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Tuesday, January 5, 2021
More contagious and dangerous?
Drosten: Clarity about the mutation only at Easter
Just as hope arises in the fight against Corona with the start of vaccination, a mutated variant of the virus brings new fears. Germany’s top virologist Drosten emphasizes that the mutation could even be good news. And yet he’s in the mood for a long time of latent danger.
Virologist Christian Drosten still sees many open questions about the new Corona B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in Britain. “It is still very difficult to classify,” the head of virology at the Berlin Charité said on the podcast “Coronavirus Update” on NDR-Info. “I suppose we can, say, by Easter or May have very clear experimental evidence on whether or not this virus is more transmissible and dangerous. But it will just take time.”
The virologist described how common the new variant is in Germany that is currently being compiled. He does not currently assume that this will be a major problem. After seeing data from Denmark on the subject, he opined that the variant should be taken seriously, Drosten explained. In Germany too, the mutation needs to be looked at more closely. The background is the fear that the variant is more transmissible, that is, that an infected person infects more people on average than before, that is, that the variant is associated with a greater number of reproductions.
Regarding the effectiveness of vaccination, Drosten reiterated: “We have no major concerns at this time.” Rather, the concern is that the variant could have a significantly higher R-value compared to the previous forms, around 1.5 instead of 1. If such a scenario is confirmed, it would be a problem, according to Drosten. “It is an exponential phenomenon,” he emphasized. The virologist has repeatedly expressed the hope that B.1.1.7 can make you feel less ill.
After verification in Great Britain, the variant was also confirmed in other countries. So far, only a few cases are known in Germany, for example in Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. The Robert Koch Institute expects more cases to emerge. Experts fear that the spread could make it harder to fight the pandemic.
