Covid hospital total nears three-week high; Most daily coronavirus infections in 67 days

Dutch hospitals were treating over 500 people with Covid-19 for the first time in almost three weeks. Meanwhile, the RIVM reported more new coronavirus infections on Tuesday than any other day since August 6.

The hospital total on Tuesday afternoon rose by 3 percent to reach 512. It was the seventh time in ten days that the patient total increased, according to data from the LCPS. The hospital total was 6 percent higher compared to a week ago. A similar increase would put the figure up above 540.

Tuesday's total included 374 people in regular care wards, an increase of 15 after accounting for new admissions, discharges, and deaths. The intensive care units were treating the remaining 138 patients, the same as on Monday.

Hospitals admitted 69 patients between Monday and Tuesday afternoons, including ten sent to intensive care units. On average, hospitals admitted 61 patients each of the past seven days, including 11 treated immediately in an ICU. Weekly hospitalizations have shot up 46 percent compared to seven days ago, according to the LCPS.

The RIVM also said that 2,914 more people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. That pushed the seven-day average up 6 percent to 2,497, based solely on raw data. A combination of raw and corrected data put that figure even higher at 2,547.

Residents of The Hague (135), Amsterdam (114), and Rotterdam (92) tested positive in the highest quantity. With 68 infections, Apeldoorn ranked a surprising fourth.

The small town of Staphorst, with a population of just over 17 thousand, came in fifth place with 50 new infections. The sudden, rapid flare-up in the Overijssel town raised concerns about increasing infections in Bible Belt municipalities. Staphorst ranks second to last for Covid-19 vaccination rates, just ahead of Urk.

An average of 10.3 percent of those tested by the GGD from October 4-10 were diagnosed with the coronavirus infection, up from 8.1 percent a week earlier. During that time, daily testing figures rose 15 percent to 22,500.

People in the Netherlands have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus a total of 2,029,289 times.