The number of new corona cases in the Netherlands rose again last week, reports the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) Tuesday. 26,462 people tested positive for the coronavirus last week after a test at the GGD. It is the highest weekly figure since April 12 and an increase of 70 percent from the 15,526 positive tests reported last week.
Because positive results from self-tests are not included in the weekly figure of the RIVM, the actual number of corona cases is expected to be higher. According to the RIVM, the increase in the number of positive tests ‘all over the Netherlands’ [plaats] and among all age groups”.
Currently, the most dominant variant of the coronavirus in the Netherlands is the so-called BA.5 variant, a subtype of the Omikron variant, together with the BA.4 variant. These variants are more contagious, partly because they can more easily escape the immune system built up by vaccination or a previous infection. This increases the number of reinfections after a previous positive test. Incidentally, there are no indications that the emerging subtypes are more pathogenic than other Omikron variants.
According to the RIVM, the number of corona patients in intensive care is “still low”: that number increased from 19 to 26 in a week. The number of patients admitted to regular nursing wards remained the same. Although the different subtypes of the Omikron variant are less sickening than the Delta variant that was dominant last summer, the institute warns of additional pressure on healthcare if the number of new corona cases continues to increase.