RIVM: 11,555 test positive for coronavirus; Slightly above 7-day average
Another 11,555 people in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, public health agency RIVM announced. It brought the current seven-day moving average to 11,495.
While the daily total was slightly above the average, the average fell by about 1.5 percent. The Thursday tally rose 11 percent higher than the previous day's numbers, but it was down ten percent compared to a week ago.
This week, 43,086 cases where some tested positive for the infection were revealed in preliminary statistics from the agency. That was about ten percent more than the same period last week, a calendar week which ultimately set the record for most positive tests.
Amsterdam (442), Rotterdam (311) and The Hague (245) were the three cities with the most new infections. While the capital city was about level with its seven-day average, Rotterdam's total was about 13 percent above its average, while The Hague was about eight percent below.
An additional 89 deaths were also linked to Covid-19, moving the rolling average to 74. To date, a known total of 10,826 deaths were caused by the coronavirus disease.
Hospitals in the Netherlands continued to be burdened by the growth in infections over the first three weeks of December. For the second time this week, over three hundred more patients with Covid-19 were admitted into the country's medical centers. Regular care departments took on 321 more patients, while 38 people were moved into intensive care over the past day.
The admitted patient total rose by a net sum of 13 people to 2,308, the most since November 7. The hospitalized total was 15 percent higher than a week ago, putting the Netherlands on pace for a projected 2,660 admitted patients on New Year's Eve.
Thursday's patient total included 590 people in the ICU, a net decrease of 13 from Wednesday, and 1,712 in regular care, an increase of 26.
To date, 732,570 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 infection. An estimated 29,754 of them were treated in the regular care department of a hospital, with 6,365 requiring intensive care.