Another new Dutch coronavirus record as 10,353 test positive; Over 300K to date

Some 10,353 more people were confirmed to have tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus infection. It pushed the total number of infected residents found since the crisis began to 301,597.

A new single-day record for new infections has been established 21 times in the 28 days since the government announced on September 28 an initial round of stricter social restrictions to control the spread of the virus. Two days later the Cabinet began recommending the use of non-medical face masks in publicly-accessible indoor spaces.

On October 14, the Netherlands entered into a partial lockdown, but in the two weeks since, infections and the percentage of people testing positive has continued to rise. On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said all options were on the table, with the possibility of a total lockdown and curfew as early as this week. However, a press conference expected to be held on Tuesday appeared it would be more likely to serve as a final wake-up call to the Dutch public.

Monday's total was 29 percent higher than a week ago, and grew the seven-day rolling average up to 9,353. It eclipsed a record established a day earlier, which likely included data from about a thousand patients not originally reported on Saturday due to an IT error.

The three cities with the most new infections on Monday were Rotterdam (654), Amsterdam (526) and The Hague (383). Amsterdam's data was largely flat compared to a week ago, but Rotterdam's tally rose by 20 percent, and The Hague went up by 39 percent.

The RIVM also said that 26 more people were known to have died from Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. That figure is below average the seven-day rolling average of about 44 deaths reported daily. So far, the cause of 7,072 deaths in the Netherlands was listed as the disease.

At least 291 more people with Covid-19 were admitted as patients at Dutch hospitals since Sunday. Healthcare workers during that time placed 49 more patients into intensive care.

The new admissions pushed the Covid-19 patient total up to 2,249, an increase of 102 after accounting for deaths and discharges. Of that total, 1,743 people were being treated outside of intensive care, an increase of 86. There were 506 residents in an ICU, including the two transferred to Germany a few days earlier.

The patient total was also 29 percent higher than on last Monday. Intensive care units were treating 34 percent more Covid-19 patients than a week earlier.

The RIVM said it knew of 14,630 patients hospitalized with Covid-19 since the crisis began. That includes 4,230 people treated in intensive care, of which 1,073 died during treatment. Some 2,329 of the ICU patients were eventually discharged, according to nonprofit organization NICE.