This summer, a new variant of the coronavirus, known as FLiRT, emerged in the Netherlands. People can still become seriously ill from it, experts say.

One in 80 people who participated in the RIVM infection monitor, tested positive for the coronavirus last week. In the week of April 15, for example, no positive tests were reported at all.

Waste water analysis, the main monitor of how the virus is spreading, shows that the number of coronavirus particles is now 14 times higher than this time last year. It is now even higher than in July 2021, when the government relaxed strict corona measures, leading to a surge in infections in the fall.

The current wave, says professor Marion Koopmans ensures that far fewer people become seriously ill and that hospital admissions hardly increase, despite the increase in infections.

Most people, she told the ADare well protected against the virus because they have had the virus before or because they have been vaccinated.

However, Koopmans and the RIVM emphasize that the coronavirus can lead to long-term health problems such as Long Covid. “The chance is smaller, but it is still there,” says Koopmans. “We are still getting new cases.”

The basic rules introduced during the great pandemic: sneeze into your elbow, work from home And wearing masks – should become part of our daily lives behaviourshe said. “Just like with the flu, people who are “People in poor health can become extremely ill,” she said. “Simple measures can help protect them.”

The summer peak shows that the coronavirus is not seasonal, says Alma Tostmann of Radboud University Hospital told the People’s NewspaperWe are currently in a phase in which “New variants are driving an increase in infections, even in summer,” she said.

Research institute Nivel reported last week that the number of corona patients reporting to their GP is still low, but that there is an upward trend and that people over 65 are particularly affected.

The government will start a new round of vaccinations for people aged 60 and over and young people with certain health problems in mid-September. The first invitations will start arriving at the end of August.

FLiRT gets its name loosely derived from the scientific name.