Covid ICU total down a third in about a week; Infections fall further

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 104 patients with Covid-19 in intensive care units on Monday afternoon, the lowest total since July 20. The figure fell by over one-third since March 27, and has held below 200 for nearly two months.

Even though the ICU tally fell by 13 since Sunday, after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths, the hospital total actually rose for the first time since last Tuesday. There were 1,792 patients with the coronavirus disease in treatment, a net increase of 51. Out of that total, 1,688 were in regular care wards, a net increase of 64.

Still, the combined patient total was 13 percent lower compared to last Monday. Daily hospital admissions have also been falling steadily. Hospitals registered 146 new patients with the disease in the past 24 hours, including 11 sent to intensive care. On average, hospitals admitted 201 new patients each of the past seven days, a week-on-week decrease of 14 percent. Over 250 patients were entering hospital care in mid-March.

The RIVM said that 10,773 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, setting a new 90-day low. That brought the seven-day moving average down for the 24th consecutive time. The figure dropped to 20,843, about 37 percent lower than last Monday. The average was at its lowest point since January 6.

The three cities with the most new infections were Amsterdam (448), Rotterdam (381), and The Hague (334). The capital's total was less than half its moving average, while the tallies in Rotterdam and The Hague were around 45 percent below average.

Roughly 61.7 percent of those tested by the GGD between March 27 and April 2 received the positive diagnosis for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. That was the lowest rate since mid-February. Only about 33,700 people were tested each day during the recent period, the lowest in about a half-year.