Covid hospital total hits 45-day high point; Avg. infections falls further

There were 648 people being treated for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals on Thursday, an increase of three percent. The 16th consecutive daily increase brought the hospitalized total up to its highest point since June 14.

The hospital total was predicted to continue to rise at least this calendar week. The patient total has gone up 49 percent since last Thursday. A similar increase would bring that total up to 965.

Hospitals on Thursday were treating 177 Covid-19 patients in intensive care units, the highest in a month. The figure rose by 13, after accounting for admissions, discharges, and deaths. The other 471 patients were being treated in regular care wards, a net increase of six.

The hospital system took on 105 more patients with the coronavirus disease between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. It was the third day that figure was above a hundred. It included 24 patients sent straight to intensive care units.

On average, 99 patients were admitted into care on each of the past seven days, including 17 sent straight to ICU. The growth in patient admissions has started to slow down this week, though the average number of admissions was still 50 percent above last week's figures.

Public health agency RIVM said that another 4,506 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. That number rose by a thousand in a day, but the disparity compensated for data missing from Wednesday's report due to an IT error.

The average number of coronavirus infections fell for the tenth straight day to 4,631. That figure has fallen by 48 percent in a week.

The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (361), Rotterdam (253) and The Hague (168).