Coronavirus IC admissions rise by 14 in 3 days, but well below red flag number

Intensive care numbers are also falling. Photo: Depositphotos.com
Photo: Depositphotos.com

After falling almost continuously for almost 60 days, the number of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care wards at Dutch hospitals has risen for three days in a row, according to figures from national care coordination centre.

On Saturday the number of IC admissions rose by four, on Sunday two and on Monday eight, the coordination centre said. There are currently 87 coronavirus patients on IC wards, down from some 1,400 at the height of the pandemic.

The increase in numbers is relatively small in absolute terms and no reason to panic, said agency director Ernst Kuipers. ‘But this does emphasise the importance of good monitoring,’ he is quoted as saying by the NRC.

Six of the 14 cases come from the Zuidwest Nederland region, which includes Zeeland and western parts of Brabant, where local health boards also report a sharp rise in positive tests – from 20-40 to 100 – last week.

However, the IC cases do not relate to the June 1 easing, but are likely to stem from a gathering where there was ‘a lot of contact’ in May, Kuipers told the paper. The exact source is still under investigation.

The increase in IC admissions is also below the red flag of 30 in three days.

Demonstrations

Meanwhile, health board officials in Amsterdam and Rotterdam say the massive anti-racism demonstrations at the beginning of the month do not appear to have led to an increase in cases.

Two weeks on, two people who were at the protest in Amsterdam have gone for testing but both proved negative.

Health board officials in Rotterdam do not report any likely cases either, the AD said.

Nevertheless, Zuid-Holland province is now the new epicentre of the epidemic, accounting for 32% of positive tests and in June 44% of hospital admissions, the AD said.

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