AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The coronavirus mutation first detected in Britain has caused half of new infections in the Netherlands by January 26, Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said on Monday.
Last week, health authorities said the new, more contagious variant was responsible for about a third of all new infections in the Netherlands.
The “British mutation” was seen to be almost 50% more contagious than the older version, based on calculations until January 14, De Jonge wrote in a letter to parliament.
The Dutch government has repeatedly warned that new mutations could lead to a new wave of infections in the coming weeks, despite a steady decline in the number of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the year.
To stop the spread of new mutations, last week a nighttime shutdown was added to an already large blockage.
But as a first step towards relaxation, the government decided on Sunday to reopen primary schools starting next week, as young children were still considered to play only a marginal role in transmitting the disease.
The Dutch press reported on Monday that the government was also considering giving up the extinction early next week.
On Monday, the number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands fell to its lowest level in 3 months at 3,280.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost 1 million coronavirus infections have been reported in the Netherlands, with over 14,000 deaths.
Reporting by Bart Meijer; Edited by Catherine Evans and Giles Elgood