A further 129 patients have been admitted to hospital in the Netherlands suffering from coronavirus, as the downward trend continues, the public health institute RIVM said in its Saturday update.

An additional 142 people have died, including a teenager who had underlying health problems, the RIVM said. The teenager, aged between 15 and 19, is the youngest person in the Netherlands to die of coronavirus.

The official Dutch death toll is now 3,601 but this only includes people who have been tested for the disease and the true total is far higher.

Some 31,589 people have now tested positive for the disease, the RIVM said, adding again that the real figure is far higher. Testing in the Netherlands focuses on people admitted to hospital and healthcare workers.

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The RIVM also said on Saturday that a further initiative to get family doctors to register suspected cases of coronavirus has now been launched.

This will not only help to provide a more accurate picture of the spread of the infection but will provide more information about high-risk patients who may develop a more serious illness, the RIVM said.

Doctors were earlier asked to register suspected Covid-19 deaths.