Covid hospital total below 2,000 for first time in weeks; Infections avg. drops again
There were 1,997 hospitalized patients being treated for Covid-19 on Saturday afternoon, patient coordination LCPS said. It is the first time since November 15 that fewer than two thousand residents of the Netherlands were actively being treated in hospitals for the coronavirus disease. The average number of daily coronavirus infections also fell for the 20th straight day.
The hospital patient total was 148 less than on Friday, marking a seven percent decrease after accounting for new patient admissions, discharges, and deaths. It was the biggest single day drop in terms of absolute patient numbers since May 19, and the biggest rate of decrease since July 5. The hospital total was 16 percent lower compared to last Saturday.
The sharpest fall was in the regular care wards. There were 1,444 patients in those departments, a net decrease of 136. The other 553 patients were in intensive care units, a net decrease of 12. Nineteen of the ICU patients were in German hospitals.
It was also the fifth time in seven days that fewer than 200 new Covid-19 patients were admitted into hospital care. The Dutch medical system took on 183 more patients with the disease, including 22 sent directly to intensive care. On average, 189 were admitted each of the past seven days, 23 percent fewer compared to the previous week.
The RIVM recorded another 12,629 positive coronavirus tests between Friday and Saturday morning. That brought the seven-day moving average down for the 20th day in a row. The average stood at 12,430, reflecting a 16 percent reduction in a week.
The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (753), Rotterdam (414), and The Hague (406). The average in the capital has gone up 13 percent in a week to 694, with infections caused by the Omicron variant now dominant there.
About 53,300 people visited the GGD for a coronavirus test between December 17 and 23. Roughly 22.3 percent of them were given a positive diagnosis for the infection. The percentage, while high, was down from a record of 24.1 percent set about a week ago. The positivity rate has likely remained high due to higher volumes of people visiting the GGD to confirm the positive result of a self-test taken at home.