The number of new COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands went past 200,000 in the first full week of January, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said on Tuesday.
With 201,536 new cases logged between January 4 and January 11, the weekly total exceeded 200,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It was a 77 percent week-on-week increase.
The number of positive tests was highest in the 18 to 29 age group. Hardly any increase has been observed in people aged 60 years and older. Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized (also in intensive care units) with COVID-19 has been decreasing.
With more than 220,500 cases over the past 24 hours, Italy's COVID-19 infections on Tuesday soared to hit a new daily record since the beginning of the pandemic.
The country confirmed as many as 220,532 cases, taking the caseload to 7,774,863, and the active number of cases to 2,134,139, according to the Health Ministry.
The death toll across the country rose to 139,559 with 294 more fatalities over the past day.
Some 90,456 more people recovered, and the total number of recoveries reached 5,500,938, the ministry said.
A total of 46,678,236 people have been fully vaccinated against the virus, and the ratio of the vaccinated to the population above the age of 12 has reached 86.4%. The country has also administered 23,697,954 booster doses since September 20, 2021.
Germany on Wednesday reported more than 80,000 new coronavirus cases in a day, a new record since the pandemic began two years ago. Germany’s hospitalization rate stood at 3.34 per 100,000 residents on Tuesday, much lower than the figures seen in previous waves.
Spain recorded its highest number of coronavirus-related deaths since March with 247 in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.
The country has recorded nearly 135,000 daily cases, bringing the total to 7.59 million, while the overall death toll hit 90,383. A total of 16,555 people are currently hospitalized, while occupation at intensive care units stands at 2,200. The density rate at intensive care units is 23.5%.
More than 38.09 million people are fully vaccinated in Spain, which is more than 82% of the population.
Argentina registered 134,439 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, a new record of daily infections, bringing the national tally to 6,533,635, the Ministry of Health reported Tuesday.
The figure exceeded the previous record set on Friday, when 110,533 cases were registered in a single day.
The health ministry also reported 52 deaths from the disease in the same period of time, bringing the number of fatalities to 117,595. ■