The number of people reporting flu-like symptoms to their GP is on the rise.
Last week, GPs saw 70 people with flu-like symptoms for every 100,000 population. The research institute Nivel speaks of “a sharp increase” compared to the previous weeks.
There has been an official flu epidemic in the Netherlands for a week now. According to the RIVM, this is the case in which more than 58 out of 100,000 people go to the doctor with ailments reminiscent of the flu. Furthermore, 10 percent of the samples examined must contain the flu virus to be considered an epidemic.
The Nivel reports that the flu virus is now found in considerably more samples that primary care physicians have taken from patients with ailments. 98 samples were taken last week, more than a third of which were found to contain the flu virus.
Physicians have also found other viruses, such as human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, and RS virus. The corona virus was found slightly more often than last week. According to the institute, general practitioners mainly see elderly people with corona, but also relatively many elderly people with pneumonia.
