There were 1,998 new hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 last week, 7% less than the week before. 343 new patients with COVID-19 were admitted to ICU, a 9% decrease.
More than 621,000 people (-7%) came to the test lanes of the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) to get tested for SARS-CoV-2 between 30 November and 7 December 2021.
The percentage of positive tests remained about the same as the week before: 21.3%. The number of newly reported infections decreased slightly in all age groups.
The highest number of reported positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants continues to be among children aged 0-12 years.
Hospital admissions and ICU admissions –
The number of hospital admissions decreased slightly last week compared to the week before. The National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) Foundation recorded 1,998 new hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 in the past week, 147 fewer admissions than the week before (-7%).
Just under half of the new hospital admissions were patients aged 60-79 years (45% of all admissions in that week), followed by patients aged 80 years and older (24%).
343 new patients with COVID-19 were admitted to ICU, 32 fewer than the week before (-9%). More than half of the new ICU admissions were patients aged 60-79 years (55% of all ICU admissions last week), followed by patients aged 40-59 years (36% of all ICU admissions last week).
Due to the extended treatment period required for COVID-19 patients, pressure on hospitals remains very high, despite the slight decrease in new admissions to ICU and nursing wards last week.
There are regional differences in hospital admissions. Looking at hospital admissions in relation to the number of people living in the region, the highest numbers of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospital in the last calendar week were observed in the regions of Limburg-Zuid, Zeeland, Brabant-Zuidoost, Gelderland-Zuid and Zuid-Holland-Zuid.
Vaccination coverage –
At this point in time, 83.7% of everyone in the Netherlands aged 12 years and older are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination coverage increases with age. In the age groups up to 40 years, vaccination coverage ranges between 64% and 77%. In the age groups aged 41 and over, vaccination coverage ranges between 81% and 93%.
