Covid infections down over 40% in a week; Hospitalizations cut by one-fifth

There was a 42 percent drop in new coronavirus infections diagnosed in the Netherlands during the last seven days, the RIVM said in its weekly report on Tuesday. Some 129,188 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the lowest weekly total since the end of December.

During the seven-day period ending at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, approximately 739 people tested positive per 100,000 inhabitants, down from 1,264 the previous week. Every age group showed a significant improvement of at least a one-third reduction in infections. The highest per capita reduction was in children aged 12 and under, who saw a 47 percent fall in infections, and children from 13-17, who showed a 42 percent decrease. People in their fifties represented the highest total number of infections, with over 23,500 for the week, followed by those in their thirties, who tested positive 21,900 times

The most infections by far were found in residents of Utrecht. The province’s residents tested positive 11,400 times, a reduction of nearly 40 percent. Noord- en Oost-Gelderland was the region with the most infections per capita, 999 per 100,000 residents, down over 42 percent. The eastern region counted 8,30 infections in total.

Testing figures continued to plummet last week. About 220,500 people were tested at a GGD facility, a one-third decrease. The positivity rate fell from 65.4 percent to 61.3 percent, which was still a high figure.

The basic reproduction (R) value fell to its lowest point since mid-February. One hundred people contagious with the coronavirus on March 21 infected 79 others, who then spread the virus to 62 more individuals. They then infected 49 more people. An R-value below 1.00 signifies an expected reduction in new infections.

Covid patient admissions down over 19 percent

Hospital data from the LCPS showed that 1,297 people with Covid-19 entered care during the last seven days, a 19 percent improvement. Last week, nearly 1,600 people with the coronavirus disease were in hospital care, the LCPS data showed. The most recent figures include 91 patients sent directly to intensive care, down from 107 the previous week.

The LCPS counts all patients who test positive for the coronavirus, regardless of why they were admitted in the first place, or the severity of their Covid-19 symptoms. The organization monitors hospital crowding, and people who test positive for the coronavirus use more resources because they are kept in isolation.

Figures from Stichting NICE, shared by the RIVM, showed that 1,110 people were hospitalized with Covid-19, though the figure was likely incomplete. That was down from the final total of 1,626 a week earlier, which was revised up by 13 percent since the RIVM’s last report. The preliminary data from NICE showed intensive care admissions falling from 129 to 118.

NICE monitors the status of intensive care units in the Netherlands, and only counts those patients being treated for symptoms of Covid-19. Hospitals supply their figures to NICE on a rolling basis, with data often incomplete and not finalized when the RIVM publishes the preliminary analysis.

The RIVM learned of 104 fatal cases of Covid-19 during the past seven days. That rose from 95 the previous week. There is no requirement to report such deaths to the RIVM in a timely manner, and often the notifications are made days or weeks later.