The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care reached its highest level for seven weeks on Monday, but the trend in cases continues to decline.

The latest daily update from the public health agency RIVM showed 212 people were being treated on the ICU, up by 12 since Sunday, while the total number of patients in hospital increased by 17 to 690.

In the last seven days an average of 67 patients have been admitted to hospital with Covid-19, down from a peak of 85 at the end of July.

Another 2,077 positive tests were recorded, the lowest daily number since July 6, while the positive test rate increased marginally to 11.2%.

The decline in cases has slowed since the end of July, when it fell by more than 50% week on week. Monday’s figure was 0.8% lower than a week earlier, while the seven-day average figure has fallen by 20% to 2,585.

Two more people were confirmed to have died Covid-19, bringing the RIVM’s total up to 17,871. In recent weeks the number of deaths reported per day has crept up to five.

Analysis of death certificates by the statistics agency CBS has established that nearly 29,000 people died from the virus up to the end of March 2021.