4,993 news Covid-19 cases; seven-day average up 22 percent for the week

The daily number of SARS-CoV-2 infections fell slightly on Saturday. However, the seven-day average remains on the rise. Another 4,993 people tested positive for the viral infection in the Netherlands on Saturday, reported public health agency RIVM. That brings the seven-day average to 4,628, the highest since January 29. This number was 22 percent higher than last week. 

Saturday's single-day tally was three percent lower than on Friday but was eight percent higher than a week ago. It pushed infections for the calendar week up to 27,675, a 20 percent increase compared to the same period last week. 

The three cities with the most new infections on Saturday were Amsterdam (246), Groningen (119), and Rotterdam (166). In the Capital, infections went up 18 percent compared to last week. In Rotterdam, new infections increased by 68 percent compared to last Saturday. In Groningen, this number was a staggering 102 percent. 

The total number of Covid-19 patients being treated in hospitals decreased by three percent since the previous day. The weekly hospitalization rate equally dropped by three percent. Dutch hospitals treated a total of 1,809 Covid-19 patients on Saturday, a decrease of 55 patients compared to the previous day. 

518 patients were stationed in intensive care wards, seven fewer than the previous day. Another 1,291 patients were being treated in regular care, down 48 compared to Friday. If this current decreasing trend continues, there will be around 1,763 hospitalized Covid-19 patients Saturday next week. 

Between the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday, hospitals admitted 207 new coronavirus patients. Among them, 185 were placed in regular care wards, a 19 percent increase compared to last week. Another 22 patients were moved to the intensive care, a ten percent increase compared to last Saturday. 

An estimate from the RIVM also showed that, so far, 1,285,74 doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered. That was an additional 49,550 injections in one day, bringing the number of vaccines in the past seven days to 327,297. 

Another 41 deaths were also reported as being caused by Covid-19, the RIVM said. That brought the seven-day average to 49. Fatal cases of the coronavirus disease went down by 16 percent for the week, the RIVM data showed.

To date, 1,084,021 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the SARS-CoV2 infection. That includes 15,543 people who died from Covid-19.