In Great Britain, experts are concerned about a corona variant, which is said to have also contributed to the dire pandemic situation in India. Data are now available on the distribution in Germany.
Berlin (dpa) – The corona variant B.1.617, discovered in India and now widespread in many countries around the world, remains quite rare in Germany, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
For the third week in a row, the proportion of this mutant in the samples examined is around two percent, according to an RKI report from Wednesday evening. The most recent data is from the week of May 10-16.
When it comes to the variant, experts differentiate between several sub-variants. The RKI speaks of a slow but continuous increase in the proportions of sub-variant B.1.617.2 – to 2.2 percent now. In absolute numbers, these are still relatively low values: 40 records are shown in the report for the 19th calendar week.
This mutant is currently worrying experts in the UK. It is feared that it may be even more contagious than previous forms; it could also make vaccinations less effective. The virologist Christian Drosten pointed out on Tuesday in the “Coronavirus Update” (NDR info) that “the first vaccination against this virus does not help that much, so you have to complete it quickly”. This means that it is important that people get the second dose as well. In general, Drosten sees a lot of imponderables in the first data about the variant.
Meanwhile, independent experts in the UK called for urgent action. The spread of B.1.617.2 there requires immediate measures to be taken to reduce the number of cases, said the group known as the “Independent Sage”. It is not identical to the official government expert body known only as the “Sage” (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). According to estimates, the Indian variant is already predominant in parts of the country, according to the message from “Independent Sage”.
It is probably too late to prevent it from asserting itself as dominant across the country. The experts therefore recommend measures such as additional support for people on low incomes with self-isolation, better ventilation in schools and a return of the mask requirement in all secondary schools. So far, around 3,400 infections with the variant have been registered in Great Britain. Overall, the number of new infections nationwide is at a very low level. Because of the spread of the variant, Great Britain has been classified as a virus variant area by the German federal government since Sunday.
According to the RKI, variant B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in Great Britain, remains predominant in Germany, with a share of 90 percent. There were also no significant changes in the detection of the two other mutants classified as worrying (P.1 / Brazil and B.1.351 / South Africa) compared to earlier RKI reports – they remain at a low level. In Germany, only some of the positive samples are tested for variants.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210527-99-755796 / 3
