Dutch coronavirus infections, hospitalizations down 30% in a week; Positivity rate falls

People in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus 14,397 times during the seven-day period that ended at Tuesday, 10 a.m. Over that same period, 380 people were hospitalized with Covid-19. The figures represented a respective decline of 30 and 32 percent, said public health agency RIVM.

“There is clearly a positive trend; the basic measures and getting vaccinated remain important if we want this trend to continue,” the organization said. By “basic measures,” the RIVM was referring to practicing good hygiene, the use of face masks and social distancing.

“Even after vaccination, there is still a small chance that you can get sick. There are now almost 11 million vaccinations administered, but only 1 in 5 people in the Netherlands has been fully vaccinated. Many people are not yet protected and can therefore get the virus.”

Some 7.2 percent of those tested by municipal health service GGD were diagnosed with the infection. That was down sharply from 9.0 percent the previous week. Fewer people scheduled their own coronavirus tests with the GGD, with the total falling 8 percent to 195,318, the lowest since February.

“The number of Covid-19 reports decreased in all age groups,” the RIVM said. The smallest decrease was seen in children up to 17 years of age, but that was also the age group with the greatest increase in tests taken. “One possible reason for this could be the opening of secondary schools,” the RIVM noted.

An estimated 60,944 people were contagious with the coronavirus infection according to the latest models from the agency. It said that 100 people contagious with the virus were expected to infect 90 others. That rose from 82 in the previous week.

Some 380 people with Covid-19 were admitted by hospitals over the past week. That was down from 560 in the previous week. Of the newest cases, just 50 were sent to intensive care, a big drop compared to 116 a week earlier.

To date, people have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus 1,664,427 times. Some 12,759 people have been treated for Covid-19 in intensive care, with a 72 percent survival rate. Another 57,441 have been treated in regular nursing wards, with an 87 percent survival rate.

While the RIVM has been notified of 17,681 deaths in total from Covid-19, the real total number of fatalities is likely about ten thousand greater according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Death notifications must be filed with that office, but do not have to be shared with the RIVM.