This stabilisation can be seen in almost all age groups. Like last week, the highest numbers of newly identified infections were reported in the provinces of South Holland and North Holland. The number of new infections fell slightly in North Holland. In the provinces of South Holland, North Brabant and Utrecht, the number of new infections rose slightly compared to the number in the previous week.   (See the epidemiological report - only in Dutch.)

Percentage of positive tests this week is 2.2%

Between 24 and 30 August, the number of people tested at the GGD test sites was 163,572*, an increase of over 23,000 people tested compared to the previous week. Of the people who were tested last week and whose test results are now known, 2.2% tested positive for COVID-19. That percentage was 2.5% in the week of 17 August. In four of the 25 GGD regions (Brabant-Zuidoost, Haaglanden, Utrecht and Gelderland-Midden), the percentage of positive tests increased slightly compared to last week. In the other regions, the percentage of positive tests decreased or remained the same. The highest percentage of positive tests (3.8 - 4.5%) was seen in the GGD regions of Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Amsterdam and Haaglanden.

*Source: GGD-GHOR 

Hospital admissions 

Starting this week, RIVM will be reporting on the number of hospital admissions to nursing wards based on figures from the National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) Foundation. RIVM has already been using data from the NICE Foundation since April 2020 to report the number of admissions to intensive care units due to COVID-19. 

Since March 2020, RIVM has been reporting the number of hospital admissions to nursing wards based on the reports submitted to the municipal public health services (GGDs). Until 1 June, tests for COVID-19 were primarily administered to people who were seriously ill. Many of these patients were already in hospital or were admitted to hospital shortly afterwards. During this period, the numbers of hospital admissions reported to the GGDs and to the NICE Foundation were very similar. See Figure 1a and 1b. 

As of 1 June, anyone can be tested for COVID-19. Many more people are getting tested at an early stage of the disease. If people then need to be admitted to hospital in the weeks after their coronavirus infection has been confirmed and reported, this hospital admission is not always reported to the GGDs, or is reported with some delay. As a result, the figures based on GGD reports have deviated from the numbers recorded by the NICE Foundation in recent months. See Figure 1a.

In this phase of the epidemic, the figures on nursing wards provided by the NICE Foundation are an effective supplement to the current overview of the number of hospital admissions. Hospitals register data on COVID-19 patients in the nursing wards and the intensive care units for the NICE Foundation on a daily basis. 

GGD reports 

Since the second half of July, the number of hospital admissions based on the GGD reports for COVID-19 increased. See Figure 1b. In the past week from 26 August to 1 September, the GGDs received reports of 57 people who were admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, compared to 84 in the week before.  Not all of these hospital admissions occurred within the last week.

The NICE Foundation

The records kept by the National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) Foundation on the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the nursing wards also shows an increase starting in the second half of July.  See Figure 1b. In the past week from 26 August to 1 September, the NICE Foundation recorded 65 new admissions due to COVID-19 in the nursing wards of hospitals. In the week before, there were 111 new admissions of COVID-19 patients in the nursing wards.*

Intensive Care 

The NICE Foundation reported 11 new admissions to the intensive care units, compared to 28 IC admissions in the week before.* 

*A small number of the patients recorded in the past week were already admitted to the nursing ward or intensive care unit in the week before. The figures for last week may be updated accordingly. 

Figure 1a. 

Number of hospital admissions (nursing wards) due to confirmed COVID-19, recorded by Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) and the National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) Foundation, from 6 July 2020, based on date of hospital admission. 
 
Figure 1b. 

Number of hospital admissions (nursing wards) due to confirmed COVID-19, recorded by Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) and the National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) Foundation, from 27 February 2020, based on date of hospital admission. 

Deaths*

The deaths of 24 COVID-19 patients were reported in the past week. That is a decrease of 8 deaths compared to the week before. Not all of these reported deaths of COVID-19 patients occurred within the last week. 

Reproduction number R = 1

The reproduction number remained the same as last week. The reproduction number (R) indicates how many other people are infected on average by one person who has the novel coronavirus. The reproduction number is 1. This means that 100 people who are infected with the novel coronavirus will collectively infect another 100 people. The confidence interval is between 0.91 and 1.08.

Number of COVID-19 infection clusters same as last week

There are currently 453 known active COVID-19 clusters in the Netherlands. An infection cluster consists of three or more related infections.  The number of clusters of three or more related infections remained the same compared to last week. The average size of these clusters is also about the same as the cluster size last week, consisting of 5.2 people (range: 3 - 48). The highest number of clusters were reported within the home: 148, the same as the week before, with an average cluster size of 3.9 (range: 3 -14 people). This is followed by holidays and travel, consisting of 74 clusters; the average cluster size is higher in this category, rising to 6.2 people (range: 3 - 47 people). The third-highest number of clusters were reported in nursing homes, with 59 infection clusters with a cluster size of 6.5 (range: 3 - 39). 

To prevent the virus from continuing to spread, it is important for people to comply with the measures: Keep your distance, and stay home and get tested if you have symptoms. Wash your hands, sneeze and cough into your elbow, and use paper tissues.