Corona soon a "normal" cold virus?

Bundeswehr virologist about the two new Omikron variants from South Africa

Created: 05/27/2022, 09:13 am

By: Juliane Gutmann

Alpha, Delta, Omicron: The coronavirus is evolving.

South African researchers have now discovered two new omicron variants.

Reason to worry?

A virus docks onto the human cell, invades and multiplies.

This can lead to mild to severe symptoms of the disease.

When a virus multiplies, mutations in the surface structure are sometimes the result.

If these facilitate penetration into the body cell, the mutations prevail and a new virus variant is born.

This is an outwardly protruding protein structure on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

The fact that viruses mutate is not corona-specific: other viruses such as influenza viruses are also capable of doing this.

In the case of corona viruses, it has so far been shown that every mutation is more infectious, i.e. more contagious.

However, at the same time, the infection became less dangerous.

Example Omikron: Although the spread is currently immense,

.

However, doctors note that the higher vaccination rate than at the beginning of the pandemic and the more far-reaching safety measures such as the FFP2 mask requirement have had a positive impact on the course of the pandemic.

In South Africa, the new omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 have been identified for the first time.

Cape Town is one of the largest cities in South Africa.

© Sven Hoppe/dpa

New corona subtypes from South Africa

However, Omikron now has two new offshoots:

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Both subtypes were first detected in South Africa.

According to the public database Gisaid, according to the Pharmazeutische Zeitung (PZ), infections with the subtype BA.4 were found in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana, England and Scotland by the end of March.

In South Africa itself, due to the high number of BA.4 and BA.5 infections, there is already talk of a fifth wave, the PZ continues.

Will Corona soon be like a harmless cold?

Virologist is optimistic

But although the two new mutants spread quickly, the rates of corona cases and hospital stays are stable, the Pharmazeutische Zeitung quotes Professor Dr.

Tulio De Oliveira on April 28, 2022. De Oliveira had first described omicron and also discovered the omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.

However, the number of cases in South Africa is currently increasing.

The World Health Organization is also recording more deaths again: where 153 people died of a corona infection in South Africa on May 2nd, 237 people died on May 9th.

Since the potential danger of new mutants only becomes apparent as the disease progresses,

Because, according to current knowledge, the new omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 do not lead to more severe disease progressions than previous mutants, many virologists are cautiously optimistic about new corona variants: "

”said Colonel Professor Roman Wölfel, virologist at the Bundeswehr Institute for Microbiology in Munich in the NDR interview.