Nearly 8,000 test positive for coronavirus; 220 more Covid hospitalizations

For the second consecutive day the Netherlands has set a new record for most reported coronavirus infections, with public health agency RIVM adding 7,997 to the national total on Friday. It was about two percent higher than Thursday's total, and 34 percent higher than a week ago.

Some 37,382 more people have tested positive for the viral infection this week, about 44 percent more than the same period a week ago, with the seven-day rolling average reaching 7,171 including Friday. In the Netherlands, 212 thousand people were given a positive diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection since the end of February.

The three cities with the most infections reported on Friday were Amsterdam (682), Rotterdam (333) and The Hague (305). Compared to a week ago, only Amsterdam showed an increase with a 36 percent bump. New infections in Rotterdam fell by 29 percent, and dropped by almost ten percent in The Hague.

The RIVM also concluded that 17 more people died as a result of Covid-19, taking the Dutch total up to 6,708. Another 219 people with Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals over the past 24 hours, according to patient coordination office LCPS. The organization said 35 patients were moved into intensive care for treatment.

Covid patient total shows limited signs of stabilizing

There were 1,553 people being treated in Dutch hospitals for Covid-19 on Friday, an increase of 27 or 4.5 percent. That percentage increase topped ten percent on September 21, and fluctuated in the weeks that followed, most recently peaking at 7 percent on Saturday. Since then, it has fallen for six straight days.

Nevertheless, the patient total was at its worst point since May 12, and reflected a large increase in intensive care patients. The ICU system was treating 345 people with the coronavirus disease on Friday, an increase of 32. Outside of the ICU, hospitals were treating 1,208 others for the illness, a reduction of five, the LCPS said.

"The increase was most pronounced in ICUs over the past three days. The number of patients increased by 25% in the ICUs and by 10% in the clinic," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the Dutch acute care providers network.

At least 13,703 people in the Netherlands have been treated in a hospital for Covid-19 since the start of the health crisis, including 3,751 intensive care patients, figures from the RIVM and NICE showed. Of those ICU patients, 980 died during treatment, and 2,219 recovered and were discharged from the hospital.