Coronavirus average down below 4,100; B117 mutation caused most infections
Coronavirus infections in the Netherlands last week fell by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous week to 28,628, public health agency RIVM said. That brought the seven-day average number of infections below 4,100 for the first time since October. The decrease was due to the lockdown introduced on December 15, but the decrease would have been greater were if not for the spread of newer, highly contagious variants of the virus like the B117 mutation which originated in the United Kingdom.
Estimates show that the vast majority of those infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus last week were infected with the B117 variant, the RIVM said based on its own modeling. “The fact that two-thirds of all new infections now concern the British variant throws a spanner in the works. It ensures that measures can only be relaxed with the greatest possible caution,” the RIVM noted in a statement.
Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister, and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge were expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday evening to update the country on the situation. They were likely to introduce a plan detailing how the Netherlands could emerge from the lockdown which has been in place for over six weeks, and the bar and restaurant shutdown in effect since mid-October.
While shops and restaurants were likely to remain closed until March 2, non-essential stores were expected to be allowed to open their doors to clients picking up items they already reserved over the phone or online. Primary schools, special education, and daycares will reopen next week, the Cabinet announced over the weekend.
“Even though shops will probably be allowed to let customers pick up items from February 10, and primary schools will reopen, we should certainly not speak of ‘relaxation’,’ De Jonge said over the weekend. “It is not going well at all.”
The RIVM said that 100 people infected with the B117 mutation passed the virus on to 128 others. By comparison, the variant which had been more common in the Netherlands was spread by 100 infected people to an estimated 86 others. The agency used data from January 15 to produce that estimate.
Other variants have not yet shown the same spread as B117. A variant first discovered in South Africa has been found 23 times in the Netherlands, with most of the infected parties having either traveled recently or been in contact with someone who recently spent time in South Africa. The P1 and P2 variants from Brazil were also detected twice and three times, respectively. Those infected with P1 and one person with P2 recently visited Brazil.
The RIVM said it knew of 312 people who tested positive last week were known to have recently visited another country. The most popular destinations were Belgium (88), Germany (67), France (21), Poland (18) and Brazil (13).
There was little improvement in the percentage of people who tested positive for coronavirus last week. About 11.4 percent of those who self-reported to the GGD municipal health service for a coronavirus test were diagnosed with the infection. That is marginally better than the 11.7 percent who tested positive the week prior. It has remained in the 11 to 12 percent range for three weeks.
Hospitalizations due to Covid-19 fell by 12 percent last week to 1,216. At the same time, intensive care admissions rose by 4 percent to 512. Deaths caused by Covid-19 reported over the past week also dropped by about 13 percent to 448.
The number of infections uncovered in the Netherlands since the end of February rose to 985,224. Of that group, 14,108 people died from Covid-19.