Coronavirus infections rising again for the first time in 3 weeks

After several consecutive weeks of declining coronavirus infection statistics, early data from public health agency RIVM suggested that new infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were on the rise. The agency revealed on Thursday that 601 more people tested positive for the virus, bringing the week's total up to 2,324.

The daily figure was 18 percent higher than the previous week, while the Monday-Thursday total was 12 percent higher than the week prior. The uptick in infections has not yet had a significant impact on hospital admissions in the Netherlands, a good thing as hospitals expand their ability to treat more patients with different ailments, said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the Dutch acute care providers network.

There were 123 people being treated in Dutch hospitals for Covid-19 on Thursday, an increase of one compared to Wednesday. Patient coordination office LCPS said that 95 of those patients were being treated outside of intensive care units, an increase of five.

The ICUs were treating an additional 28 patients, a decrease of four. It was the lowest total number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care since August 8. In the past three days, just two people have been moved into intensive care for the coronavirus disease, with 16 others admitted to hospitals for the infection, data from the RIVM showed.

Since the end of February, intensive care units have treated 3,041 residents of the Netherlands for Covid-19, with 2,001 surviving the ordeal and eventually being released from the hospital. Another 886 people died while in intensive care, figures from nonprofit organization NICE showed.