Lowest number of new coronavirus infections in over a month

The number of new coronavirus infections fell for the fourth day in a row on Monday. Some 2,077 positive coronavirus tests were registered at the RIVM between Sunday morning and Monday morning, the lowest number since July 5.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) counted 2,347 new positive tests on Sunday. That figure may have been distorted because not all reports could be collated due to a technical malfunction. However, the effect of this was very small, according to a spokesperson for the RIVM.

The number of positive coronavirus tests registered on Sundays and Mondays is often lower compared to the rest of the week. In the past, this has been due to people putting off getting tested, or delays in processing tests over the weekend.

The RIVM registered 18,096 positive tests during the past seven days, including a mix of raw and corrected data. That equates to an average of 2,585 new cases per day. That average has been declining for about three weeks. The uncorrected raw data has that figure at 2,618, about 20 percent lower compared to a week ago.

Amsterdam had by far the most new infections over the past 24 hours, a total of 167. Though high by comparison to other municipalities, the total was 22 percent below the capital’s seven-day average.

In Rotterdam, 77 new positive tests were counted. That was about 41 percent below average. In The Hague, 63 more residents tested positive, roughly one-third below average. In Almere and Utrecht there were 46 and 38 new cases respectively. Both figures were below average.

The number of Covid-19 patients in Dutch hospitals increased by three percent on Monday, after slight improvements were registered over the weekend. There are now a total of 690 patients with the coronavirus disease in hospital care, a net increase of 17 after accounting for admissions, discharges and deaths, according to figures from the LCPS.

The hospital total was still four percent lower compared to a week ago, and has been fairly stable for the past six days. It is getting busier in the intensive care units.

There are now 212 Covid-19 patients in ICU care, an increase of twelve bringing the total to the highest number since mid-June. There are 478 patients in the regular nursing wards, five more than on Sunday.

In the past 24 hours, 19 patients were admitted to the ICUs, slightly above average. Some 52 new Covid-19 patients were admitted to the nursing wards, about 22 percent below the week’s average.

According to the institute, two deaths from Covid-19 have been reported to the RIVM during the past 24 hours. That does not necessarily mean that they have died in the past day.

The RIVM is not always notified the same day when a Covid-19 sufferer dies, and there is no obligation to pass this information on to the organization. The deaths of two people was also registered on Sunday.