The coronavirus mutation discovered in Great Britain was detected in a woman in Baden-Württemberg on Thursday. This is the first known case in Germany, confirmed a spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Stuttgart. The woman entered Baden-Württemberg from Great Britain via Frankfurt Airport on Dec. 20, he said. She is currently visiting relatives in the Freudenstadt district and is in domestic isolation.
The mutated variant B.1.1.7 of the coronavirus had been detected for the first time in Great Britain. The woman had already taken a rapid test on arrival at Frankfurt Airport on Sunday, like all other passengers on the plane coming from London Heathrow, which was positive. Relatives had picked her up from the airport by car, since then she has been in domestic isolation. To confirm the diagnosis, a PCR test was carried out on Monday, which was also positive, according to the spokesman.
The swab sample was sent to the responsible laboratory at the Charité hospital in Berlin. From there the proof of the virus variant B.1.1.7 took place on Thursday. The woman developed mild symptoms of the disease on Monday. A total of three close contacts have been identified, who are also in quarantine. They have not been infected so far, and a smear test has also been initiated.
The new variant of the coronavirus may be significantly more contagious than the previously known form. After the mutation became known, most EU states had decided to largely restrict travel to and from the UK to prevent its spread. In Denmark, 33 cases of the new variant have been detected so far. It has also now appeared in the Netherlands and Italy.
So far, there is no evidence that the new variant has an impact on disease severity. The president of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, also assumes that the vaccines against the coronavirus will also help with a mutated pathogen. Vaccinations in Germany – as in Austria – are scheduled to start on Sunday.
- hp, Source: krone.at/picture: pixabay.com
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