Covid-19 patients in ICU falls below 700 for first time in 40 days; Many released from hospital

The number of patients from the Netherlands in intensive care for respiratory illness Covid-19 totaled 688 on Sunday, 20 fewer than the previous day. It was the 22nd straight daily decrease, according to patient coordination office LCPS.

It was also over 51 percent lower than the peak total of patients on April 9, when 1,417 were in ICU for the coronavirus disease.

"The number of COVID registrations outside the ICU is now also falling rapidly, down to 1,380 at the moment. This decrease offers room for expansion of non-COVID care in the coming week," the LCPS said. Intensive care capacity was below 100  percent in every region of the country, added Ernst Kuipers, the chair of the acute care network in the Netherlands.

Saturday was also the first date since late March when the total number of ICU patients with or without Covid-19 was below normal capacity. The LCPS said another 382 patients without Covid-19 were also being treated in ICUs, and 28 of the Dutch Covid-19 patients were being cared for in Germany.

Out of 2,812 total patients who required intensive care since the pandemic began, 720 have died, 695 have been discharged, and 652 were being treated in other departments, according to intensive care nonprofit organization NICE.