Covid ICU total falls back below 200 for first time in days; Coronavirus reproduction value rising
For the first time in just over a week, fewer than 200 Covid-19 patients are in intensive care. There are now 196 people in those hospital rooms being treated for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
That was 14 fewer than the previous day, after taking into account new patient admissions, discharges and deaths. It is the biggest single-day drop since July 8.
The number of Covid-19 patients in the nursing wards did increase over the past day from 439 to 450, but in general the trend is still downward. At the beginning of August, more than 500 people were in those departments because of Covid-19.
A total of 646 people are now hospitalized due to Covid-19. That is the lowest number in more than two weeks. It is the fourth consecutive day on which the total number of admitted patients has fallen.
The number of new admissions is slowly but steadily decreasing according to figures from the LCPS, an office which coordinates the dispersal of Covid-19 patients to alleviate hospital overcrowding. In the past 24 hours, 86 patients with the coronavirus disease were were admitted into care.
The average fell to about 81 per day, with 565 people in total admitted into hospital care for treatment of the disease over the past seven days. That is the lowest level in three weeks.
There were 100 new admissions per day on average in late July and early August.
Coronavirus infections falling, but more slowly
The average number of new coronavirus cases is continuing to fall, but at a slower pace than in previous weeks.
Some 2,718 positive tests were reported to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) between Thursday morning and Friday morning. That is slightly more than the previous days, though it is common for the number of new diagnosed infections to rise over the course of a calendar week. Last Friday there were just over 2,900 positive tests.
Additionally, computer systems issues led to a delay in processing results midweek. It was not clear if Friday’s data was a catch-up day including positive test results diagnosed earlier in the week, similar to Thursday’s data.
The 2,718 positive tests translate into 15.6 for every 100,000 residents of the Netherlands. The figure has remained above an alarm level set by the government for the fortieth day in a row. More than 7 positive tests per 100,000 people will set off alarm bells and can signal new policy measures to slow new infections. From September to June, the Netherlands was above that limit for 272 consecutive days.
Raw data released by the the RIVM showed an average of 2,366 infections diagnosed on each of the past seven days, still the lowest since July 8. That total fell by 1 percent in a day, and was 12 percent lower compared to a week ago. The average has fallen every day since July 19, when it peaked at 10,160.
A combination of raw and corrected data shows that the RIVM registered 16,368 positive tests during that time, placing the average closer to 2,338 per day.
Amsterdam had the most new cases on Friday. In the capital, 200 residents were told that they had contracted the coronavirus infection. There were 161 positive tests in Rotterdam and 105 in The Hague, followed by Utrecht (81) and Almere (45). Of the five, only Almere posted a figure below average. Data showed that 31 municipalities had no new infections.
Viral reproduction trending upwards
The basic reproduction number, or R-number, of the coronavirus has increased, according to the latest update on the government's Coronavirus Dashboard. It shows that 100 people contagious with the virus infected 87 others, but according to Tuesday's figures that had been 79 on average.
The R-number indicates how quickly the virus can spread among the population. At this point, the R-number is 0.87. A number below 1 could restrict the outbreak, because one hundred people infect an average of 87 others, who in turn infect about 75 people. An increase in the R-number therefore means that the decrease in the number of infections is less rapid.
An important caveat about the R-number is that it is only accurately modeled based on the situation about two weeks ago. The number of 0.87 therefore refers to the state of the epidemic on July 29.