Nearly 10,000 coronavirus infections pushes week total up almost 50%

The daily number of people who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 remains a primary cause for concern. On Sunday, the public health agency RIVM reported 9,924 new cases, the highest since October 30. This pushes the seven-day rolling average to 8,100.

In the previous week, a total of 56,703 people tested positive for the virus. This is a 47 percent increase compared to last week.

This bleak trajectory prompted Prime Minister Mark Rutte to hold an emergency meeting at the Catshuis, his official residency, on Sunday. There, top virologists and the Ministers directly involved in tackling the Covid crisis discussed potentially implementing further measures to curb the spread of the virus. 

As numbers keep rising, it becomes increasingly likely that non-essential shops will have to close. Presumably, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo De Jonge will hold another press conference on Tuesday. 

The death toll keeps creeping up as well. On Sunday, the RIVM reported another 29 deaths. This was a 45 percent decrease compared to Saturday, but a 16 percent increase versus the same day last week. On Saturday, the total number of victims that have died of coronavirus surpassed 10,000 in the Netherlands. 

The three cities with the highest number of Covid-19 infections were Amsterdam (335), Rotterdam (305), and The Hague (248). In Amsterdam, the number reflected a 14 percent decrease versus Saturday and a four percent decrease compared to last week. In Rotterdam, on the other hand, infections went up by six percent compared to Saturday and 43 percent compared to last week. In the Hague, the change was a 13 percent decrease versus the previous day, but a 63 percent increase compared to last Sunday. 

Hospitals continue to be under pressure, as on Sunday, another 202 Covid-19 patients were admitted to the hospital. Among them, 36 were moved to the ICU. This brings the total number of hospital patients to 1,270 in regular care and 497 in intensive care. Regular care units thus saw a net increase of 28, while ICUs treated 16 more patients compared to the previous day. 

This week’s total number of patients being treated in hospitals reflects a 7.7 percent increase compared to last week. At this rate, we can expect the number of hospitalized patients to be round 1,900 next Sunday. 

To date, some 613,487 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the virus since the end of February. During that time, hospitals have treated 27,098 patients in regular care and 5,884 in intensive care, as was reported by nonprofit organization NICE.