18,000 new coronavirus infections today, the lowest in weeks; Covid hospital total jumps higher

Health officials in the Netherlands recorded the lowest single-day number of new coronavirus infections since November 14. The RIVM recorded 18,017 new positive SARS-CoV-2 tests between Monday and Tuesday morning.

That was effectively the first time in 22 days that the total was below 20,000. An IT error led to an artificially low figure on December 1. The figure released on Tuesday was clean, and not the result of IT or telecommunications problems.

The organization told newswire ANP it believed Tuesday’s number was relatively low because the infection rate is falling, and not because of an increased reliance on self-test kits.

It brought the seven-day moving average down three percent to 21,184. A combination of raw and corrected data put the average at 21,141, five percent lower compared to a week ago. Although it was high, the average shifted to its lowest point since November 21.

The three cities with the most new infections were Rotterdam (637), Amsterdam (632), and The Hague (404). Rotterdam’s total was about 11 percent below its average, and Amsterdam’s was 17 percent below the mean. The daily total in The Hague was 21 percent below its average.

The situation was still tense in Dutch hospitals, which were treating 2,841 people with Covid-19. That rose by three percent from Monday to Tuesday afternoon, after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths. The combined total was nearly the same as a week ago, a peak not seen since January 5.

The intensive care units were treating 639 of the patients, a net increase of 13. That put the ICU level to its highest point since May 18, including 15 in German hospitals. The other 2,202 people were being treated in regular care wards, a net increase of 59. Due to the volume of Covid-19 patients, over half of the country’s hospitals have cancelled a great deal of scheduled procedures and operations.

Hospitals admitted 357 new patients with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the most in six days. That included 36 sent directly to an intensive care unit. On average, hospitals took on 322 patients with the disease each of the past seven days, including 41 sent to intensive care.