Covid-19 patient total nearly doubled since July 30; Containment is "crucial" says expert

There were 150 people being treated for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals on Wednesday, nearly double the total on July 30. Additionally, data from public health agency RIVM showed that already this week more than two thousand more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19.

"It is crucial to contain this wave of contamination, otherwise the number of patients in hospitals could increase rapidly in the coming period," said Ernst Kuipers, the head of the Dutch acute care providers network. A day earlier, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that people infected with the virus will be required to quarantine, and so will those with whom they come into contact.

The 150 patients included 35 being treated in intensive care, an increase of five since Tuesday, and another 115 outside of the ICU. That figure rose by 18 in a single day, according to patient coordination office LCPS. The RIVM also confirmed that 25 more patients were admitted from Sunday through Tuesday, and nine people were moved into intensive care during that time.

"The number of admitted COVID patients continues to increase. The number is now almost 90% higher than 14 days ago," Kuipers stated. "This increase follows the rapid increase in the number of new infections."

Data from the RIVM on Wednesday showed that 654 more people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. It raised the total number of new infections for the week to 2,063.

The dramatic rise in new infections since the first week of July was being debated in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, on Wednesday. New policy changes were resoundingly criticized by opposition parties for a variety of reasons.

Already by August 10, more people had tested positive than in the entire month of July. This was partially linked to an increase in people getting infected while on holiday, and then returning to the Netherlands.