Covid hospitalizations near 2,900, similar to mid-April; New Infections fall again

There were 2,882 people with Covid-19 being treated in Dutch hospitals on Tuesday, a net increase of 46 compared to the previous day. Patient coordination office LCPS said that the total rose throughout the day as 320 new patients with the disease were admitted.

During that time, 46 patients were also moved into intensive care. After accounting for deaths and discharges, the ICUs were treating 17 more coronavirus patients than on Monday, or 723 in total. The regular care departments saw their total increase by 29 to to 2,159.

The combined patient total was at its highest point since about April 12, based on data from the LCPS and nonprofit organization NICE. During the first week of April, when the first wave of Covid hospitalizations peaked, there were about 3,750 people with the disease in hospital care.

Tuesday's hospital total was about five percent higher than a week ago. The patient total was projected to be close to 3,050 in one week's time.

At the same time, the average number of new coronavirus infections has fallen for the 14th consecutive day, standing at 8,084 on Tuesday. Data from public health agency RIVM showed that 6,412 more people tested positive for the disease, down 15 percent from a week ago.

It was the second straight day with fewer than seven thousand infections, the first time that has happened in nearly a month. However, in its weekly epidemiological study, the RIVM said it was not yet clear if the lockdown measures put in place in mid-December were the cause for the drop in infections, or if it was due to substantially fewer people being tested for the virus.

About 13.7 percent of people who were tested by the GGD were given a positive diagnosis last week, up from 13 percent the previous week.

The RIVM also noted that 152 more people died from Covid-19, which moved the seven day average down slightly to 89. To date, 11,826 people are known to have died because of the disease.

Some 834,064 people have tested positive for the coronavirus infection since the end of February.