Hospitals report largest increase in Covid-19 patients since April 29

The number of Covid-19 patients being treated in Dutch hospitals rose by 57 during the past 24 hours, the largest increase in one day since April 29. A total of 610 people with Covid-19 are now in hospital care, according to the most recent figures from the National Coordination Center for Patients Spreading (LCPS), which were released on Monday afternoon.

Some 464 Covid-19 patients are currently occupying a bed in a regular care ward, 53 more than 24 hours ago. That was the result of 51 patients with the coronavirus disease admitted to the clinics, which may also include patients who were transferred back after a stint in the intensive care unit. That could have a stronger than expected increase in the regular care admissions total.

There are now 146 Covid-19 patients in intensive care units, a net increase of four compared to Sunday. Twelve new people were admitted to the ICU, which was offset by patients who died or were released from intensive care.

Last week, the number of admitted patients increased on a daily basis. Last Tuesday the hospitalized total topped 500 for the first time since September 23. The last time there were more than 600 Covid-19 patients in Dutch hospitals was on September 15.

On Sunday it turned out that the Isala hospital in Zwolle had to cancel planned procedures due to the large number of admitted patients with the coronavirus disease. Other hospitals have also announced increases in the number of coronavirus patients during the past week. Regular care can still continue at the Vallei Hospital in Gelderland, but the Covid-19 wards are at maximum capacity.

It is not yet clear whether or not operations will have to be cancelled there. Other hospitals, such as Maasstad Hospital and Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam say they have not yet seen a problematic increase in the number of Covid-19 patients.

The number of new known coronavirus infections rose by 3,389 between Sunday and Monday morning, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reports. That is slightly less than the weekly average. In the past seven days, the RIVM registered an average of 3,534 new infections per day, based on a combination of raw and corrected data.

The number of new coronavirus cases is about 50 percent higher than last Monday, when 2,252 new positive test results were recorded.

Amsterdam had the highest number of people who were told that they had contracted coronavirus in the past 24 hours: 119 in total. In The Hague, 78 people received a positive test result, and 73 residents of Rotterdam were told the same. Staphorst had the fourth highest total: 55 new coronavirus cases were discovered there.

That municipality, like a number of other municipalities in the Bible Belt, has a relatively low vaccination rate. Staphorst has more than twelve times fewer inhabitants than Tilburg, which ranked fifth. The city’s residents tested positive 46 times since Sunday morning.