Christian Drosten, head of the virology department at the Berlin Charite clinic, suggests that the mutated variant of the coronavirus discovered in the UK has already reached the borders of Germany. The mutation has been found in several European countries and even in Australia, Drosten said. “So why shouldn’t he already be in Germany.”
Regarding the increased danger posed by the variant of the virus, Drosten prefers not to jump to conclusions until more accurate information becomes available. Based on the information available today about the mutated virus, he is “not very worried,” Drosten said. However, the available data is “still very sketchy.” British scientists said that preliminary data analysis will not be available until midweek.
Drosten also believes that the decision made by politicians to stop transport links from Great Britain to Germany and other countries in view of the “extremely heated news situation” is quite understandable. “At the moment, information about the virus coming from England is causing tremendous concern,” he said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the new variant of the virus is 70 percent more infectious than the previously known variant. Drosten thinks this is just speculation. There is no exact word yet on whether the new variant is actually more contagious. It is also necessary to clarify whether the mutated virus has caused a new wave of infection in southeast England, or, rather, it is the consequences of the increased spread of the virus. Drosten stressed that the mutation has already been found in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands, but has not yet led to the development of the situation, as in the UK.
Health expert Karl Lauterbach has already stated that in view of the detected mutation of the virus, the number of infections should be minimized. The fewer infections, the lower the likelihood that the mutated virus will spread.
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