The Dutch COVID-19 approach: Regional differences in a small country

Objectives: This paper describes the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, including policies to reduce the health-related and economic consequences. The Netherlands started with containment and shifted to mitigation within three weeks when implementing a ‘mild’ lockdown. The initial focus was to obtain herd immunity while preventing Intensive Care Units from getting overwhelmed. Methods: An in-depth analysis of available national and international COVID-19 data sources was conducted. Due to regional variation in COVID-19 hospitalization rates, this paper focuses on three d... Mehr ...