Over 5,200 new Covid cases in 24 hours
The number of coronavirus cases increased by 5,223 in the past 24 hours, the RIVM reports. It is the first time in about three months that the number of new infections exceeded 5,000 in one day.
A similar milestone was reached on Wednesday when the number of new coronavirus cases in one day exceeded 4,000 for the first time since the end of July. 4,602 people heard on Wednesday that they had contracted the coronavirus. 4,609 infections were initially reported, but the number was slightly corrected.
The weekly average is now also above the 4,000 line. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) registered 4,024 new coronavirus cases per day in the past seven days. A week ago, that weekly average stood at 2,927 new cases per day.
In the last 24 hours, seven new deaths as a result of a coronavirus infection were recorded. Not all those people necessarily died in the past 24 hours because it sometimes takes a while before a death is reported to the RIVM.
In Amsterdam, 193 people heard that they had contracted the coronavirus. In Rotterdam, there were 170 people, and in The Hague, 102 people received a positive test result. 72 coronavirus infections were confirmed in Tilburg and 71 in Apeldoorn. Only 11 municipalities had zero new cases.
There are now 660 coronavirus patients in Dutch hospitals, reported the National Coordination Center for Patients Distribution (LCPS). That is ten more than Wednesday.
The total number of patients in intensive care units decreased by one to 164. The other 496 coronavirus patients are being cared for in the nursing wards, eleven more than a day earlier. Eighteen new patients were admitted to the ICUs and 88 to the nursing wards, but people also leave every day through discharge or death.
The number of hospital patients has been above 600 since Monday, the first time since mid-September. To relieve pressure on hospitals, the LCPS decided earlier this week to coordinate the spread of coronavirus patients across the country again. In this way, it hopes to keep healthcare accessible in all regions.
Reporting by ANP