Covid-19 patients in ICU lower again after brief increase
Following three straight days where Dutch hospitals saw an increase of Covid-19 cases in intensive care, the number of patients in ICU for the coronavirus disease dropped back down on Tuesday. There were nine fewer Covid-19 patients there, taking the total number down to 78, which initial data showed was due to patient discharges and transfers.
"After three days of a slight increase, we are seeing a decrease in the number of COVID patients in the ICU today, which is favorable," said Ernst Kuipers, the chair of the acute care providers network in the Netherlands. "This is the result of a low number of new infections, apart from small localized outbreaks."
Kuipers also stressed that there is enough capacity in the current intensive care system to handle more patients, which right now includes 648 people who do not have Covid-19. That leaves over 400 empty beds in intensive care units across the country. Outside of the ICU, hospitals were treating 280 people for Covid-19, a decrease of one, patient coordination office LCPS wrote.
To date, the Netherlands has sent 2,914 people to intensive care for Covid-19, of which 1,602 recovered and were discharged. Some 847 died while in the ICU, according to nonprofit organization NICE.