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As of Saturday, 6 February, 165 cases of the South African coronavirus mutation have been confirmed in Tyrol. The majority of the mutations were detected retrospectively, the province announced. Of these 165 cases, only eight people were still actively positive. A mutation was suspected in numerous other cases, which were being further clarified according to standards set by AGES, it said.
The focus of the confirmed mutation cases is still in the district of Schwaz and its surroundings. In this regard, the state referred to the package of measures currently being implemented there, with tightened and expanded contact tracing and mass testing. In the latter, more than 1,500 tests have been carried out in the district so far (out of around 4,000 registrations) – with a positive result for seven people. The positive antigen cases will now be tested with a PCR test. “Every positive PCR result is examined in Tyrol for abnormalities. If there are any abnormalities, further sequencing of the test sample will be carried out immediately in order to detect mutations,” the province of Tyrol said in a statement.
In addition, PCR mass tests were carried out in five East Tyrolean communities. One finding so far: currently, there are no confirmed mutations of the coronavirus in these municipalities, as in the entire district of Lienz. To date, 1,000 tests have been conducted in East Tyrol, and 2,000 people have signed up for them. Results were still being evaluated.
Meanwhile, the general situation regarding corona numbers was positive in Tyrol: The number of infected people dropped from 1,232 on Friday to 1,196 on Saturday. The number of hospital patients also decreased again. In addition, according to the latest data from AGES, the seven-day incidence rate in Tyrol is currently 99.7, which is below the Austrian average, emphasized those responsible. The latter is currently 105.0.
A decision on whether more stringent measures are needed in Tyrol because of the “South Africa mutant” was expected to be made on Sunday evening. The Innsbruck virologist Dorothee von Laer had even spoken out in favor of isolation and an extended lockdown. This met with fierce criticism in Tyrol. Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP) rejected isolation and instead relied on the measures agreed with the federal government.
- source: APA, picture: pixabay.com
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