Most new coronavirus infections in a week, but positivity rate is falling; More Covid patients in ICU

The Netherlands recorded the most new coronavirus infections in a single week on Wednesday. The country’s medical system also sent the highest number of Covid-19 patients to intensive care units than any other day over the past month.

Some 2,843 more people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, according to raw data released by the RIVM on Wednesday. The health institute was notified of an average of 2,583 new infections on each of the past seven days, about two percent more than the previous week-long period.

With the exception of a single outlier, the number of infections detected daily has remained between 2,000 and 3,000 for nearly six weeks. A combination of raw and corrected data put the seven-day average at 2,558.

During that time, an average of 10.3 percent of those tested were diagnosed with the infection. The figure has been falling for ten days, and is now at its lowest point since July 6. About 23,100 people were tested for the infection per day during the past week, a 30 percent increase.

The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (203), Rotterdam (147) and The Hague (138), with the latter about 18 percent above its moving average. Amsterdam’s total was slightly above average, while Rotterdam’s figure was slightly below average.

Hospitals sent 22 newly-admitted Covid-19 patients into intensive care units between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. That was tied for the most in a single ay since August 6. The regular care wards admitted another 59 patients with the coronavirus disease.

The past seven days, hospitals took an average of 74 Covid-19 patients daily, including 60 treated in regular care wards and 14 brought to an ICU.

Dutch hospitals were caring for 671 patients with the disease in total on Wednesday, down one percent from Tuesday after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths.

The hospital total included 219 intensive care patients, a net increase of four. The other 452 patients were in regular care, a net decrease of 11.

The combined total has gone up four percent in a week. A similar increase would put the figure back above 700 for the first time in three weeks.