Biologist gives future prognosis: Corona mutations will still occupy us in 10 years

The original version of the coronavirus has now mutated and will continue to do so.

We will have to deal with it “in 10 years”, according to the forecast of a renowned biologist.

• The coronavirus is now present in three mutation forms known to us that are dangerous.

• It is normal for mutations to occur, but it requires further observation, explains the renowned biologist Sharon Peacock.

• She is of the opinion that research with virus variants will still be carried out ten years from now.

London - Several mutants of the world's most common form of coronavirus are already known.

There are the Brazilian, South African, and British variants of the virus.

All three mutations are more contagious than the known virus type and therefore spread faster in society.

In the case of the South African variant, there is also the fact that those who have been vaccinated and those who have already recovered can become infected again more easily.

The so-called spike protein of the virus, which is responsible for docking with the human host cell, is modified in this variant in such a way that the body does not recognize the virus and therefore cannot fight it off with the antibodies that have already been formed.

New corona mutants discovered in England

In England, the Ministry of Health is now sounding the alarm: A new mutant has been discovered that has also been directly classified as "worrying".

Researchers are concerned that dangerous properties of the different mutations could now combine.

Susan Hopkins of Public Health England told reporters that the mutation had appeared again and again in different variants since last April and then disappeared again.

The government's chief medical advisor, Patrick Vallance, also joined in.

However: A first vaccine, that of Astrazeneca, does not seem to be sufficiently effective against the South African variant.

Corona outlook: "in ten years"

The University of Cambridge microbiologist Sharon Peacock expressed

another worrying prospect of virus mutations

on the

BBC Newscast

.

They assume that variants of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus will continue to occupy the world in the early 2030s.

"Once we have the virus under control or it mutates itself so that it is no longer virulent and causes disease, we can stop worrying," said Peacock.

She heads the UK coronavirus sample sequencing program.

“But when I look into the future, I think we'll be doing this

(sequencing, editor's note) for

years.

In my opinion, we will still be doing that in ten years. "

Corona mutations are normal - the world observes virus forms

It is normal and in most cases harmless for viruses to develop mutations, said Peacock.

Because only very few of them also evoke special properties that could make the pathogen more contagious or limit the immune response to the virus, such as the South African or British variant.

It is important to observe these and identify them early - this is also the case in Germany.

The Robert Koch Institute has already presented initial data on this: The British variant occurs in 5.8 percent of the 31,000 samples examined and is spreading quickly.

Due to this approaching third wave, the lockdown for Germany was extended to March 7th and a new incidence of 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants (instead of 50) was set as the target value from which easing could occur.

British variant of the virus soon around the world

The biologist Sharon Peacock also assumes that the corona variant B.1.1.7 discovered in Great Britain will soon be the dominant variant not only in the United Kingdom.

“It will in all likelihood spill around the world.” The more contagious variant has already been proven in more than 50 countries.

Lauterbach in talk show: "Turbo viruses"

The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach also agrees.

In the talk show “Maischberger” on ARD on February 10th, shortly after the Corona summit, he warned that it had to be “tightened” because the viruses from South Africa and Great Britain would act like “turbo viruses”.

The intensive care physician Prof. Uwe Janssens also agrees in the talk: “The figures in Great Britain and Ireland have shown the dramatic effects that this had.

Explosive increases! "

(Jh)