[Translated from Dutch]

Never before have so many coronavirus particles been found in the wastewater as now. Coronavirus variant watcher Josette Schoenmakers reports this on X. At the time of writing, the national government’s coronavirus dashboard has not yet been updated with the most recent data.

The Netherlands is not the only country where the figures skyrocket. Austria previously reported a record number of virus particles in wastewater.

Thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines and infections previously experienced, fewer people with an infection end up in the hospital than in previous waves. However, that does not mean that the virus is now harmless. Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst called on people with respiratory infections to stay at home last week. “The more infections, the more sick, the more deaths. This is still a serious problem, especially for people with a weaker immune system.”