New record as more than 3,000 test positive for coronavirus in daily report

Another 3,025 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, according to preliminary data from the RIVM released on Tuesday. The tally was 3.5 percent higher than on Monday, and 35 percent higher than a week earlier.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague were again the three cities with the most residents testing positive for the virus. The cities were responsible for 385, 244, and 144 new infections, respectively.

Monday and Tuesday combined for 5,939 new positive tests, the RIVM data showed. It was a 33 percent increase over the start of last week.

The RIVM also said on Tuesday that 48 more people were admitted to Dutch hospitals with the coronavirus disease. Seven more people also died as a result of Covid-19.

Total current hospitalizations due to Covid-19 continued to climb for the 27th consecutive day to 693, an increase of 33 over Monday's figures. It was the highest total seen since June 1, according to data from patient coordination office LCPS.

Intensive care admissions remained the same at 142, the first day without an increase since September 8. About a dozen others are suspected of having Covid-19. Outside of the ICU, hospital departments were treating 551 others, the most since May 30.

The rising figures were not surprising to Ernst Kuipers, the head of the Dutch acute care providers network. "The expected increase is continuing," he said. Last weekend Kuipers predicted that the Dutch hospital system will have a thousand admitted Covid-19 patients by the end of the week.

Intensive care units have treated 3,285 people in the Netherlands for the coronavirus disease, including 913 who died during their hospital stay. Another 2,092 were treated and eventually released from the hospital.