the criteria for hospital stay were, in general, older [median 75, interquartile range (IQR) 65-84 years, and 67, IQR 55-75 years, respectively, P < .001] and had spent more days in hospital (7, IQR 5-14 days, and 3, IQR 1-8 days respectively, P < .001). Approximately one in five admitted patients occupying hospital beds did not meet the criteria for acute in-hospital stay or care at the time of the survey. Most delays were related to issues outside the immediate control of the hospital. Improvement programmes working with stakeholders focusing on the transfer from hospital to outside areas of care need to be further developed and may offer potential for the greatest gain. The DoCS can be a tool to periodically monitor changes and improvements in patient flow.

Harbor Porpoise Deaths Associated with Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, the Netherlands, 2021.

In August 2021, a large-scale mortality event affected harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the Netherlands. Pathology and ancillary testing of 22 animals indicated that the most likely cause of death was Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae infection. This zoonotic agent poses a health hazard for cetaceans and possibly for persons handling cetacean carcasses.

Advancing patient safety governance in the COVID-19 response

In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the safety of health care services remains a serious, ongoing challenge. This once-in-a-century global health crisis exposed the vulnerability of healthcare delivery systems and the subsequent risks of patient harm. Given the scale of the occurrence and costs of preventable patient safety events, intervention and investment are still relatively modest. Good patient safety governance focuses on what leaders and policy makers can do to improve system performance and reduce the financial burden of avoidable care. Moreover, it is essential in driving progress in improving safety outcomes. This report examines how patient safety governance mechanisms in OECD countries have withstood the test of COVID-19 and provides recommendations for countries in further improving patient safety governance and strengthening health system resilience.

Decline in informal helping during the first COVID-19 lockdown: a longitudinal analysis of Dutch data

Like many European countries, the Netherlands locked down in March 2020 to combat the spread of COVID-19. Although government officials called for solidarity, the lockdown measures made it more difficult to help fellow citizens. In this study, we examine whether informal helping declined during the first lockdown in the Netherlands and to what extent changes depended on people's resources (time/health), motivation (solidarity/COVID concerns) and opportunities (social contact). In general, we expected an overall decline of informal helping, and this decline was expected to be smaller for people with more resources, motivation, and opportunities. We used data from the SOCON COVID-19 Panel survey that were collected through internet and telephone interviews before (February 2019/2020) and shortly after the first lockdown in the Netherlands (July 2020) (N = 522). We examine the impact of resources, motivation and opportunities for informal help provided to relatives, friends and neighbors separately. Indeed, results showed that people overall helped less during the lockdown than before. The decline in helping relatives was smaller among those who lost work, were worried about relatives, experienced solidarity with others or had more contact with relatives during the lockdown. People who contacted more with neighbors during the lockdown period provided more informal help to them during the lockdown than before. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Improving the timeliness of health expenditure tracking in OECD and low-and middle-income countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that access to timely health spending data is crucial for informed policy-making. This Health Working Paper summarises and compares the methodologies applied in around half of OECD countries to estimate public and private health spending for the most recent year (i.e. t-1) as well as the approaches taken by the OECD Secretariat to fill existing data gaps for the remaining OECD countries. For the first time, the paper also explores the feasibility of nowcasting health spending for the current year (i.e. t) and examines data sources that could be potentially useful in such an exercise. While this review should help OECD countries that do not yet have experience in estimating health spending for year t-1 to improve the timeliness in their data reporting, a special focus in this paper lies on testing the applicability of the methods in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), using the WHO Western Pacific Region (WPRO) as an example. Generally, different data sources exist in many countries that would allow for a more timely estimation for health spending aggregates.

