Most new coronavirus infections reported in 24 days

Roughly 74 thousand people in the Netherlands are known to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, including 744 new positive tests revealed by public health agency RIVM on Friday. That was the most infections disclosed in a single day since August 11, and a 47 percent increase over last Friday's tally.

Since Monday, the RIVM has revealed 3,068 new positive tests for coronavirus, up 19 percent over the previous Monday-Friday period. It was not yet revealed if the increase was due to more people getting tested for the virus, which will be revealed in a weekly report on Tuesday afternoon.

There were also seven more people being treated in Dutch intensive care units for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. That raised the patient total up to 35, which had been at its lowest point in nearly a month on Thursday. There was no change in the Covid-19 patient total outside of intensive care, which remained at 95.

"The number of COVID patients in hospitals is low and stable. It is expected to continue to be the case in the coming period," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the Dutch acute care providers network. The RIVM noted that 18 more people with the coronavirus disease were admitted to hospitals between Tuesday and Thursday, and six people were moved into the ICU during that time.

To date, 3,047 people from the Netherlands have been treated in intensive care for the coronavirus disease. Some 2,005 were discharged from the hospital, and 887 died while in intensive care.