Icon: enlarge
Photo: Julia Steinigeweg / DER SPIEGEL
SPIEGEL:
Professor Drosten, the pandemic has entered a decisive phase.
The start of the vaccination campaigns gives hope for an end to the state of emergency - but now more contagious virus mutants have emerged.
How dangerous is the situation in Germany at the moment?
Drosten:
Of course I'm watching that carefully.
It is also clear to politicians that you have to be careful now.
At the beginning, I admittedly had a little doubt that B.1.1.7, the new variant from Great Britain, is actually as much more contagious as was claimed.
But now there's a new study out of Oxford, really solid data showing that this mutant is up to 35 percent more infectious than the wild type of the virus.
It is amazing that the virus has become so infectious.
Unfortunately that is more dangerous than if it had become more deadly;
Because each new infected person will infect more people and each of these people in turn will infect more people, so that the number of infected people will grow exponentially.
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app, e-paper and on the e-reader
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
Exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
One month for € 0.00
Try now for 0.00 € Buy nowArrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.
