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South Africa now has more than a million cases of corona. Infections are increasing rapidly, probably driven by the new variant of the virus discovered there. Researchers on site are investigating how dangerous it is.
Katharina Fuß, ARD Studio Johannesburg
The CDC, the African disease protection authority, provides regular information on the latest corona developments on the continent. At the last digital press conference on Christmas Eve, the journalists’ questions really only addressed one issue: What is the mutation in South Africa all about and how dangerous is this new variant of the virus?
Agency chief and virologist John Nkengasong found it difficult to provide satisfactory answers. But he repeated one thing over and over again: “What is absolutely clear is that it is spread rapidly and a lot of people are infected right now. We know for sure. We don’t know yet if there will be more severe courses.”
There is still no indication of a more severe course.
So there is still a lot to discover about the new Corona variant. But what do the virologists who discovered the new variant really know? One of them is Professor Wolfgang Preiser. He works at Stellenbosch University. If you talk to the head of the virology department about the new variant of the virus in South Africa, he seems relaxed. Report something similar to the African authorities. There is no evidence yet that the new Corona variant has a more severe course:
“So far we do not have concrete evidence that this virus is more dangerous, that is, if you contact it, you have a more serious disease. We also do not know if it is more infectious. And we certainly do not know if it affects the immune system in particular and can re-infect people who have already been infected. But we have clues that make it seem necessary to investigate this further, and that is what will be done. “
In addition to research, it is also important to observe how the virus behaves in the population, according to Preiser. It was only through very elaborate studies that he and his colleagues were able to discover that a new variant of Corona exists in South Africa: “We have formed a network of researchers who take routine samples from patients from all over the country and then sequence them, that is , Define the genetic material and compare the virus exactly. ” Only in this way can mutations be detected.
Do vaccines work?
“Of course, that doesn’t mean that these viruses are now only available in the countries that encountered them. It is quite possible that they have already penetrated other parts of the country and parts of the world or developed independently there, and that you can I just don’t know yet. “
If the mutation has really already reached more parts of the world than is known, the big question is: Do older vaccines also work against newer crown variants like the one from South Africa?
Many experts in Germany are optimistic. The head of virology at Stellenbosch University also sees the success to date in developing the vaccine as a good sign, even if it doesn’t work immediately with variants:
“In fact, I’m pretty sure that whatever surprises the virus throws at us, that too can come with relatively short notice. These vaccines have been developed in a very innovative way, so changes will certainly be possible. of the virus to be considered in future variants of the vaccine “.
With regard to the newly discovered virus variants, there is also much hope in vaccines. How these actually act on the mutation will likely be shown soon in Britain.
