The new variants of the coronavirus are even more dangerous than those known so far. Researchers and politicians fear a sharp increase in the number of infections, with dramatic consequences like those seen in Britain. Can Germany still stop the new killers?
The student didn’t really stand out among the nearly 700 cases of the coronavirus recorded by the public health department in Berlin’s Steglitz-Zehlendorf district during the week before Christmas. The young woman was home for the holidays to visit her family, having traveled back to Germany from the university where she is studying in the United Kingdom. It appeared to be an everyday case of the coronavirus in the affluent southern part of Berlin.
Indeed, it wasn’t all that surprising she had caught the virus, given that infection numbers were skyrocketing in Britain at that point.
But the student also infected her entire family, five people, which is pretty uncommon.
Just as her infection was discovered, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had begun sounding the alarm: B.1.1.7, the new and far more contagious variant of the virus, was spreading in southeast England, he warned. The response came quickly: Flights to and from Britain were cancelled and the Eurotunnel was closed to traffic. By then, though, the mutated virus had long since begun spreading across Europe.
It was by coincidence that an employee at the Steglitz-Zehlendorf public health department had experienced the ebola pandemic in West Africa and had also earned a doctorate in virology. Shortly before Christmas, she made a call to the laboratory at the Robert Koch-Institute (RKI), Germany’s center for disease control, and asked to have the genome sequence of the student’s positive viral sample decoded.
The result arrived on Jan. 7. The student was found to be carrying the new B.1.1.7 variant of the virus.
Then, last week, the first case of B.1.351, a mutant of the coronavirus from South Africa, was detected in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg. It’s also thought to be much more contagious than previous variants. It had been brought into the state by a family that had arrived back from South Africa in mid-December.
The family had quarantined themselves as required under coronavirus regulations, and five days later they received a negative result after getting tested. But family members developed symptoms of the disease a week later. By then, six people from three different households had been infected.
In the neighboring state of Bavaria, there are also now three confirmed cases of coronavirus mutants and one suspected case. One patient who had become infected with the British variant was brought to a Munich hospital for treatment around the New Year has since passed away.
“The new variant of the virus has arrived in Germany,” says Clemens Wendtner, chief physician at the München Klinik hospital in Munich’s Schwabing district. It must be a feeling of déjà-vu for the physician, who also treated the very first known German COVID-19 patients last February. “The next few weeks will be decisive,” Wendtner says. “It’s possible that the pandemic will take on a whole new momentum.”
Image Credit: Phill Magakoe/AFP
Post by Amanda Scott, NA CEO. Follow her on twitter @tantriclens
Thanks to Heinz V. Hoenen. Follow him on twitter: @HeinzVHoenen

News
Small antibodies provide broad protection against SARS coronaviruses
Scientists have discovered a unique class of small antibodies that are strongly protective against a wide range of SARS coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and numerous early and recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. The unique antibodies target an [...]
Controlling This One Molecule Could Halt Alzheimer’s in Its Tracks
New research identifies the immune molecule STING as a driver of brain damage in Alzheimer’s. A new approach to Alzheimer’s disease has led to an exciting discovery that could help stop the devastating cognitive decline [...]
Cyborg tadpoles are helping us learn how brain development starts
How does our brain, which is capable of generating complex thoughts, actions and even self-reflection, grow out of essentially nothing? An experiment in tadpoles, in which an electronic implant was incorporated into a precursor [...]
Prime Editing: The Next Frontier in Genetic Medicine
By Dr. Chinta SidharthanReviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Discover how prime editing is redefining the future of medicine by offering highly precise, safe, and versatile DNA corrections, bringing hope for more effective treatments for genetic diseases [...]
Can scientists predict life longevity from a drop of blood?
Discover how a new epigenetic clock measures how fast you are really aging from just a drop of blood or saliva. A recent study published in the journal Nature Aging constructed an intrinsic capacity (IC) clock [...]
What is different about the NB.1.8.1 Covid variant?
For many of us, Covid-19 feels like a chapter we’ve closed – along with the days of PCR tests, mask mandates and daily case updates. But while life may feel back to normal, the [...]
Scientists discover single cell creatures can learn new behaviours
It was previously thought that learning behaviours only applied to animals with complex brain and nervous systems, but a new study has proven that this may also occur in individual cells. As a result, this new evidence may change how [...]
Virus which ’causes multiple organ failure’ found at popular Spanish holiday destination
British tourists planning trips to Spain have been warned after a deadly virus that can cause multiple organ failure has been detected in the country. The Foreign Office issued the alert on its dedicated website Travel [...]
Urgent health warning as dangerous new Covid virus from China triggers US outbreak
A dangerous new Covid variant from China is surging in California, health officials warn. The California Department of Public Health warned this week the highly contagious NB.1.8.1 strain has been detected in the state, making it the [...]
How the evolution of a single gene allowed the plague to adapt, prolonging the pandemics
Scientists have documented the way a single gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, allowed it to survive hundreds of years by adjusting its virulence and the length of time it [...]
Inhalable Nanovaccines: The Future of Needle-Free Immunization
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for adaptable and scalable vaccine technologies. While mRNA vaccines have improved disease prevention, most are delivered by intramuscular injection, which may not effectively prevent infections that begin at [...]
‘Stealthy’ lipid nanoparticles give mRNA vaccines a makeover
A new material developed at Cornell University could significantly improve the delivery and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines by replacing a commonly used ingredient that may trigger unwanted immune responses in some people. Thanks to [...]
You could be inhaling nearly 70,000 plastic particles annually, what it means for your health
Invisible plastics in the air are infiltrating our bodies and cities. Scientists reveal the urgent health dangers and outline bold solutions for a cleaner, safer future. In a recent review article published in the [...]
Experts explain how H5 avian influenza adapts to infect more animals
A new global review reveals how rapidly evolving H5 bird flu viruses are reaching new species, including dairy cattle, and stresses the urgent need for coordinated action to prevent the next pandemic. Since its [...]
3D-printed device enables precise modeling of complex human tissues in the lab
A new, easily adopted, 3D-printed device will enable scientists to create models of human tissue with even greater control and complexity. An interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Washington and UW Medicine [...]
Ancient DNA sheds light on evolution of relapsing fever bacteria
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and [...]