Netherlands: Virus cases top 31,500, deaths over 3,600

By Abdullah Asiran

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands (AA) - The coronavirus death toll in the Netherlands exceeded 3,600 as the number of cases rose above 31,500 on Saturday, according to official data.

According to new data published by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), at least 142 new fatalities were confirmed over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 3,601, including one patient under 20 years old.

It said the number of COVID-19 cases had reached 31,589 after 1,140 more people tested positive.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe and the U.S.

The pandemic has killed over 156,000 people and infected more than 2.27 million, while recoveries have exceeded 578,000, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.