New coronavirus cases the lowest in 9 days; Covid hospitalizations down
The number of new coronavirus infections revealed on Sunday was the lowest single-day total since August 8. Preliminary data from the Dutch public health agency, RIVM, showed that 507 more people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, bringing the total for the week up to 4,438.
While the weekly total was 28 percent higher than the previous week, the Sunday total was down about a fourth lower when compared to the previous days of the week. At the same time, with more than 4,400 infections, it was the most new infections for a week since the week ending April 26. During April, testing for the coronavirus strain was heavily limited, and primarily reserved for healthcare workers and people with weakened health. That expanded in May, with testing made available to everyone with cold or flu symptoms at the beginning of June.
Official data from the RIVM was expected to be released on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there were 158 people being treated in Dutch hospitals on Sunday for Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus strain. That total was down five compared to the previous day, according to patient coordination office LCPS.
Data from the LCPS showed that 36 of those patients were being treated in intensive care, a decrease of three. The remaining hospital departments were treating two fewer patients, or 122 in total, for the coronavirus disease.
"The number of COVID patients in hospitals has been stable this weekend. That is beneficial," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the acute care providers network in the Netherlands. "However, the current number of new infections means that we have to take into account that the number of [hospital] admissions will increase further in the coming period," he cautioned.
"The hospitals have sufficient capacity to deal with this, provided that the number of infections stabilizes in the short term."
Preliminary data from the RIVM showed that 24 people have been admitted to hospitals for Covid-19 from Thursday through Saturday. Ten patients were also moved into intensive care.
To date, 2,991 people in the Netherlands have required intensive care for Covid-19. Of that group, 873 people died while in the ICU, and 1,923 were treated and eventually discharged from the hospital.
