Coronavirus infections this week up 3.3% incl. 5,641 more today
Another 5,641 people in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, the most in six days, public health agency RIVM said on Thursday. The total was 14 percent higher than a day earlier, and was a full quarter more than a week ago.
It brought the seven-day rolling average up to 5,023. So far this week, 19,266 people have tested positive for the viral infection, a 3.3 percent hike over the same period last week.
With healthcare workers and government officials concerned about the decline in infections stagnating from mid-November, a rise in infections could make it harder for the government to justify relaxing rules about group sizes in time for the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
Amsterdam was the city with the most new infections reported on Thursday with 333 residents testing positive, the most in two weeks. The capital's daily tally was 50 percent higher than a week ago. Rotterdam (216) and The Hague (135) also showed week-to-week increases of 9% and 15%, respectively.
At the same time, the total number of Covid-19 patients fell by 11 to 1,595 on Thursday. That included 1,137 patients in regular care, an increase of six, and 458 patients in intensive care, a net decrease of 17.
The combined patient total was more than 13 percent lower than a week ago, with each of the past seven days resulting in an average fall of nearly two percent. At that rate, the hospitals would have a total of 1,385 Covid-19 patients next week, a bit lower than when the Cabinet introduced the partial lockdown restrictions on October 13.
The RIVM also noted that 61 more people died as a result of Covid-19, down 20 percent from last week. The seven-day average stood at 55.
A total of 538,050 people have tested positive for the virus while in the Netherlands. At least 9,565 deaths were definitively linked to Covid-19.