Delta variant: Also arrived in Germany
In the UK, the number of cases is rising by 64 percent every week. Planned easing should therefore be postponed. The main reason for this is the delta variant of the corona virus, which already accounts for 91 percent there. In Germany, too, the more contagious variant has already occurred in several regions.
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of the spread of the coronavirus variant and is primarily counting on rapid vaccination progress .
Without vaccination: Higher risk of hospitalization
According to a Scottish study, infection with the Delta variant, originally from India, doubles the risk of being admitted to a hospital without vaccination protection. The study also notes that existing vaccines appear to be less effective against the mutation. The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, for example, offers 92 percent protection against the alpha variant after the second vaccination, but only 79 percent protection against the delta mutation. AstraZeneca ‘s effectiveness also drops from 73 to 60 percent.
Vaccines reduce the risk
Nevertheless, the vaccines reduce the risk of a severe course of COVID-19. According to another study from England , people who are fully vaccinated with the active ingredient from BioNTech/Pfizer or AstraZeneca only need to be hospitalized in very rare cases. The number of deaths also remains low. 42 deaths in England can be attributed to the Delta variant. 23 of the deceased persons were not vaccinated, 19 had received at least the first vaccination, 12 of them had even been vaccinated with the second dose.
Great Britain postpones planned easing – and Germany?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is postponing the easing planned for Monday by a month due to the current spread of the Delta variant. 90 percent of the current corona cases there can be traced back to the delta variant.
In Germany, around 2.5 percent of officially confirmed cases of the variant are known, but the number of new infections continues to fall. Current relaxations remain in place at the current time. The vaccination progress is important, according to Angela Merkel.