Weekly coronavirus figures fall 11% but child infections up over 4%

The number of new coronavirus infections diagnosed in the Netherlands fell during the past seven days by 11 percent to 15,976. Despite the national decrease, the number of infections found in children through the age of 17 actually rose by four percent.

The total number of national infections was at the lowest point since the week ending July 6, the first seven-day period of Delta variant infections. The most recent week still produced about twice as many infections as the period from June 30 - July 6.

The decrease in infections, from nearly 18,000 the previous week, was achieved even as nine percent more coronavirus tests were carried out by the GGD municipal health services. Nearly 170 thousand tests were completed by the GGD last week, according to the RIVM. The basic reproduction (R) value moved up by 0.01 to 0.99, meaning that 100 people contagious with the virus infected 99 others.

Children between the ages of 4 and 12 represented more new infections than any other age group in testing performed by the GGD. They tested positive 3,257 times during the last calendar week. Those from 13-17 also tested positive 1,436 times, while babies and toddlers through 3 years of age were diagnosed another 237 times.

Specifically, the highest number of children between ages 5 and 9 tested positive (1,872) since the week ending May 4. Four weeks ago, that total was below 600. Nearly 2,100 children between 10 and 14 also tested positive, the most in four months.

Last week was the first full week where students in all primary and secondary schools across the Netherlands were welcomed back following summer vacation. The holiday period ended in the southern region on September 5, in the center of the country on August 29, and a week before that in the northern region.

It was also the first full week of higher education classes held in-person at research and applied science universities, and upper vocational schools. Infections found in people aged 18-29 actually dropped by 20 percent compared to a week earlier; however, people in that age category also showed up for 16 percent fewer coronavirus tests at the GGD.

The number of recent international travellers diagnosed with the coronavirus infection fell by 44 percent in a week to 1,387. Some 314 people who were in Turkey within two weeks of visiting the GGD tested positive for the infection. The other top destinations were Spain (184), Germany (145), Morocco (106) and Belgium (103).

Figures from patient coordination office LCPS showed that there was a six percent drop in Covid-19 hospital admissions, with 481 people admitted in total. That included 92 sent directly to an intensive care unit, an eight percent increase.

The RIVM used different statistics from intensive care monitor NICE, though those figures are frequently revised upwards. Preliminary data from NICE revealed 355 new hospital admissions, a 15 percent drop, out of which 75 were sent to an ICU, a 20 percent fall.

To date, people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the coronavirus infection 1,974,662 times. A total of 13,713 of them required treatment in an ICU, with 73 percent surviving the experience, according to NICE. Out of the 61,146 treated in a regular care hospital ward, nearly 87 percent survived.

The RIVM also learned of 35 deaths caused by Covid-19 last week, down from 38.