The corona virus continues to spread in Germany.
British and Brazilian corona mutants are on the formal ass.
They are considered particularly dangerous.
The coronavirus has had the world, and thus all of Germany, under its full control for over a year.
The number of infections and the 7-day incidence are skyrocketing again *, making the end of the lockdown and possible loosening a long way off.
If only the "original" coronavirus was there, then you could soon be vaccinated against the virus with approved vaccines such as those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or Biontech, and the end of the pandemic would be within reach - because that's exactly what we were for developed the vaccine.
But the plan may not work that way.
Coronavirus: Researchers warn - Resistant corona mutants also conceivable in Germany
Unfortunately, it is not only the "original" corona virus that is rampant, there are also many mutants in circulation.
In Brazil, the Corona variant P.1 prevails, in South Africa it is B.1.351.
In Germany, too, the mutants are slowly but surely gaining a foothold and are spreading ever further.
For example, a kindergarten in Eppingen near Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg had to be closed due to a corona mutant outbreak *, as
reported by echo24.de
*.
The corona variants are considered more contagious and dangerous than the "original virus" - whether the vaccines approved in Germany are also effective against the various mutants cannot be said with 100 percent certainty.
So far, Germany has not had its own Corona variant against the current therapies and vaccines that are less effective or not at all - but would such a scenario be conceivable?
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute in Göttingen say very clearly: Yes.
The British coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 |
This variant of the coronavirus has been known from Great Britain since November 2020, where it spread rapidly. In Germany, too, the British variant has largely replaced the wild type and other variants that had prevailed until then. |
The South African coronavirus variant B.1.351 |
According to the current state of knowledge, it is probably a little less contagious than the British variant B.1.1.7 - but still more contagious than previous variants. |
The Brazilian coronavirus variant P.1 |
This variant is also suspected of being more contagious than the original variants of the coronavirus. The Robert Koch Institute considers an increased transferability to be conceivable. |
The Californian coronavirus variant B.1.427 or B.1.429 |
A study by the University of Californa in San Francisco (UCSF) now apparently indicates that this virus variant B.1.427 or B.1.429 could be more contagious than the wild type and possibly cause more severe disease processes. The study is currently unpublished. |
The French variant of the coronavirus |
In France, a new variant has appeared in eight people that could not be detected in the PCR test. The French variant is not transmitted so easily, so it is not particularly dangerous. |
In Germany: Researchers warn of possible resistant corona mutants
According to two researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen, Stefan Pöhlmann and Markus Hoffmann, a new coronavirus mutant could also emerge in Germany.
It is especially conceivable now if the virus spreads strongly in the third wave, as
NTV
reports.
How exactly could this come about?
According to scientific information, such an “escape variant” could arise if the virus spreads in a population with incomplete immune protection.
A person shows incomplete immune protection, for example, whenever immunity slowly declines again after an illness or vaccination.
In such a case, i.e. in a population with a certain degree of immunity, a corona variant with a comparable infection capacity would have more chances of prevailing than the original virus, explain Pöhlmann and Hoffmann.
Coronavirus in Germany: original virus against mutant spread
"If there is hardly any immunity in a population, as is currently the case in Germany, an escape variant would be in direct competition with the predominant virus variants, which for their part still find enough susceptible hosts," explained the scientists.
In this scenario, the corona variant could only prevail if it were more easily transferable.
According to scientists: B.1.351 (South Africa) and P.1 (Brazil) are considered "escape variants"
In collaboration with colleagues from the Ulm University Hospital, Pöhlmann and Hoffmann found out that an antibody used for Covid-19 therapy was completely ineffective in variants B.1.351 (South Africa) and P.1 (Brazil).
That means: These mutants can be classified as "escape variants".
It can therefore be assumed that those infected with corona variants B.1.351 and P.1 respond more poorly to conventional therapies and preparations than those infected with the original virus.
In addition, the scientists also assume that British and Brazilian variants would still be inhibited by the available vaccines.
"However, the vaccination protection may be reduced and of shorter duration," say the researchers.
That is why it would be all the more important to vaccinate the population in Germany as quickly as possible.
Corona spread in Germany: Resistant mutants as "an extreme scenario, but cannot be ruled out"
In order to be better prepared against the coronavirus variants, the existing corona vaccines could be adapted.
“This procedure would be similar to the vaccination strategy with which we protect ourselves against flu viruses,” explained Pöhlmann and Hoffmann.
As
NTV
further reports, there could well be variants that can no longer be inhibited by current vaccines.
This is "an extreme scenario, but cannot be ruled out".
That is why it is all the more important to get the coronavirus pandemic under control as quickly as possible or to contain it to a large extent with corona rules.
*
echo24.de
is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubric lists: © Sebastian Gollnow / dpa
