Netherlands Covid infections up 44% in a week

The increase in the number of new coronavirus cases continues, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). In the past seven days, the institute registered 25,751 new positive tests. That is over 44 percent more than last week when there were 17,832 new coronavirus cases in seven days.

The GGDs tested more than 198,000 people last week, of whom nearly 24,000 tested positive. That is a positivity rate of 12 percent, compared to 10.3 percent a week earlier. "The increase in the number of positive coronavirus tests appears to be related to the relaxation of measures over three weeks ago, in combination with the seasonal effect, the RIVM said. The number of new coronavirus cases increased in all regions and age groups.

The reproduction number, which indicates how quickly the virus spreads, also continues to rise. The RIVM currently calculates it at 1.20. That is every 100 people who carry the virus infect 120 others. The number of infected people is increasing faster and faster. The number is determined every Tuesday and Friday, based on the situation about two weeks earlier. More recent figures are not yet reliable enough. The reproduction number of 1.20, therefore, refers to the situation on October 4.

Preliminary data about hospitalizations show a 20 percent increase, but this will likely be revised up over the next few days.

The number of deaths as a result of a coronavirus infection also rose faster this past week. The RIVM received 48 reports of deaths, a doubling compared to the previous seven days. The institute emphasizes that not all of these people may have died in the past week because it sometimes takes a while for a death to be reported.

Most people who contracted the virus became infected through contact with housemates or partners. Infection at education came in second place. The share of infections that could be traced to school or childcare increased to over 15 percent. A week earlier, it was still about 14 percent. Work was also the place of contamination slightly more often in the past seven days, the RIVM said. This was 9 percent of cases, compared to 8 percent a week earlier. The proportion of positive tests that could be traced back to the hospitality industry and nursing homes also increased slightly. A total of 0.8 percent of infections took place during "religious meetings." That is somewhat less than a week earlier when it was 0.9 percent.