Over 900 new coronavirus infections; Most since April 19

Another 925 infections of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus were reported to public health agency RIVM by Sunday morning, the most in a single day since April 19. The single-day total was 82 percent higher than last Sunday, and it raised the Monday-Sunday to 4,657.

The weekly total was nearly the same as the week ending April 26, and was 30 percent higher than last week, when 3,586 new infections were disclosed. It was not immediately clear if the sharp increase in new infections was due to more people being tested for the virus, or if a higher percentage of people tested positive. In recent weeks, municipal health service GGD has reported information about testing statistics on Monday, while the RIVM gives a more detailed analysis on Tuesday.

Data from the RIVM also showed that approximately 20 deaths linked to Covid-19 were reported to the agency this week, as were 40 more hospitalizations due to the coronavirus disease. About 17 of those hospital admissions took place between Thursday and Saturday, with six patients also moved into intensive care during that time.

There were 138 people being treated in Dutch hospitals for the coronavirus disease on Sunday, an increase of four, according to patient coordination office LCPS. The increase was not considered significant by acute care leader Ernst Kuipers, who noted that "Overall ICU occupancy remains low and is barely rising." Several experts in intensive care medicine said last week the low hospital total was likely because most of the new coronavirus infections have been occurring among people in their late teens, twenties and thirties.

The current Covid-19 patient total included 105 people outside of intensive care, an increase of six, and 33 within intensive care units, a decrease of two compared to Saturday. To date, 3,046 residents of the Netherlands have been treated in acute care departments for the coronavirus disease, with 888 having died in the ICU and 2,006 eventually being discharged from the hospital, nonprofit organization NICE said.