Chief German virologist: Perhaps it's not a new strain

Chief German virologist: Perhaps it's not a new strain

Speaking about the new strain of coronavirus that broke out in Great Britain, Christian Drosten doubts that it could be that the measures were not well respected or that they were not strict enough.

"Statements that this strain is 70 percent more contagious than the previous ones are nothing but claims by politicians. Suddenly, that number appeared, and no one knows what it means", said Drosten, head of the virology department at Berlin's Charité University Hospital, one of the largest in Europe, for Deutsche Funk radio.

Drosten believes that there is currently not enough data to say whether the new strain of the virus is more dangerous than the previous ones. He adds that such data could only arrive in a few weeks. He believes that the new strain of the virus may not be to blame for the rapid spread of the virus in the southeast of England, reports Sputnik.

"The question is whether the virus is to blame or a local outbreak, or maybe the epidemiological measures were not strict enough, and then the transmission took place in an area where a new strain ruled. The question is whether that new strain caused a wave of infection, or that wave just brought it”, Drosten said. He also explained that it is too early to talk about whether the new coronavirus strain is spreading faster. "To know that, we would have to see the line of the infected, who got infected by whom and how long it took," said the German expert, adding that "it would be a surprise if the main parameters, such as the infectivity of the virus, changed so drastically."

Drosten also said that similar mutations in the coronavirus had already occurred during the pandemic, only to disappear suddenly. In his opinion, the new strain will not affect the effectiveness of vaccines. He explained that the immune response that occurs during vaccination is a very complex process that can hardly be influenced by small changes in the viral structure.

However, he adds that officials are right when they are cautious about the new strain, but that their approach may change when they obtain more information.