COVID offered online, Dutch man arrested

A man who allegedly offered to supply coronaviruses for self-infection on the internet has been arrested by police in the Netherlands.

A website police say the suspect used for his operation has been shut down, the anti-fraud unit of the Ministry of Finance (FIOD) reported in The Hague.

The newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Saturday that a so-called corona kit was offered to be sent by post for 33.50 euros ($A53).

It allegedly contained a tube with a virus liquid and a self-test.

The suppliers promised the viruses were not older than three months and buyers could be "sure that the latest mutations and variants are included".

According to the FIOD, potential buyers were promised that after self-infection and overcoming the disease, they could obtain a certificate for the recovered from the health authorities according to the current coronavirus rules on proof of health status.

The suspect has since been released, the ministry said.

"Further investigation will have to show whether he sold anything and if so how much and if it works at all," an FIOD spokesperson told the ANP news agency.

The healthcare authority warned against self-infection:

"Those who deliberately infect themselves are culpably putting public health at risk," a spokeswoman said.