Covid-19 hospital total highest since Feb. 2; ICU set to expand

There were 2,221 people being treated for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals on Friday, patient coordination office LCPS said. The figure has gone up by 16 percent over the past two weeks, rising to its highest level in 52 days.

The total included 625 patients in intensive care, a figure which remained above 600 for each of the past seven days. Rising pressure on the ICU system led to the decision to expand the number of available spots in intensive care from 1,350 to 1,450, according to intensive care leader Diederik Gommers. The extra space is intended to continue providing care to patients without the coronavirus disease.

Outside of the ICU, hospitals were treating 1,596 patients for Covid-19, a net increase of 23. There was an increase of six patients with the disease in intensive care since Thursday afternoon. The combined total number of patients could rise to 2,420 by next Friday if the nine percent hike over the past seven days continues for another week.

Public health agency RIVM said that another 7,644 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. The rate in which people who scheduled their own test were diagnosed with the infection showed signs of rising for the second week in a row, and holding between eight and nine percent.

The number of new infections was three percent higher than a week ago, pushing the seven-day average up to 7,097. That was the 18th consecutive increase, with the average now the highest since January 12.

Over the past 13 months, people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the coronavirus infection 1,236,209 times. That includes 16,421 people who died from Covid-19, a figure which rose by 25 on Friday.