The Brazilian variant of the corona virus is on the rise in the Netherlands. A spokesperson for the RIVM confirms this to NU.nl on Tuesday after reporting de Volkskrant.
At the end of March, the Brazilian P1 variant was detected in 1.5 percent of the tests in the Dutch test streets. At the beginning of March, that share was still 0.5 percent.
“These figures are always a week or two behind, but that (1.5 percent, ed.) Is the figure for week twelve,” said a RIVM spokesperson. “We do see the share of the Brazilian variant increasing, as it were competing with the British variant.”
Most of the positive tests in the Netherlands still concern the British variant, which is found in “more than 90 percent” of the cases.
However, RIVM is concerned about the rise of the Brazilian variant, because it appears to be more resistant to vaccines and is likely to be more contagious. “But that’s not to say that the vaccines don’t work at all. More research is needed to say more about that.”
According to the RIVM, other variants that have surfaced worldwide, such as the South African variant, are still hardly detected in the Netherlands.
– .
