The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Netherlands surpassed the 9,000-mark for the first time today, on Thursday, as Dutch authorities recorded 9,283 over the previous 24 hours, 526 more than the day before, according to dpa. The country is among the European nations worst hit by the second wave of the virus, as the number of patients in hospitals and in critical care is rising rapidly. Patients suffering from Covid-19 are currently filling almost one in two beds in intensive care units. Some are scheduled to be transferred to neighbouring Germany on Friday, where hospitals in the states of North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony, along the border, have offered to take in Dutch patients. The Netherlands imposed a partial lockdown on October 13, with measures including the closure of all restaurants.