Covid ICU total falls to 18-week low; Infections rise near 41,500

Intensive care units in the Netherlands were treating 163 patients with Covid-19 on Wednesday afternoon. That was eight fewer than on Tuesday, taking the figure down to its lowest point since October 19. The ICU total fell by half in 40 days.

Another 1,411 people were being treated in regular care wards, a single-day net decrease of 44 after accounting for new admissions, discharges, and deaths. That put the combined patient total at 1,574, down 5 percent in a week. A similar decrease would bring the total down towards 1,500.

Hospitals admitted 175 people with Covid-19 between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, 13 of whom were sent directly to intensive care. That put the moving daily average at 177 patient admissions per day, down 11 percent in a week.

Data from the RIVM showed that 41,481 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. That was the first time the figure rose above 40,000 in five days.

Still, the seven-day moving average fell by 7 percent to 41,138. That was 39 percent lower compared to a week ago, but includes nearly the entire period in which testing was significantly reduced as storms forced the closure of many GGD testing centers.

About 67,650 people were tested daily between February 15-21. That fell by about 41 percent in a week. In the more recent period, about 58.8 percent of people tested positive.

The three cities with the most infections in the latest round of data were Amsterdam (1,755), Utrecht (1,367), and Rotterdam (1,093). All three were above their respective daily averages.