Covid hospital total rises, but ICU figures fall; Infections lower during storm

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 1,611 people with Covid-19 on Monday afternoon, the first time the patient total has increased in six days. The figure grew by 65 after accounting for new admissions, discharges and deaths. The tally was 4 percent higher compared to last Monday.

Intensive care units were treating 166 of the patients, a net decrease of two. The ICU tally was near an 18-week low for the Netherlands. The other 1,445 patients were in regular care wards, a net increase of 67.

Dutch hospitals admitted 151 people with the coronavirus disease between Sunday and Monday afternoon, including 10 who were sent directly to an intensive care unit. On average, hospitals admitted 189 patients each of the past seven days, down 4 percent from the previous week.

Meanwhile, the RIVM reported fewer than 40,000 coronavirus infections for the third day straight. This coincided with a record-long period of storms in the Netherlands in which many coronavirus test locations were either fully or partially closed.

A total of 36,038 people tested positive between Sunday and Monday morning, the RIVM said. The seven-day moving average fell for the ninth consecutive day on the news. The average stood at 47,018, based on raw data from the agency. That was 42 percent lower compared to last Monday. The three cities with the most new infections in Monday’s data were Utrecht (1,309), Amsterdam (1,276), and Rotterdam (750).

The GGD tested about 79,200 people between February 13-19, down sharply from 124,400 the previous week. The positivity rate was at 57.9 percent during the more recent period.

Many coronavirus testing centers were expected to remain closed on Monday, and others were operational but with adjusted hours. GGD branches in the Rotterdam region announced afternoon closures, and some in the Utrecht region also shut down altogether on Monday.