The number of newly reported Covid-19 deaths in the Netherlands fell to 16 on Monday, the second day in a row that the figure has increased by less than 20.

The number of new infections dropped to 161, the lowest level since March 14, while 36 more people were admitted to hospital, the public health agency RIVM reported.

Delays in reporting at the weekend mean that figures on Monday tend to be artificially low, causing a mini-spike in reported cases on Tuesdays. The average death toll over the last seven days is 53, from a peak of 154 in the first week of April.

Intensive care occupancy is just over 500, compared to a peak of 1400 a month ago, the National Co-Ordination Centre for Patient Dispersal (LPCS) reported on Sunday. The figure includes 15 Dutch patients who are being treated in Germany.

A further 1,054 hospital patients are in non-intensive care as a result of coronavirus. The decline to ‘normal’ numbers of intensive care patients means regular healthcare and operations can resume.

Health minister Hugo de Jonge said coronavirus would continue to have a bearing on society until a vaccine has been developed. The government has pledged to increase the number of permanent intensive care beds to 1700 in anticipation of future waves of infection.