Covid hospital total falls 10% in a week; New infections lowest this year

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 1,741 patients with Covid-19 on Sunday afternoon, ten percent fewer than a week earlier. The patient total fell five days in a row, returning to the lowest point since March 12.

Among the patients were 117 people in intensive care units after a single-day net decrease of eight. That kept the ICU tally at the lowest level since last July. The other 1,624 patients were in regular care wards, down nine after accounting for new admissions, discharges, and deaths.

The reduction in hospital total coincided with a fall in patient admissions. Dutch hospitals admitted 117 patients with Covid-19 during the past 24 hours, including eight sent to intensive care. An average of 202 patients were admitted each of the past seven days, down 17 percent in a week.

Some 12,387 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus between Saturday and Sunday morning. That was the lowest single-day total since December 28.

It lowered the moving average for the 23rd day straight. An average of 22,376 people tested positive each of the past seven days, the lowest the figure has been since January 7. The mean dropped by 25 percent in a week.

The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (674), Rotterdam (475), and The Hague (314). All three were about 300 below their respective averages.

About 62.3 percent of those tested by the GGD between March 26 and April 1 received the news they were infected with the coronavirus. About 36,000 individuals were tested daily during that time. A week ago, 51,000 were tested daily, with 66.2 percent coming back positive.