Coronavirus infections rise back towards 5,500; Still down 29% from last week

Public health agency RIVM said that 5,424 more people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. The daily tally released on Wednesday was about 16 percent higher than the previous day, but was also 29 percent lower than a week ago.

It also continued a trend since October 31 of a falling seven-day rolling average of new infections. The moving average fell to 5,927, data from the RIVM showed.

So far this week, 14,828 people have been diagnosed with the viral infection. That was just shy of a 38 percent improvement compared to the same period last week.

The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (330), Rotterdam (286), and The Hague (171). There were fewer residents with new infections in each of the three, with Amsterdam down by nearly 10 percent, Rotterdam down by 31 percent, and The Hague down by 25 percent compared to a week ago.

During the 24-hour period leading into Wednesday afternoon, hospitals admitted at least 230 more patients with Covid-19. Some 36 patients were moved into intensive care during that time.

There was a slight, overall net decrease in the currently admitted coronavirus patient total, which fell by 17 to 2,277. That included 606 patients in intensive care, an increase of eight, and 1,671 people outside of the ICU, reflecting 26 fewer than Tuesday. The patient total was a bit more than one percent lower than it was a week ago.

The 76 deaths reported by the agency were slightly lower than the seven-day average of 73. For the past week, that average has remained around its highest point since the first week of May. To date, 8,215 people have died as a result of the coronavirus disease, including an estimated 4,224 deaths which occurred while the person was a patient in a hospital.

From the start of the coronavirus crisis in February, Dutch hospitals have accepted 21,977 patients with Covid-19 into their regular care facilities, and 4,936 patients were admitted into intensive care, figures from nonprofit organization NICE showed.