Slight decrease in Covid-19 tests done last week
A total of 98,978 people were tested for the coronavirus by municipal health service GGD between August 3 and 9, compared to over 100 thousand tests in the week before. The decrease is much less severe than expected based on the very low number of tests conducted at the start of last week, NOS and ANP report.
On Monday, August 3, fewer than 8 thousand coronavirus tests were scheduled, compared to nearly 19 thousand the previous Monday. The GGD health services therefore sounded the alarm and called on Netherlands residents to have themselves tested if they have any symptoms that could indicate Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
During the rest of the week, the number os scheduled tests increased steadily until a total of nearly 99 thousand tests were done through the week. During the week from July 27 to August 2, a total of nearly 102 thousand people were tested, and nearly 112 thousand the week before.
GGD GHOR Nederland could not say whether the recovery was due to its call to the public, or whether it had to do with coronavirus figures published by public health institute RIVM on Tuesday, or Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Public Health Minister Hugo de Jonge's press conference on Thursday.
The GGD system handles the vast majority of coronavirus testing in the Netherlands, and all of the tests requested by members of the public. Some additional testing operations are also run by hospitals, doctors, and clinics.
