Over 9 million Covid vaccine shots given in Netherlands; Covid hospital total falls further

Healthcare workers in the Netherlands administered the nine millionth Covid-19 vaccine injection on Friday, according to Health Minister Hugo de Jonge. By the end of the day, roughly 9.1 million shots will have been given in the country.

An estimated 130,917 shots were given on Thursday, bringing the moving average down slightly to 133 thousand. The country is on pace to vaccinate between 900 and 950 thousand people this calendar week, down from just over a million last week, unless a surge in injections are carried out over the weekend.

Earlier in the day, De Jonge said it was possible that many people's first vaccine injection could be delayed beyond his deadline of the beginning of July due to production problems with the Janssen Vaccine.

There were 1,439 people being treated for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals on Friday, down five percent from Thursday and 21 percent lower than a week ago. That total included 520 people in intensive care, the lowest since February 27. The ICU figure decreased by a net total of 21 in a day. There were another 919 people in regular care, which fell by a net total of 52.

There will be fewer than 1,150 people in care should the hospital total downward trend continue. The moving average for daily Covid-19 hospitalizations fell to 119, down 62 percent compared to the third wave peak in April.

Public health agency RIVM said that another 3,914 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the most in a week. However, there were data anomalies mid-week suggesting some of the data was caught up on Thursday and Friday.

The new moving average still fell to 3,160, the 19th straight decrease. The average has gone down by 28 percent in a week.

To date, people have tested positive for the coronavirus infection 1,641,318 times.