More Covid-19 cases expected in hospitals next week

With an 85 percent week-to-week increase in coronavirus infections in the country, the Netherlands is predicting that it will start seeing hospital cases begin to rise again by the end of next week. On Wednesday, the country saw a fall in the amount of Covid-19 patient cases in hospitals for the first time in five days.

"We expect a limited increase in the number of hospital admissions in the next 10 days," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the acute care providers network in the Netherlands, on Wednesday. A day earlier, public health agency RIVM said that approximately 6,500 people in the Netherlands have an active infection of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, 2.4 times the amount it had estimated a week ago. Over that period, the agency said between 80 and 90 thousand tests for the virus had been completed, with 987 positive results uncovered, up from 534 the previous week.

While some of the increase was attributed to more tests being conducted, the RIVM said it did not account for most of the new cases. There was a growing call from parliamentarians for the Cabinet to start holding press conferences again to remind people of the need to follow physical distancing measures, practice good hygiene, and to stay home as much as possible.

CDA MP Joba van den Berg said she was disappointed by the possible need to hold a press conference as a reminder of the situation's severity. Fellow parliamentarian Chris Stoffer, of the SGP, said earlier that the "sense of urgency" could be renewed with a press conference.

Covid-19 in hospitals update

On Wednesday there were 102 people being treated in Dutch hospitals for Covid-19, a decrease of three, patient coordination office LCPS said. It included 17 intensive care patients in the total, a figure which rose by two.

Outside of intensive care, healthcare workers were treating 85 people with the coronavirus disease, a number which fell by five compared to Tuesday. "The national picture is currently stable," Kuipers said.

Som 1,882 former Covid-19 patients recovered and were discharged after a stay in intensive care, while 866 died in the ICU, according updated statistices from nonprofit organization NICE.