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The mutation of the British crown continues to spread in Austria. According to Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens), there are now 70 suspected cases of the coronavirus B.1.1.7 mutation discovered in Britain. tested in Austria. Initially, 42 cases are affected in a Viennese nursing home, 17 in the Jochberg Tyrolean ski area and three cases in Burgenland. It was unclear who the remaining eight people were affected by Wednesday afternoon.
“It is a dynamic event,” said the Ministry of Health. In the course of this, eight more samples were brought to the Agency for Food Safety and Health (AGES) for sequencing. It was not known whether or not they were contact persons for the known cases.
As Anschober said in response to an urgent request from the SPÖ in the National Council, 1,800 sequencing programs are being prepared this week to detect viruses for mutations. In view of the particularly contagious new variant of the virus, he now awaits the “most difficult phase of the pandemic.” With the British mutation, there would be 15 new infections for every 10 infected, Anschober stressed. “This is how you can explain Ireland, this is how you can explain the alarming numbers in Slovakia,” Anschober said, referring to the rapid increase in the number of infections there. In the morning newspaper Ö1, he described the partial obligation to wear the FFP2 mask in the context of mutations as “a variant of thought”. The question is where the expansion should be applied and what capabilities are available. In Bavaria, the use of such a mask became mandatory in local public transport and retail.
Federal Red Cross Rescue Commander Gerry Foitik clearly defended the use of an FFP2 mask instead of a simple mouth and nose protection. He noted that the cases in B.1.1.7. it could double every week. “If we don’t act now, we will have a disaster in March,” he said.
According to a statement on Tuesday, only 42 suspected cases were discovered in a nursing home in Vienna. There were also three suspected cases in Burgenland. Renewed and intensified contact tracing in the area of the three suspected cases is still ongoing, the Coronavirus coordination team announced Wednesday at the request of the APA. At the moment, there is no evidence of other people affected. It is not clear where the three people were infected. “They are not known,” said a spokeswoman for the coordination staff. Two affected people are at home in southern Burgenland, but not close to each other. The third person lives in North Burgenland.
There are 17 suspected cases in Tyrol, most of them British nationals who had completed a ski training course. Initially, it was not yet clear where exactly the group was infected and was the subject of investigations. In parallel with the AGES review of the evidence, routine contact tracing is currently being carried out with the support of the executive, said the head of the country’s Corona working group, Elmar Rizzoli. It is not yet clear under what title the British citizens completed a ski instructor training and whether they actually stayed in Tyrol according to the law and the confinement.
After the Tyrolean mutation cases became known, community testing was conducted. As of Wednesday noon, all 191 corona tests were negative, Rizzoli said. The mayor of Jochberg Günter Resch (FPÖ) reported that those who could be affected by the virus mutation were in quarantine at least until Wednesday night. He has not yet been informed about a possible extension. In any case, the lively willingness to test in the city gives him positive.
The group of mutations in Tyrol also had an impact on sport. The Alpine Skiing World Cup races in Kitzbühel on the weekend program have been canceled, announced Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP).
Those: APA
