South African virus mutation appeared in Jena

Jena University Hospital has been carrying out sequencing for coronavirus mutations since April 2020 and has been participating in the surveillance of virus mutations in the Free State since January 2021. In the process, two cases of the South African mutation were detected for the first time yesterday. The two cases are two people from Jena who have been in domestic isolation since 3 and 4 February 2021 respectively. In addition to these two individuals, other SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported from the same setting. It is likely that these individuals also have the South African mutation. Further sequencing is now being carried out.



Prof. Pletz, Director of the Institute for Infectious Medicine and Hospital Hygiene at the University Hospital Jena /Internist-Pneumologist-Infectiologist-Hospital Hygienist:

"New viral variants emerge continuously - this is part of evolution. However, it is remarkable how quickly these new variants, which are better adapted to humans, spread globally. There are indications that the effectiveness of the current vaccination is lower with the South African variant. Nevertheless, even with the South African variant, vaccination protects with high effectiveness against severe courses, but not always against mild infections."

Dr. Enikö Bán, head of the Fachdienst Gesundheit of the city of Jena adds:

"So far, a total of ten highly contagious viral mutations have been reported to the Fachdienst Gesundheit. However, we have to assume that these have already spread much more widely in the population. Moreover, they are considered to be more infectious. This makes it all the more important - even if the incidence levels fall - to continue to follow the AHA-L rules. Contact reduction, wearing masks, spacing and testing - even when symptoms are mild - must remain top priorities."