Last week the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) reported 34,145 positive test results, an increase of 29% compared to the week before that. In the week before that, infections rose by as much as 70%. Based on these figures, infections are still rising, but the increase has slowed down in the last two weeks. This may indicate that we are approaching the summer wave is approaching its peak. This increase can still be observed in all age groups, but the curve is clearly flattening in most age groups (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Number of reported positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants, by age group (23 May 2022 to 3 July 2022).

Data from the Infection Radar survey also suggests that this summer wave is approaching its peak. The percentage of survey participants reporting symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 stabilised. The percentage of survey participants who tested positive for COVID-19 (self-tests and GGD tests) even decreased slightly. Based on sewage surveillance data, however, the number of virus particles is still increasing. This may be because people continue excreting the virus for a short while after recovering from an infection. In a few regions that were ahead of the rest of the Netherlands in terms of infections during this summer wave, such as Amsterdam-Amstelland and Rotterdam, it is possible to observe a cautious stabilisation in the number of virus particles detected in sewage surveillance.

Hospitals continue to see an increase in the number of people admitted to hospital with SARS-CoV-2. Since hospital admissions always lag slightly behind infections, this increase in admissions is not unexpected.