Dutch ICU's now treating 953 for Covid-19 symptoms

Some 903 people were being treated in the intensive care units of Dutch medical centers as confirmed Covid-19 patients who tested positive for coronavirus. Another 50 were receiving treatment for similar symptoms, suspected of having the virus but who were not definitively diagnosed, according to figures released on Sunday morning.

To date, 1,111 patients with Covid-19 have been treated in ICU beds, not including the 50 suspected cases noted on Sunday, the organization said. Of these, at least 108 people have died, including 15 on Friday, 10 on Saturday, and 11 by the end of Sunday morning. About 30 have been discharged in total

The people still receiving treatment on Sunday morning include 17 patients who were admitted on Sunday, and 62 who were brought in on Saturday. Those figures also do not include the 50 suspected cases. The statistics were released by NICE, a non-profit organization in the Netherlands that collects and analyzes intensive care admissions data.

"However, due to crowds in the hospitals, these numbers may not be complete. It is also possible that patients are added to our system with a delay," the organization said.

This weekend the Netherlands is experiencing its busiest period in terms of coronavirus patients receiving treatment in intensive care. A spike in admissions was recorded from March 22-24, when an average of over 106 patients were admitted daily.

The Netherlands has approximately 1,150 intensive care beds at its hospitals across the country. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said this was likely to be scaled up to 1,600 by April 1. To make this possible, the Netherlands has reallocated resources like ventilators from clinics and veterinarians, has received a shipment of new ventilators from Philips, and has recruited thousands of healthcare workers who recently left their professions due to either retirement or a career change.

As of Saturday afternoon, there were 9,762 people who tested positive for coronavirus in the Netherlands, according to public health agency RIVM. In total, 639 of those cases proved to be fatal.