The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the Netherlands has fallen for the fourth week in a row, and hospital admissions are also down, public health institute RIVM said on Tuesday.

In total, nearly 13,000 positive tests were recorded at regional health board testing centres in the past week, a drop of 32%. Last week, the RIVM recorded 21,680 positive tests.

The figures do not reflect the true number of infections because only health service workers, people who cannot self test and people who need a coronavirus certificate are currently being checked at the GGD test centres.

Nevertheless, waste water sampling also indicates infection rates have gone down sharply, and the amount of coronavirus particles found in water is down 34%.

The RIVM also said in its weekly update that 396 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in week to Tuesday morning, and that a further 49 were found to have Covid once they had been brought in. This is down 12% on the previous week.

Some 775 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, nearly all of whom are over the age of 70.

Intensive care admissions were down 18% and just 48 people are currently being treated for coronavirus in an IC unit.