New variants of the coronavirus are on the rise in Amsterdam.
Photo: Hector Retamal / AFP
Bad news for those who thought we were finally rid of the coronavirus. New variants of the coronavirus are on the rise in Amsterdam. About 7 percent of all infections are caused by the so-called BA.4 and BA.5 variants, report the Amsterdam UMC and the GGD.
A random sample shows that 13 of 181 analyzed tests consist of the new variants. “In absolute terms, that is still little, but a strong increase,” says professor of infectious diseases Chantal Bleeker-Rovers of Radboudumc. A week ago, only one test in the sample contained the BA.4 or BA.5 variant.
New variants of coronavirus not more contagious
RIVM previously announced that the new variants had also appeared in the Netherlands. However, BA.2 variant of omikron is still dominant in the Netherlands. The new variants of the coronavirus do not appear to be more sickening or more contagious than the current omikron variants, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.
Not much in an absolute sense, but a strong increase from BA.4/5 in Amsterdam to 7% ⤵️
This is the omikron subvariant that is now leading to an increase in infections and hospitalizations in South Africa. https://t.co/15Wfb6ZMJ4
— Chantal Bleeker-Rovers (@BleekerRovers) May 7, 2022
The WHO previously indicated that the BA.4 and BA.5 variants are circulating in Germany, Denmark and southern Africa. Due to the changes in the genetic material of the variants, it is possible that BA.4 and BA.5 break through the immune system more easily, despite someone being vaccinated or previously infected with the coronavirus. The RIVM is still investigating this.
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The figures appeared on the Twitter account of the partnership ARGOS, which stands for Amsterdam Regional Genomic Epidemiology and Outbreak Surveillance. These are positive results from corona tests that were done at the GGD Amsterdam. The GGD region covers Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Uithoorn, Aalsmeer, Diemen and Ouder-Amstel.
Sample isn’t everything
Due to the adjusted test advice, only healthcare employees, vulnerable people or people who need a recovery certificate are currently taking a test at the GGD. The latter group are often people who are unvaccinated or who have not had a booster shot. The sample therefore does not say everything about the spread of the variants of the coronavirus. In earlier new variants, Amsterdam was often ahead of the rest of the country, and the sample was an indicator for further progress.
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New variants of coronavirus emerged in Amsterdam