Coronavirus infections for the week near 3,000; Young people must get tested, says expert

Data from public health agency RIVM on Saturday showed that another 486 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. The RIVM revealed a total of 2,889 new infections since Monday, August 3, though some of those infections may have taken place at an earlier date.

The figure showed over a thousand more infections than the previous Monday to Saturday period, an increase of about 62 percent. "Despite the increasing number of infections, hospital admissions have not [significantly] increased any further. This is in line with the RIVM data that more than half of the newly infected are younger than 40 years old," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the Dutch acute care providers network.

To prevent spreading the viral infection to more people, Kuipers said it was very important that younger people also get themselves tested for the SARS-CoV-2 infection when symptoms arise.

Early data from the RIVM also suggested that from Wednesday to Friday, seven people were hospitalized for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus infection, and five more people were sent to intensive care units for treatment. Some 2,954 people in the Netherlands have been admitted into an ICU for Covid-19 since late February, according to figures from nonprofit organization NICE.

On Saturday, Dutch intensive care units were treating 28 patients for the coronavirus disease, an increase of one. Other hospital departments were treating 79 people for Covid-19, also an increase of one.

A total of 1,917 people in the Netherlands recovered after being treated in ICU for the disease. Another 868 died while in intensive care.