The Brazilian alternative to the Coronavirus is increasing in the Netherlands. A spokesperson for RIVM confirmed this to NU.nl on Tuesday after reporting De Volkskrant.
At the end of March, the Brazilian variant P1 was detected in 1.5 percent of tests on Dutch test streets. At the start of March, that share was still 0.5 percent.
A RIVM spokesperson said: “These numbers are always a week or two behind, but that (1.5 percent, ed.) Is the 12th week number.” “We are already seeing an increase in the share of the Brazilian alternative, as it was competing with the British alternative.”
Most of the positive tests in the Netherlands still relate to the British variant, which is found in “more than 90 percent” of cases.
However, RIVM is concerned about the emergence of the Brazilian variant, as it appears to be more vaccine-resistant and likely to be more contagious. “But this does not mean that vaccines do not work at all. More research is needed to clarify more about that.”
According to RIVM, other variants that have emerged around the world, such as the South African variant, are still hardly being discovered in the Netherlands.
