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Christian Drosten: “We are now in the running with the Delta variant in Germany”

According to information from Christian Drosten, the delta variant of the corona virus is on its way to Germany. “We have to take this really seriously from now on,” said the Charité chief virologist.

According to the Charité virologist Christian Drosten, Germany must take the delta variant in the pandemic seriously with immediate effect. “I’m now ready to say that we are now in the race in Germany with the Delta variant,” said Drosten on Friday evening at the online congress for infectious diseases and tropical medicine. “We have to take this really seriously from now on.”

According to an analysis by the Robert Koch Institute for the first week of June, the proportion of the Delta variant in Germany had almost doubled to six percent within just one week. In the previous weeks, this mutant stagnated nationwide by around two percent. “From a feeling, I can say that more and more people are calling us who describe outbreaks, more and more laboratories,” said Drosten. There is currently an outbreak in southern Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. “That reminds me of the beginning of the B.1.1.7 epidemic in Germany, where it was the same,” said Drosten. The more contagious variant B.1.1.7., Which became known in Great Britain in 2020, drove Germany into the third wave of pandemics in the winter. Containment measures came too late or were too inconsistent.

Christian Drosten: School holidays can help

The situation now in Germany is somewhat comparable to that in England in May, analyzed Drosten. In Great Britain, the contagious Delta variant had taken over the predominance within a few weeks despite advanced vaccination rates. The incidences rose again from 20 to 70. Easing was therefore stopped. It was mainly young adults who were infected – for example when partying or in the catering trade, said Drosten. In England, the infections mainly took place in the vaccination gaps.

“If we were to calculate the way things have developed in England, with an approximate doubling per week, then we would have this speculative scenario: Then we would be at 20 percent this week,” said Drosten. At the beginning of July, the delta variant would then also be in the area of ​​dominance in Germany. “And we would have to reckon with the fact that the number of registrations in Germany will rise again at the beginning of July,” said the scientist. But that is still pure speculation and a hypothesis. Germany still has a chance if it can further reduce the incidence in the next few weeks. “What could also help are the school holidays. In England it started in schools. That is a clear difference.”

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