Jump in Covid-19 hospital patients with more expected; Coronavirus infections up 372
Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 109 people for Covid-19 on Monday, an increase of 18. Among the hospitalized patients were 27 people being treated for the coronavirus disease in intensive care units, the highest total since July 1.
The ICUs saw an increase of six patients since Monday, patient coordination office LCPS said. Outside of intensive care, hospital departments were treating 82 people for Covid-19, an increase of 12.
"The number of COVID patients admitted is increasing, but in total it is not yet outside the range of the past few weeks," said Ernst Kuipers, the chair of the acute care network in the Netherlands. "Based on the current number of people testing positive, we expect a moderate further increase in the number of hospital admissions during the coming period."
Also on Monday, the number of coronavirus infections rose by 372 according to preliminary data from public health agency RIVM. By comparison, the average daily increase last week was approximately 307 in a week where there was a decline in the number of people requesting tests to see if they were carrying an active SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Of the latest figures, 121 infections were found in residents of the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region, 51 in the Haaglanden region around The Hague, and 50 in the Amsterdam-Amstelland area. There were also 38 residents of the central and western portion of Noord-Brabant who were found to be carrying the virus.
Parliament debate
The resurgence of the virus in July and the beginning of August prompted Labour party leader Lodewijk Asscher to call for an emergency hearing on the issue in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. "The increasing number of infections requires a sustained and effective response from the cabinet to prevent further damage to health and economic damage from increasing," he said in a letter to Parliament. "Due to the inadequate direction of the cabinet, municipalities will determine their own policy, resulting in an unclear patchwork of rules."
Asscher also criticized a lack of organized testing and self-isolation requirements for travelers returning to the Netherlands from areas with increasing outbreaks of the virus, and the extent to which the RIVM was planning on reconsidering measures to make face masks obligatory in certain scenarios. A committee meeting to discuss the coronavirus situation in the Netherlands was set for August 12, which is too late, according to Asscher.
The ruling coalition parties of the VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie rejected an earlier debate date. They said the rising number of infections could be adequately discussed at the meeting as scheduled.
