Dutch Covid hospital patient total jumps by 27% as new coronavirus variant dominates

After weeks of declining figures, the number of patients receiving treatment for Covid-19 in Dutch hospitals rose by 27 percent since last Tuesday, according to data from patient coordination service LCPS. Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus infections remained roughly flat this week, but the Omicron sub-variant BQ.1 has emerged as the new dominant strain of the virus in the Netherlands.

There were 610 patients with the coronavirus disease in hospital care on Tuesday, up from 477 a week earlier. The current total includes 26 people in intensive care units, compared to 19 last Tuesday.

An average of 99 people with the disease were admitted to hospitals each of the past seven days, including six sent directly to an ICU. The combined figure rose by about 10 percent in total.

These increases happened despite a change in how the LCPS counts the patient total. Previously, the total included patients still in care with Covid-19 but who were no longer considered contagious. Those patients are no longer classified as being in the Covid-19 total as of 12 December.

The coronavirus BQ.1 subvariant is now dominant in the Netherlands, according to data from the RIVM released on Tuesday. An assessment from the World Health Organization in October noted that the sub-variant is an offshoot of the BA.5 Omicron variant, with spike mutations at certain key positions. The sub-variant is not believed to make people sicker compared to other coronavirus strains.

However, it does have “a significant growth advantage” compared to other Omicron sub-variants, the WHO said. It may be more capable of evading built-up immunity from exposure or vaccination, and may have a higher risk of re-infection.

Still, the number of new infections rose by a slim 1.5 percent in a week, holding under 6,000 officially diagnosed infections. That figure does not include people who only took a self-test at home. It does include over 800 people residing in a nursing home.

Increases of coronavirus particles are still being seen in sewage surveillance. Those figures have been on the rise for several weeks.