Coronavirus infection average nears 9-month low; Vaccine average at over 252K per day

Public health agency RIVM said on Sunday that people in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection another 1,066 times. That brought the seven-day moving average down to 1,443, the lowest it has been since mid-September.

The moving average has plunged by 38 percent in a week, and 77 percent in a month. It was about 83 percent lower than the third wave peak of 8,352 set on April 23.

The last time that the RIVM revealed fewer than a a thousand new infections in a single day was in the first half of September. The continued downward trend of infections in the Netherlands, combined with the fact that testing is also at a nine-month low, could result in a drop below the 1,000 mark some time next week.

Just over 23 thousand people scheduled a coronavirus test between June 5 and June 11, with 5.6 percent being diagnosed with the infection, according to preliminary data. A positivity rate that low has also not been seen since mid-September.

Early data from the Ministry of Health also showed that nearly 1.6 million Covid-19 vaccines were administered this calendar week. The figure rose by 330,495 more which combined the estimated number of shots given on Saturday, and data which had been missing from earlier in the week.

If accurate, the Netherlands has already beaten the estimate for the calendar week by nearly 10 percent, a figure which does not yet account for vaccine appointments on Sunday. An estimated 252,045 shots were given over the past seven days, a new record by far.

Hospitals admitted just 34 patients with Covid-19 between Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the lowest figure released by patient coordination office LCPS. The organization began releasing daily figures on admissions towards the end of October. The new patients included 8 who were sent to intensive care. About 51 patients have been admitted on average each of the past seven days, including seven ICU patients.

Still, the current Covid-19 patient total ticked up slightly for the first time since May 17. There were 676 people with the disease in hospitals, up four from Saturday’s total.

The LCPS said 265 of them were in the ICU, a net decrease of four. The other 411 were in regular care, a net increase of eight.

The combined total was still 32 percent lower compared to a week ago. If a similar decrease is registered over the coming week, there will be about 460 patients in care next Sunday.