Frequently asked questions

Currently, the dashboard only shows the total number of vaccine doses administered. Since 27 January this figure includes both first and second doses. Unfortunately not all data is delivered to us yet via automated systems, and the data that is does not yet allow us to differentiate between first and second doses. As soon as reliable figures on the number of fully vaccinated people are available, these will be shown on the dashboard.

The figures for the reported number of vaccines administered are incomplete. This is because the registration systems used by care institutions and GPs are not yet linked to RIVM’s own COVID Vaccination Information and Monitoring System (CIMS). RIVM estimates the number of doses administered as accurately as possible, based on the number of vaccines that it distributes to each of the locations where vaccines are administered.

Unfortunately, the data sets delivered to us via automated systems do not yet contain this information. As soon as possible, we plan to provide information on the dashboard about vaccination coverage for the total population, as well as the vaccination coverage per age group. In the weeks to come we will be expanding the vaccination pages on the dashboard in stages.

Information about the side effects of the different vaccines is not published on the coronavirus dashboard. The dashboard shows data that helps people understand how the pandemic is developing. The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb collects reports for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport on side effects of the vaccines used.

It’s true that adding up all the confirmed cases in the municipalities does not always equal the number of confirmed cases in the region. This is because some confirmed cases cannot be attributed to a specific municipality.

The most up-to-date value of R provided on the coronavirus dashboard at any given time is always from at least two weeks ago. Estimates of R using data from less than 14 days ago could provide an indication of what the definitive value may be, but these are less reliable because the data is not yet complete. It is, for instance, impossible to know how many newly confirmed cases will result in hospital admissions in the days ahead. So the reproduction number (R) might look ‘old’ but it is the most recent value we have.

The R shown on the website is updated every Tuesday and Friday afternoon at around 15.20, after we receive this data from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). On Tuesdays, RIVM gives us the R of three Fridays ago. On Fridays we get the R of three Mondays ago.

The number of COVID-19 deaths among people younger than 50 is low. To protect people’s privacy, it must be impossible to trace the presented data back to individual people. Dividing these deaths over narrow age groups might result in reporting only one death in a group, and thus in surviving relatives seeing their loved one presented as a statistic. That’s why there is only one age category for COVID-19 deaths among people younger than 50.

Since the middle of January, we have been showing ‘Hospital admissions over time, by admission date’ in a separate graph. This gives a better picture of when people were hospitalised. It always takes hospitals a few days to report all their COVID-19 admissions. So the figure for yesterday’s admissions will not be complete for another day or two. The number of admissions may therefore continue to rise over the next few days. The graph is updated to include these figures. The last part of the graph is shaded grey to indicate that the figures for these days are not yet complete. They could still increase.

Hospital admissions are reported to us via different sources and they do not all supply their data at the same time. There is often a delay of a few days between the date of admission and the day when this is reported to us. This means we often have to update the more recent figures.

The dashboard is intended to show how the pandemic is developing and to monitor the pressure on the healthcare system. The number of hospital admissions gives an indication of the disease burden of COVID-19 and the pressure it puts on the healthcare system. Of course it’s positive that patients recover and leave the hospital, but it is not information that helps us monitor the pandemic.

The blue bar at the top of the chart is an average calculated over a longer period. The grey bars for each of the locations show the values in the most recent measurements. There are two possible reasons for a big difference between these values. The most recent measurement produces a much lower number of virus particles than the average of older measurements. Or fewer measurements were carried out, for instance due to fewer samples being collected because of the weather. If the last measurement produces a much lower number of particles, this shows up as a deviating value in the chart on the dashboard.

The catchment area of a sewage water treatment plants rarely falls entirely within a single municipality. A plant in one municipality often serves some or all of the inhabitants of other municipalities. From 4 March 2021 the dashboard also shows sewage water monitoring results for municipalities that do not have their own sewage water treatment plant. This is possible by using the measurements from all sewage water treatment plants that serve a municipality. Using the population distribution statistics provided by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), we can attribute the number of virus particles in sewage water to a municipality that does not have its own wastewater treatment plant. The figure presented is per 100,000 inhabitants and can therefore be compared with other municipalities. This new method of calculation produces other values at national, regional and municipal level. More information about how these figures are calculated can be found on this website.

We cannot divide the data on confirmed cases over the different coronavirus variants, such as the variant first identified in the UK. A small number of samples that test positive are selected at random for further tests to identify which coronavirus variant caused the infection. Using mathematical models, it is then possible to estimate the variants’ proportions at national level. It isn’t possible however to give exact figures for each virus variant.

Coronavirus doesn’t spread uniformly. Sometimes it flares up in one region, while in others the infection rate remains low. If we have an accurate picture of this, we can combat the virus quickly and in a targeted manner. That’s why the data on the dashboard is also broken down by municipality/region. This also helps mayors decide if local measures are necessary.

The situation varies widely, and some regions have been worse affected than others. But the virus can easily spread across the country and that’s why many measures apply nationwide. Sometimes, extra measures are taken in a specific region if there are many extra cases there. These are largely based on input from experts, and consultations with the GGDs and safety regions.

An alert value is a kind of ‘alarm bell’, determined by the Ministry of VWS. These alarm bells can go off if a large number of people test positive, fall ill or are admitted to hospital at the same time. It’s been calculated that the healthcare sector would soon be unable to cope if daily hospital admissions for COVID-19 exceed 40 per day for an extended period of time.

The tiles on the dashboard show the term “value of” to indicate the date to which the number refers, while “obtained” is used to refer to the date when the information was received. The purpose of providing this information is to give users a better idea of how up-to-date the data is, which is especially relevant for retrospective indicators. For instance, RIVM publishes the reproduction number (R) twice a week, but the most recent R is always for a date two weeks in the past. “Value of” is followed by that date two weeks ago, and “obtained” by the date on which the most recent R was published (the current week).