Average coronavirus infections, Covid hospitalizations down over 16% in a week

The average number of new daily coronavirus infections diagnosed in the Netherlands dropped by about 16.5 percent during the past week. At the same time, new hospital admissions to treat Covid-19 and the current hospital total fell at a similar rate.

Another 2,172 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, the RIVM said on Friday. That brought the seven-day average down four percent in a day to 2,128, based on raw data from the public health agency. That figure was 2,545 a week earlier.

During the past week, 8.3 percent of those tested by the GGD were given a positive diagnosis. That fell in seven days from 9.7 percent, while testing remained about the same at 24,216 per day.

The three cities with the most new infections on Friday were Rotterdam (180), Amsterdam (113) and The Hague (83). Those three cities also have the highest seven-day averages for new infections. At 141, Amsterdam's average has dropped 28 percent in a week. Rotterdam's mean was 138, about 8 percent lower than last Friday. The average in The Hague has dropped 12 percent to 101.

There were 566 people being treated for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals on Friday, nearly 16 percent lower than a week earlier. A similar decrease would bring the tally down to 477.

The current total includes 194 patients in intensive care units, the lowest since August 4. The tally went down by eight patients in a day after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths. The other 372 people were in regular care wards, a net decrease of six.

Hospitals admitted 61 new Covid-19 patients between Thursday and Friday afternoon, including ten sent directly to intensive care. Both figures were level with the current seven-day average.

The combined average of 61 has fallen by 17 percent in a week. ICU admissions have dropped on average from 14 per day to ten daily.

People in the Netherlands tested positive 1,981,252 times since the start of the pandemic.