The speed at which the coronavirus is spreading is rising again. The so-called reproduction number rose to 1.21 on Friday. That is the highest level since the end of February, more than three months ago. The number of confirmed infections is also increasing, but according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), it is too early to say whether a new corona wave is on the way.
A reproduction number of 1.21 means that a group of one hundred people who have corona among members infect an average of 121 others. They in turn infect 146 people, who then transmit the virus to about 177 people. With each step, the number of infected people increases, and with it the risk of infecting others. The further the number gets above 1, the faster the virus spreads. In July last year, during the ‘dancing with Janssen’ wave, the reproduction number reached a record high of 3.
RIVM registered 2,235 positive results from corona tests between Thursday morning and Friday morning. The day before, there were 2,440 new cases. This is the highest level since April. The average has risen by more than 75 percent in the last two weeks. People no longer have to go to a test street to discover whether they have been infected, a home test is sufficient. But anyone who wants to can still have a test performed, and more and more people are doing this. In the past week, the GGDs carried out an average of more than 2000 tests a day, almost 50 percent more than two weeks ago.