Covid patient total slides to lowest point since Dec. 27; Infection total rises

The number of patients being treated for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals fell to 2,514 on Wednesday, the lowest patient total in two and a half weeks. The hospitals reported a single-day net decrease of 119 patients, according to the LCPS.

There were 1,821 patients with the coronavirus disease in regular care, down 124 after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths. Another 693 patients were being treated in intensive care, an increase of five.

Despite the increase in the ICU, the LCPS said it remained cautiously optimistic that the healthcare system has overcome a second peak in the second wave of infections. So far this week the regular care wards have taken on 771 new coronavirus patients, about five percent less than the same period last week. That includes 264 patients admitted between the afternoons of Tuesday and Wednesday.

During that time, intensive care admissions equaled 46, raising this week’s total to 113. That was over 10 percent lower than last week. To greatly reduce social restrictions, the Cabinet wants to see a maximum average of 10 intensive care and 40 regular care admissions daily.

Meanwhile, public health agency RIVM said on Wednesday that 6,148 more people tested positive for an infection of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. While 23 percent higher than Tuesday’s figures, the tally was 14 percent lower than a week ago.

That brought the seven day rolling average down to 6,940, a figure which has consistently fallen since December 22. So far this week, 16,633 people have tested positive for the infection, down 18 percent compared to the same period last week.

For the seven-day period ending January 10, an estimated 12.9 percent of people tested by the GGD were given a positive result. Data from the RIVM suggests that fewer people are getting tested, and that fewer people are reporting symptoms consistent with Covid-19.

The RIVM noted that 122 more people died as a result of Covid-19. That shifted the moving average down to 99. This week, 325 deaths have been tied to the disease, a 17 percent decrease.

To date, 889,221 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the coronavirus infection, including 12,685 whose cause of death was listed as Covid-19. NICE estimated that 34,216 people have been treated in regular care hospital wards for the disease, and 7,274 required intensive care.