Covid average falls for 12th day straight, Hospital total drops for 5th day
Some 15,433 people in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus between Thursday and Friday morning. That brought the seven-day moving average down for the 12th straight day. The average fell to 15,232, the lowest it has been since November 15, though it was the second consecutive day where daily infections exceeded the average.
An estimated 23.9 percent of people tested by the GGD from December 9 - 15 received a positive diagnosis for the infection. That figure has wavered between a seven-day average of 22 and 24 percent for the better part of a month, with 24 percent being an approximate record since testing was offered on a wide scale.
However, the number of daily tests fell to an average of 59,000, the lowest in six weeks. The drop in testing, along with the high positivity rate, was likely due to the increased use of coronavirus self-test kits at home, where those who test positive call the GGD for confirmation.
Amsterdam led all cities with 823 newly infected residents, the city's highest total in two weeks. That figure was a third higher than the capital's average, 616. Another 531 Rotterdammers tested positive, slightly below the city's average. In The Hague, 469 residents tested positive, just above that city's mean.
It was also the fifth consecutive day where the number of patients in active care decreased. It was also the first time the total fell below 2,500 since November 22. The hospital total was 12 percent lower compared to a week ago. A similar decrease would place the figure at 2,183.
There were 638 people being treated in intensive care units, seven fewer than on Thursday afternoon. That includes 16 patients from the Netherlands in German hospitals. The other 1,834 were being treated in regular care wards, down 89 compared to the previous day.
Dutch hospitals admitted 224 people with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, including 38 sent directly to intensive care. On average, 260 people were admitted to hospitals each of the past seven days. During that time, 1,822 new Covid-19 patients entered hospital care, 17 percent fewer than the previous week. That includes 256 patients sent to an ICU, down from 280 the previous week.