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Tirol over and over again. Last spring, the coronavirus spread from the temple of the Ischgl winter festival across Europe. The residents and guests were the culprits, who cared a little about security measures, and the authorities who remained inactive for too long.
Now, the Austrian state could become a bastion for the South African mutation “B.1.351”. The mutation against which previous vaccines are less helpful and the natural protection provided by antibodies after illness is much less effective.
South African mutation in 26 of 41 samples
Twenty percent of all new infections are currently due to the British or South African mutation, says Dorothee Von Laer, head of virology at Innsbruck Medical University, in front of the Austrian media.
She has started sequencing suspicious PCR tests on her own. The results are tough. Of the suspicious samples in Tyrol that were evaluated Wednesday night 41, 26 were assigned to “B.1.351”, six to the original “wild type” and nine to the British variant. “So that’s a relationship that is completely different from the rest of Austria, where the British variant is in the lead,” he tells the “Standard.”
A Tyrolean subtype
His team also made a discovery that the South African variant in Tyrol already has two or three additional mutations. It is not yet clear if this has any biological significance.
Von Laer, therefore, demands drastic measures. “I am of the opinion that Tyrol should be isolated for a month, from the rest of Austria and from abroad,” he told the “Kurier”. During this time, the Tyrolean population would have to be “mandatorily” surveyed twice at three to four day intervals.
In any case, he expects the opening of stores across Austria, scheduled for February 8, to now be postponed for at least a week in Tyrol. Perhaps the spread of this variant could still be slowed down and at least buy time.
“The land is being built again”
However, it sees little effort in this direction from the state of Tyrol. In the media, therefore, he raises serious accusations: “The state of Tyrol is being built anew and is being hidden.” A week ago he offered to do the sequencing. Instead, the samples are sent to AGES (Agency for Food Safety and Health, editor’s note), from where they return after a week or two. We are sequencing here in two or three days.
Governor Günther Platter rejects the strong accusations. The situation was intensively discussed with experts and also with the Federal Chancellor and the Minister of Health, and it was found that no federal state had such drastic measures. Currently all positive PCR tests in Tyrol are examined for abnormalities to get a more accurate picture of the situation. “Quarantining the whole country now does not provide the data,” Platter told the media, referring to the 7-day incidence in which Tyrol is below the Austrian average. But he also makes it clear: “The situation must be reassessed day by day.”
For Von Laer it already seems clear where the inaction of politicians will lead. She says: “I am waiting for the second Ischgl.” (vof)
