Big drop in Covid-19 ICU patients; Total below 40

For the first time since March 10, the number of patients with Covid-19 being treated in intensive care fell below 40 on Friday. There were 39 people being treated for the coronavirus disease in ICU, a decrease of ten, with an average of just one new admission in each of the last three days.

"The number of COVID patients at the ICU is now very low. No more than two patients have been admitted daily for two weeks now," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the acute care providers network in the Netherlands. "The overall number of COVID patients continues to decline gradually," he continued.

Thus far, the Netherlands has sent 2,926 people to intensive care for Covid-19, with 1,807 having been discharged from the hospital. Some 864 died during their hospital stay, according to nonprofit organization NICE.

Outside of the ICU, Dutch hospitals were treating 190 people for the illness on Friday, an increase of 12, patient coordination office LCPS said. A portion of that increase is due to people being transferred out of the ICU into other departments.