Two more patients in the Netherlands have died as a result of contracting coronavirus, according to latest figures from the public health institute RIVM.

In its latest update on Sunday the RIVM said the number of confirmed infections stands at 265, a rise of 77 since Saturday. The figure is the biggest increase for a single day, although in percentage terms it is smaller than Saturday’s rise (41.0% compared to 46.9%).

The latest casualties are an 86-year-old man who was admitted to the Bernhoven Hospital in Uden, Noord-Brabant, and an 82-year-old man who was being treated in the Zuyderland Medical Centre in Sittard-Geleen, Limburg. The source of both infections is being investigated.

The RIVM said 144 of the 265 patients who had tested positive for coronavirus had travelled abroad, 131 of them to northern Italy. In 47 cases the source of the infection is not yet known.

Coronavirus in the Netherlands: what you need to know

The agency advised people living in Noord-Brabant who develop colds or flu-like illnesses to limit their social contacts while the spread of the disease is being investigated. Not all of the 90 cases in the southern province can be traced to people who have visited countries where the disease is present.

Omroep Brabant said it had learned from multiple sources that 11 members of staff at the Amphia Ziekenhuis in Breda had tested positive for the virus. The official number of cases in the city has risen from 2 to 16 since Saturday.

Elsewhere people have been advised to stay home if they have a fever and coughing or shortness of breath and have been in one of the following countries or regions in the past 14 days:

• China (including Hong Kong and Macao)
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Iran
• Italy: the northern provinces of Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino South Tyrol, Friuli-Julian-Venice, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria.