The number of coronavirus patients admitted to hospital increased by 34% in the last week, with intensive care admissions up by 31%, according to the RIVM’s latest weekly figures.

In the third week of October 584 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus, the largest number in a single week since May, while 110 were taken into intensive care. There are currently 849 Covid-19 patients in hospital, a 38% rise since last week.

Positive tests increased by more than 40% for the third week in a row and have more than doubled in the past fortnight. Across the country 225 people per 100,000 tested positive in the past week, with the highest infection rates in Zuid-Holland-Zuid, north Limburg and the IJsselland region around Zwolle.

Last week the national infection rate was 152 per 100,000 people, while two weeks ago the figure was 105.

Infections are rising fastest in older age groups, with 80% more positive tests in the over-75 population compared to a 24.5% increase in children under 16.

On Tuesday another 5,791 positive tests were recorded, an increase of 48.7% since last week.

Another 78 people were reported to have died from Covid-19 in the last week, up from 48 the previous week, but some deaths are not reported until several weeks after they occur.

The RIVM said more than half of people who tested positive for the virus in the last week were not fully vaccinated. However, the proportion of unvaccinated people testing positive has dropped from 66% to 53% in the last month.

The reproductive number R, which measures how many people an infected person passes the virus on to, was unchanged at 1.2 on October 11.