Coronavirus 7-day average jumps near 7,300 after 8,900 more test positive

The number of new coronavirus infections reported by public health agency RIVM equaled 8,894 on Friday, a shocking 50 percent higher than a week ago. It pushed the seven-day rolling average up to 7,284, a number which has risen every day since December 2 when it stood at 4,861.

Amsterdam alone was responsible for 479 of the infections, and Rotterdam residents accounted for 293 new positive cases. Both cities' figures more than doubled their totals a week ago. The Hague also represented 206 more infections, up 76 percent from last Friday.

Hospital admissions also remained high, with 199 more people with Covid-19 admitted over the past 24 hours, and 30 more patients moved into intensive care units. The rolling averages for both stood at 185 and 27, respectively, well above the safe thresholds set by the Cabinet of 40 regular care patients and 10 ICU patients.

There were 1,681 patients with the disease in hospital care on Friday afternoon, patient coordination office LCPS said. That was a net increase of 33. It put the Netherlands on pace to have about 1,750 coronavirus patients by next week.

The patients in Friday's total included 1,209 in regular care, an increase of 30, and 472 in intensive care, an increase of three. The ICU level was relatively flat compared to a week ago, while the regular care total rose by about five percent this week.

The RIVM also announced that 59 more people died from Covid-19, raising the Dutch total up to 9,966. With a seven-day average of 49, it was highly likely that the country would learn this weekend about the ten-thousandth death resulting from the coronavirus disease.

To date, 594,523 people have tested positive for coronavirus, including 26,680 people who were treated in regular care departments at hospitals. Intensive care units have treated 5,833 patients with Covid-19.

Some 5,224 died while they were in treatment.