Are neighbourhoods age-friendly? Experiences of older Surinamese adults in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic

Older Surinamese adults in the Netherlands have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The ability to provide support in response to older adults' needs contributes to the age-friendliness of neighbourhoods and may be especially important during public health emergencies such as a pandemic. In this study, older Surinamese adults' experience of neighbourhood age-friendliness, as indicator of a vital city, in general and during the COVID-19 pandemic was explored. Based on the eight age-friendly domains identified by the WHO, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Surinamese adults (≥70 years) living in Rotterdam and the Hague. Views on the age-friendliness of the neighbourhoods in general and during the pandemic were asked. Despite differences in resilience within and across neighbourhoods, this study showed that certain age-friendly features can support older Surinamese adults in the Netherlands during a pandemic. These findings have implications for policymakers and health service providers seeking to develop age-friendly neighbourhoods, as an indicator of a vital city, in general and during a pandemic. © 2023 The Authors

Extensive Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among Vaccinated Persons during 7-Day River Cruise, the Netherlands.

We investigated a large outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections among passengers and crew members (60 cases in 132 persons) on a cruise ship sailing for 7 days on rivers in the Netherlands. Whole-genome analyses suggested a single or limited number of viral introductions consistent with the epidemiologic course of infections. Although some precautionary measures were taken, no social distancing was exercised, and air circulation and ventilation were suboptimal. The most plausible explanation for introduction of the virus is by persons (crew members and 2 passengers) infected during a previous cruise, in which a case of COVID-19 had occurred. The crew was insufficiently prepared on how to handle the situation, and efforts to contact public health authorities was inadequate. We recommend installing clear handling protocols, direct contacts with public health organizations, training of crew members to recognize outbreaks, and awareness of air quality on river-cruise ships, as is customary for most seafaring cruises.

Any lessons to learn? Pathways and impasses towards health system resilience in post-pandemic times.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an ultimate challenge for health systems as a whole rather than just single sectors (e.g. hospital care). Particularly, interface management between health system sectors and cooperation among stakeholders turned out to be crucial for an adequate crisis response. Dealing with such interfaces, it is argued in the literature, demands from health care systems to become resilient. One way to analyse this is to focus on the ways in which bottlenecks in health systems are dealt with during the pandemic. This paper investigates six bottlenecks, including overburdened public health agencies, neglected nursing homes and insufficient testing capacities that have been encountered in the health systems of Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands during the pandemic. Based on empirical findings we identify and critically discuss preliminary lessons in terms of health system resilience, an increasingly popular theoretical concept that frames crises as an opportunity for health system renewal. We argue that in practice health system resilience is hindered by path dependencies of national health systems and, owed to the crisis, interim policies that lack ambition for broader reforms.

Follow the science: The European public health community confronts the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper argues that "following the science” is not always the best strategy. It does so by examining the first phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in three countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden. All three countries possessed highly respected infectious disease agencies with wide stakeholder involvement. Despite this, Danish, Dutch, and Swedish public health agencies underplayed the threat of the COVID-19 virus, discouraged intrusive mitigation measures, and were slow to admit their mistakes. Countries that trusted their national agencies, specifically the Netherlands and Sweden, witnessed higher mortality. By contrast, the Danish government marginalized its epidemiologists and suppressed the spread of the virus. The paper thus demonstrates the limits of trusting national scientific expertise, even when properly embedded within social networks, during periods of heightened uncertainty. © 2023 Policy Studies Organization.

A Comparison of Income Support Measures in the Netherlands for Employees and Independent Workers During the Covid Crisis

Since the nineties a non-protective policy in the Netherlands stimulated to work as an independent contractor. This resulted in huge numbers of bogus self-employed, because compared to employees they were much cheaper to contract. Since 2012 the intention was spoken out to limit these numbers, but an effective remedy has not yet been developed. During the Covid pandemic, massive financial aid was given to companies, independent workers and employees. This helped to limit the level of unemployment and bankruptcies, but the number of independent workers is still growing. So the financial aid given during the pandemic has not helped to bring bogus self-employed under the scope of the employment agreement. © 2022 Kluwer Law International BV, The Netherlands

Risk for Severe COVID-19 Outcomes among Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, the Netherlands.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected persons in long-term care, who often experience health disparities. To delineate the COVID-19 disease burden among persons with intellectual disabilities, we prospectively collected data from 36 care facilities for 3 pandemic waves during March 2020-May 2021. We included outcomes for 2,586 clients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, among whom 161 had severe illness and 99 died. During the first 2 pandemic waves, infection among persons with intellectual disabilities reflected patterns observed in the general population, but case-fatality rates for persons with intellectual disabilities were 3.5 times higher and were elevated among those >40 years of age. Severe outcomes were associated with older age, having Down syndrome, and having >1 concurrent condition. Our study highlights the disproportionate COVID-19 disease burden among persons with intellectual disabilities and the need for disability-inclusive research and policymaking to inform disease surveillance and public health policies for this population.

