Dutch Covid patient total nears 1,500 to set 32-week low

The number of Covid-19 patients being treated in Dutch hospitals fell by seven percent in a day, the LCPS said on Thursday afternoon. It was the tenth straight decrease, which brought the total down to 1,512, the lowest since October 14.

The total was 20 percent lower than a week ago. Should that trend continue, there will be close to 1,200 patients in care in seven days.

Thursday's tally included 971 patients in non-acute care wards, a net decrease of 88, bringing the figure below a thousand for the first time since early October. The intensive care total of 541 was similar to figures seen in early March after a single-day net decrease of 18 patients.

New admissions for Covid-19 have also fallen. Just 83 people with the disease were admitted to a hospital between the afternoons of Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the seven-day moving average down to 124. That's 60 percent lower than the third wave peak.

The RIVM also reported on Thursday that people tested positive for the coronavirus another 3,426 times, the most in four days. That brought the seven-day rolling average to 3,204, about 62 percent below the peak set last month.

The percentage of people testing positive for the virus fell below ten percent on average, nearing a six-week low. Testing figures have also continued to show a decline, nearing the recent low point during the winter storms in February.

To date, 1,637,466 people have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection.