The Netherlands reported a surge in new coronavirus cases by about 7,400 in the last 24 hours, according to Dutch Justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus who spoke to the national news agency ANP on Friday.

The surge is the biggest increase registered in the country since early January with infections reported to be 20 percent higher than a week ago and the number of hospitalizations up by seven percent.

The spike in infections comes just two days after Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative party won general elections, in a result seen as an endorsement of his handling of the pandemic, despite a persistently high rate of infections and a slow rollout of vaccinations.

Health authorities have constantly cautioned the public about an imminent new wave of infections, due to the increase in new mutations of the virus.

On Tuesday they said that around three-quarters of all new cases were now of the variant first discovered in the UK in late 2020.

Dutch authorities are expected to decide in the coming days whether there is any room to ease a broad lockdown. Some of the measures in place include a night-time curfew and the closure of all bars and restaurants countrywide.

(With input from agencies)