AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The coronavirus mutation first detected in Britain caused half of new infections in the Netherlands on January 26, Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said on Monday.
Last week, health authorities declared that the new most contagious variant was responsible for a third of new infections in the Netherlands.
It was seen that the “British mutation” was almost 50% more contagious than the previous variant, based on calculations up to 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 drop in the number of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the year.
To stop the spread of new mutations, last week a night curfew was added to an already extensive blockade.
But as a first step towards easing measures, the government decided on Sunday to reopen primary schools from next week, as young children were considered to play only a marginal role in the transmission of disease.
Dutch media reported on Monday that the government was also considering undoing 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 start of the pandemic, nearly a million coronavirus infections have been reported in the Netherlands, with more than 14,000 deaths.
Reports by Bart Meijer; Edited by Catherine Evans and Giles Elgood