[ad_1]
Experts are wary of fears of the spread of the new Corona variant discovered in Britain. We have to wait for more information. Scientists do not see the effectiveness of vaccines at risk.
Virologist Christian Drosten of the Berlin Charité responded cautiously to reports about the new and supposedly much more contagious variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain. In his opinion, the mutation could have already reached Germany. Therefore, “I was not very concerned,” said the researcher in the Deutschlandfunk. He didn’t want to downplay the situation and was, like everyone else, in a “somewhat confused information situation.”
Information about a 70 percent higher infection rate compared to the original variant is an estimate, says Drosten. We have to wait for more information from Great Britain during the week. But he doesn’t expect the change in virus type to make vaccines less effective.
So far no tests in Germany
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach was more alarmed yesterday. In the talk “Bild” he warned about the rapid entry of the new Corona variant into Germany. “If it came now that we are in the middle of the second wave, where we have such a high number of cases, it would be a disaster.” Lauterbach calculated that the probability of the mutation reaching Germany sooner or later is 100 percent.
According to Health Minister Jens Spahn, the new variant of the virus has not yet been detected in Germany. However, there have already been cases of infection in other countries, including Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Australia. In South Africa a viral mutation similar to that of Great Britain had appeared.
Many countries, including Germany, have cut transport connections with Great Britain. In view of the “extremely heated news situation”, Drosten showed sympathy for this move. “At the moment, what is coming from England has received a very good alarm,” he said.
Experts: vaccines keep working
After the virus mutation was discovered, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized that there was no evidence that it caused more severe disease or higher death rates, or that vaccines against the mutation were less effective.
Experts agree so far. Regarding the effectiveness of vaccination, Richard Neher of the Biozentrum at the University of Basel said that he currently sees no reason to be alarmed. Even Andreas Bergthaler of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) does not consider the current development to be “incredibly alarming”. It is not uncommon for mutations to appear. At the moment it is not known whether the observed changes have a decisive influence on the properties of the pathogen.
The researchers emphasized that the vaccine creates an immune response against various characteristics of the virus. Therefore, changes in individual characteristics would not lead to the immune system no longer recognizing the pathogen, Neher said. You have to closely watch the subsequent dynamics.
Many changes when mutated
According to initial analyzes by British scientists, the new variant has an unusually large number of genetic changes, especially in the spike protein. This protein is found on the surface of the virus. The pathogen needs it to penetrate human cells.
Yesterday, virologist Drosten pointed out on Twitter that mutations did not necessarily give the virus an advantage over other variants of the coronavirus.
