Fifteen more people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Netherlands, taking the total number of patients up to 38, the public health institute RIVM said on Wednesday.

Four of the new patients are being treated in hospital, the rest are at home in quarantine, the RIVM said in its latest update.

One of the new patients was travelling through the Netherlands. According to RTL news, he has been placed in a small ‘unsuitable’ shed on the edge of the Hoofddorp fire station, while officials try and find a better temporary home.

Most of those diagnosed with the disease were either in northern Italy in February or are related to someone who was there. Officials are still trying to establish the cause of several infections and if there is a common link with the Tilburg Carnaval celebrations.

Meanwhile, Amsterdam’s OLVG hospital group has closed its oral and facial surgery department at both locations after a worker tested positive for coronavirus, local broadcaster AT5 said on Wednesday.

One test on the worker, who recently holidayed in northern Italy, has proved positive and a second test is being carried out on Wednesday afternoon, the broadcaster said.

Both departments are being closed for deep cleaning, but other departments remain open as normal, AT5 said.

The OLVG is one of at least three Dutch hospitals to close down wards temporarily because of a coronavirus scare.