Nearly 6,000 people were diagnosed with coronavirus in the 24 hours to Friday morning, according to new figures from public health institute RIVM.

That figure is up 700 on Thursday’s total and takes the average number of cases over the past seven days to 4,334.

The new figures also show that nearly 37,000 people were tested for the virus on Wednesday and 14.4% of the results were positive. That rate too is increasing. Some 34 people out of every 100,000 are now testing positive for coronavirus, the highest figure since the end of July.

Meanwhile, the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus topped 100 for the first time since the end of July on Friday, national patient coordination centre LCPS said on Friday.

In the 24 hours to Friday morning, 118 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus, while the number of people in intensive care rose by 21.

In total, 697 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospital, of whom 174 are on an intensive care ward. Dutch hospitals have a total of 950 IC beds.

More than four in five coronavirus patients have not been vaccinated, national health institute RIVM said earlier this week.

On Thursday, the number of new cases of coronavirus topped 5,000 for the first time since mid-July.

Government health advisors are due to meet next week to discuss the situation ahead of the government’s next press conference on November 5.

Experts have already said that an increase in cases was only to be expected now that most of the last measures to control the virus have been halted.