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To prevent mutant coronavirus B.1.1.7. In Berlin, the Humboldt Clinic was quarantined on Friday evening following instructions from the Reinickendorf Health Department.
By Saturday noon, 14 confirmed cases had been counted among hospital staff and patients. Experts assume that an average two-digit number of clinic employees and patients may already be infected with the mutant. Relatives of the clinic staff could already be affected, the identified symptoms speak according to internal evaluations.
Reinickendorf Medical Officer Patrick Larscheid pulled the rope on Friday. The Robert Koch Institute is involved in the measures and advises clinics and authorities. The Humboldt Clinic of the state-owned group of clinics has been decommissioned from ambulance service since Friday and no further emergencies have been reported. An admission freeze was imposed.
Hospital staff have been put under the so-called shuttle quarantine, employees can only travel between work and home, and otherwise must comply with quarantine rules. According to information from Tagesspiegel, they are not allowed to use buses or trains. The already restricted access to the clinic has been reinforced: visits are only possible by relatives of the dying, delivery services and artisans are also not allowed.
The clinic and the experts in charge of the case speak of a painful step because emergency and health care is now limited in North Berlin. But that was necessary, he said. It’s not just about protecting patients and staff, but about protecting the entire capital, said the team that is supposed to control the mutant outbreak.
Crisis meeting with Kalayci and RKI on Saturday
Now everything must be done so that the spread of the Corona mutant in Berlin does not “explode”. On Saturday afternoon there should be a crisis change conference with Health Senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD) with representatives from the RKI, Vivantes, the district and the rescue service.
You are still in the beginning. Now it’s about getting an overview of how much the crown mutant has already spread in the clinic. All patients and employees should now be tested.
If the test is positive, the sample is sequenced to identify the possible B.1.1.7. Mutant Only when the RKI experts, the clinic, and the health department have an overview, should a decision be made on further steps. That would take a few more days, he said.
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The B.1.1.7 mutation had appeared in Kent County in the south-east of the country late last year and had spread rapidly in London and parts of the country. Now it has also been tested in Germany.
Mutant increases the risk of infection for personnel
It is considered to be significantly more contagious than the original form, even if this and the extent of the highest infectivity have not yet been scientifically proven conclusively. Such variants would also be manageable with a constant quarantine.
But in hospitals, for example, where infected people are treated and where even with the constant use of masks, hygiene and ventilation, a certain amount of virus always reaches the air, such a mutant increases the risk of infection, especially for the personal.
[Nachrichten aus Reinickendorf schickt Gerd Appenzeller jeden Mittwoch im Leute-Newsletter. Die gibt es für alle Berliner Bezirke, hier kostenlos bestellen: leute.tagesspiegel.de]
B.1.1.7 could also be problematic if it is confirmed that the variant also leads to increased mortality. There is not enough data on this yet, but there are clear indications. This possibility is also considered plausible.
Because higher infectivity means that viruses are more efficient at penetrating human cells. This probably also applies to further spread within the body. It may mean that the virus can multiply faster than the original variant, reducing the likelihood that the immune system will be able to respond in a timely and appropriate manner.
Unlike other mutants that were first detected in Brazil or South Africa, for example, the currently available vaccines appear to be as effective against B.1.1.7 as against the variants against which they were developed. However, there is no definitive certainty here either.
