Coronavirus 7-day average falls for 18th straight day; Covid ICU total below 600

A total of 13,400 people were diagnosed with a coronavirus infection between Wednesday and Thursday morning, nearly the same as a day earlier. That brought the seven-day moving average down for the 18th consecutive time. The figure fell to 13,148, 15 percent lower compared to a week earlier and the lowest it has been since November 12.

Although healthcare officials expect the Omicron variant of the virus to bring about a new wave of infections, the seven-day average was 42 percent lower compared to the total on November 28. On that date, the Dutch average hit an all-time high of 22,543, based on raw data alone. Still, the highly-contagious Omicron variant recently displaced the Delta variant as the dominant viral variant in Amsterdam. This was expected to be the case nationally by New Year's Eve.

The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (750), Rotterdam (600) and The Hague (402). Of the three, only Amsterdam's seven-day average has been trending upward. The figure there stood at 679, up 15 percent compared to a week earlier. The daily total in Rotterdam was 25 percent above average, with the total in The Hague almost equal to that city's average.

The average number of Covid-19 hospital admissions fell to its lowest point since November 10. From December 17 - 23, hospitals admitted a total of 1,431 people with the disease, down 26 percent in a week. That includes 196 sent directly to intensive care, down from 270.

Hospitals were treating 2,240 patients with Covid-19 on Thursday afternoon, two percent fewer than on Wednesday. The total has fallen by 13 percent in a week. A similar decrease would bring the hospital tally down to 1,958.

There were 583 patients in intensive care units, down 18 after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths. Nineteen of them were being treated in German hospitals. The other 1,657 patients were in regular care units, a net decrease of 17.

Dutch hospitals admitted 187 Covid-19 patients between Wednesday and Thursday, below the daily average of 204. Patient coordination office LCPS said 25 of them were sent directly to intensive care units.