Religion and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in the Netherlands between August 2021 and February 2022

This article explores the possible relationship between religion and the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Netherlands by addressing the following research questions: (1) to what extent is religious affiliation a factor in the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Netherlands? and (2) to what extent has this possible effect of religious affiliation changed over time? Our analyses reveal a strong and persistent effect of the proportion of orthodox Protestants per municipality on the vaccination coverage per municipality and no such effect for the proportion of Catholics. Furthermore, the analysis also reveals a similar effect for the proportion of Muslims, but this effect disappears when controlled for the proportion of non-Western migrants. © Paul Vermeer & Joris Kregting.

SARS-CoV-2 infections in farmed minks (Neovision vision) - current data on the disease, epidemiology and emerging threat for humans and other animals

SARS-CoV-2, the betacoronavirus that causes COVID-19, has spread rapidly around the world since December 2019. It was suspected from the beginning that the primary outbreak in China, was of a zoonotic origin, but the SARS- CoV-2 animal reservoir(s) has not been definitively identified yet. So far, it has been confirmed that numerous animal species are susceptible to infection and that experimentally infected cats, shrews, hamsters and ferrets can also shed the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 was also detected in farmed mink (Neovison vison), in which it caused both, the clinical and subclinical disease, with respiratory symptoms and increased mortality. In April 2020, the first SARS-CoV-2 cases were detected in minks in the Netherlands, and to date (November 2020), further outbreaks have been confirmed in Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United States, Greece, France and Poland. It has also been shown that the transmission of infection from humans to minks and from minks to humans may occur. The OIE is working on the inclusion of mink in the WAHIS database and encouraging the Members to provide appropriate data for this species to improve the monitoring of the epidemiological situation worldwide and prevent the establishment of a possible new reservoir for SARS-CoV-2.

Existence of severe acute respiratory syndrome causing Coronavirus-2 (COVID-19) on aquatic animals and aquatic products: a review

Many pandemic diseases have emerged in the history and millions of people affected from these diseases. Among the marked pandemics in history, the plague, known as the black death, was recorded to cause the death of 17-54% of the world population. Similar to previous pandemics, as the SARS CoV-2, which emerged in 2019 and belonged to the coronavirus family, caused an epidemic and turned into a pandemic infection, positive cases were detected in more than 483 million people, and more than 6.1 million people died. While this emerging epidemic is still continuing its effects, it has been determined that there are positive cases in pets such as dogs and cats, especially in mink (Neovison vison). Especially in Denmark, Netherlands and Finland, positive animals for COVID-19 were accepted. Unlike the pandemic until today, the COVID-19 has spread to broader geographies and affected many animal species. With the reports that the SARS-CoV-2 - was first transmitted from bats to humans, this viral agent has been accepted as zoonotic, but a complete transmission route has not been shown for its transmission from other animals to humans except bats. It is reported that there is no significant risk of transmission of the virus, which is transmitted primarily by the respiratory route, from both pets and edible foods to humans. Although there are many reports in terrestrial animals, studies on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 - in aquatic animals or aquatic environments and COVID-19 transmission in aquatic animals have doubts. Here we reviewed the viability of the SARS-CoV-2 - in the aquatic environment, transmission to the aquatic ecosystem and aquatic animals, and therefore the risks to humans through water or aquatic products.

Managing education during the pandemic in the Netherlands and South Africa: A comparative study.

