Covid infection average near 12-week low; ICU total at 36-week low

After a resurgence of coronavirus infections at the end of February and beginning of March, the average number of infections determined daily in the Netherlands has continued to fall. The seven-day moving average decreased for the 21st consecutive day, falling to 25,778 on Friday. That was down a third from the previous week.

Some 21,788 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 infection between Thursday and Friday morning, according to raw data from the RIVM. The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (935), Rotterdam (721), and The Hague (625). All three were between 12-15 percent below their respective averages.

About 63.4 percent of those tested by the GGD between March 24-30 received a positive diagnosis. That figure has slowly started to decrease after peaking at 70 percent near the beginning of the month. An average of 40,300 were tested daily during the most recent seven-day period, down from 99,000 earlier in the month, and 55,000 a week ago.

The basic reproduction (R) value ticked up slightly to 0.87, meaning 100 people contagious with the virus on March 14 infected 87 others. They passed it on to another 76 individuals, who then infected 66 more people. When the R-value is below 1.00, it indicates infections are expected to decline.

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 1,827 people with Covid-19 on Friday afternoon, the third straight decrease. The total showed 87 fewer patients than on Thursday, after accounting for new admissions, discharges, and deaths. The figure was 9 percent lower compared to last Friday.

Among the patients were 121 individuals in intensive care units, the lowest ICU total since July 24. There were 127 such patients in the ICU on Thursday. The ICU total has held below 200 since February 10. The other 1,706 were in regular care wards, a net decrease of 81.

Hospitals admitted 203 patients with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, according to the LCPS. Twelve of them were sent directly to intensive care. The hospitals admitted 217 patients with the disease on average each of the past seven days, down 10 percent in a week.

The figures from the LCPS include all patients who test positive for the coronavirus, and thus are required to be isolated. The organization monitors hospital overcrowding, and patients in isolation create an extra burden on hospital resources.