Covid hospital total ticks back up after strong decrease; Coronavirus average falls further

The number of Covid-19 patients in Dutch hospitals increased slightly on Thursday, after a strong decrease a day earlier. There are now 673 Covid patients in treatment, eleven more than Wednesday, according to figures from the LCPS. That is just under a two percent increase.

On Wednesday, the number of patients with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, fell for the first time in three weeks. That resulted in a patient total decrease of 8 percent. In recent weeks, more coronavirus patients had been added to current total on a daily basis.

There are now 474 patients with Covid-19 in the nursing wards, four more than Wednesday after accounting for admissions, discharges and deaths. The number of seriously ill Covid-190 patients in the intensive care units increased by seven to 199.

"Covid occupation in the ICU is following an increasing trend, although the first signs of a turning point may appear to be visible," the LCPS said in a statement.

In the past 24 hours, 73 new corona patients entered the nursing wards. Some 24 patients were admitted to the ICUs. Due to overcrowding, four coronavirus patients had to be transferred to hospitals in other parts of the country last 24 hours.

The LCPS previously indicated that hospitals will get even busier this week with Covid-19 patients, though Prime Minister Mark Rutte predicted the pressure on the medical centerswould start to be relieved. The LCPS also stated that it is difficult to predict when the decline will start.

Ernst Kuipers, chairman of the National Acute Care Network, previously assumed that the total number of admitted Covid-19 patients would rise to about 800.

There was a sharp 20 percent increase in daily coronavirus infections revealed on Thursday. Due to a technical failure earlier, many positive coronavirus tests from earlier were also registered in the past 24 hours.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) received 3,402 reports of new cases between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning. The seven-day moving average still fell by five percent on the news to 2,776, based on daily raw data from the institute.

The seven-day average remained 40 percent lower compared to a week ago.

On Wednesday, the RIVM reported a bit more than 2,800 cases, on Tuesday more than 2,200, and on Monday slightly more than 2,100. It is usual for the number of positive tests to increase during the week.

Rotterdam had the most positive tests. Some 294 Rotterdam residents were informed that they had been infected. For Rotterdam, that is the highest number in two weeks. Furthermore, 266 Amsterdammers heard that they contracted the coronavirus. This is followed by The Hague (121), Haarlemmermeer (65), Utrecht (61) and Almere (51).

In the past day, the RIVM registered the death of 11 Covid-19 patients. That is the highest number in almost two months. Just because these deaths have been reported in the past day does not mean they died in the past 24 hours. The notifications to the RIVM are often made days or even weeks later, if at all.