Managing education during the pandemic in the Netherlands and South Africa: A comparative study. Optimism has reigned supreme for a long time regarding the potential of education (schooling) to address the many societal ailments that humankind has had to deal with. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 shifted all such aspirations to the back-burner. Now, after just more than a year after the initial outbreak of the pandemic, the question can be raised whether those who managed the pandemic in the educational context followed the correct policies and instituted the correct (ethical, moral) measures in combatting the pandemic. This comparison between the situation in the Netherlands and South Africa reveals that although the role-players in both countries had a good understanding of the situation and of their duties in such conditions, they tended to treat education as just another facet of society, thereby demonstrating a lack of empathy with the unique demands of education (schooling). Contribution: In this article, the authors investigate the governance performance of two different countries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic concerning education and judge that performance based on a Biblically driven ethical-moral-pedagogical framework. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Hervormde Teologiese Studies is the property of African Online Scientific Information System PTY LTD and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Coping, Meaning Making and Resilience Within the Dutch Reformed Pietist Community During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

In this qualitative study, we examined how community members of the Dutch reformed pietist community coped with the COVID-19 pandemic, and which religious sources of meaning making and resilience they used during this time of crisis. Based on seven in-depth interviews, we found that the representation of God being 'above all things' was prominent in times of close encounter with the coronavirus. In actively interpreting the pandemic, community members tended to stay away from concrete eschatological or ecological interpretations. Rather, the general theme of 'malleability' was used and linked to notions of calling and punishment. Furthermore, we identified the importance of community and scepticism towards the government as sources of resilience, whereas thinking about the future of the church was a source of fear and concern.

Highly Divergent SARS-CoV-2 Alpha Variant in Chronically Infected Immunocompromised Person.

We detected a highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant in an immunocompromised person several months after the latest detection of the Alpha variant in the Netherlands. The patient was infected for 42 weeks despite several treatment regimens and disappearance of most clinical symptoms. We identified several potential immune escape mutations in the spike protein.

Early discharge of patients with COVID-19

Introduction: Recently, this journal published a study on the experiences of 49 stable Covid-19 patients who were discharged early from hospital. These patients self-administered oxygen at home and were supervised remotely by a pulmonologist or lung nurse. In October 2020, a project started in Amsterdam in which Covid-19 patients were discharged early, received oxygen supplementation at home and were supervised by their own GP. We report the safety of this approach and describe the expectations beforehand and satisfaction afterwards of all involved. MethodAdult patients admitted to Amsterdam UMC, OLVG or BovenIJ hospital because of covid-19 were eligible for early discharge if they were clinically stable for at least 48 hours and had an oxygen saturation of 94% on oxygen therapy at 3 l/min (figure). Before discharge, patients were taught how to use a pulse oximeter (ihealth P03M, CE/FDA certified) and oxygen equipment. Treatment with dexamethasone and thrombosis prophylaxis were continued in accordance with current treatment guidelines as long as there was an indication. The participants were transferred verbally and in writing from the hospital to their own GP who then took over the supervision. In the period January 18-March 26, 2021, patients could be prospectively included in this evaluation. All patients discharged from October 23, 2020 to January 18, 2021 were retrospectively included. We collected clinical data from the patients and completed questionnaires among patients, general practitioners and caregivers, before hospital discharge and 14 days after.

COVID-19 Vaccination Intent and Belief that Vaccination Will End the Pandemic.

High vaccination coverage is considered to be key in dealing with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy can limit uptake. We examined the specific coronavirus beliefs that persons have regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and to what extent these beliefs explain COVID-19 vaccination intentions. We conducted a survey among 4,033 residents of the Netherlands that examined COVID-19 vaccination intentions and various beliefs. Random forest regression analysis explained 76% of the variance in vaccination intentions. The strongest determinant in the model was the belief the COVID-19 crisis will only end if many persons get vaccinated. Other strong determinants were beliefs about safety of vaccines, specifically in relation to vaccine development and approval process; (social) benefits of vaccination; social norms regarding vaccination behavior; and effectiveness of vaccines. We propose to address these specific beliefs in communications about COVID-19 vaccinations to stimulate vaccine uptake.