AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The coronavirus mutation first detected in Britain caused half of all new infections in the Netherlands on 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’ is almost 50% more contagious than the older variant, based on calculations until 14 January, 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, a night watch was added last week to an already broad exclusion.
But in a first step towards alleviating measures, the government on Sunday decided to reopen primary schools from next week, as it is still seen that young children play only a marginal role in the transmission of the disease.
Dutch media reported on Monday that the government is also considering deleting the curfew early next week.
On Monday, the number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands dropped to its lowest level in 4 months, at 3,280.
Since the onset of the pandemic, nearly 1 million coronavirus infections have been reported in the Netherlands, with more than 14,000 deaths.
Reporting by Bart Meijer; Edited by Catherine Evans and Giles Elgood