slight increase in hospitalizations while seven-day average hits lowest number since December 4

The daily number of SARS-CoV-2 infections fell below 5,000 once again. Another 4,924 people tested positive for the viral infection in the Netherlands on Sunday, reported public health agency RIVM. 
That pushed the seven-day average down to 5,262, the lowest number since December 4. The rolling average was nine percent lower than it was a week ago.

Sunday’s single-day tally was ten percent lower than on Saturday and 12 percent lower than a week ago. It pushed infections for the calendar week up to 36,831, a nine percent drop compared to the same period last week. 

The three cities with the most new infections on Sunday were Amsterdam (237), Rotterdam (130), and The Hague (99). In the capital, infections went down 18 percent compared to last week. In Rotterdam, this number was 26 percent. In the Hague, infections fell by 36 percent compared to last Sunday. 

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients being treated in hospitals increased by about two percent since the previous day, but the total was still two percent lower than last week. Dutch hospitals were treating a total of 2,343 Covid-19 patients on Sunday. 

676 patients were placed into intensive care wards, seven more than the previous day. Another 1,667 patients were being treated in regular care, 34 more than Saturday. If this current decreasing trend continues, there will be around 2,310 hospitalized Covid-19 patients next week Sunday. 

Between the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday, hospitals admitted 207 new coronavirus patients. Among them, 165 were placed in regular care wards, an eight percent decrease compared to last week. Another 42 patients were moved to the intensive care, eleven percent more than last week. 

Another 30 deaths were also reported as being caused by Covid-19, the RIVM said. That brought the seven-day average to 79. Fatal cases of the coronavirus disease were down 15 percent for the week, the RIVM data showed.

To date, 948,933 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the SARS-CoV2 infection. That includes 13,540 people who died from Covid-19.