The vaccinations against the coronavirus have just started when mutations are appearing. In the podcast, an infectiologist explains why he is not very worried despite the new virus variants.
For Till Koch from the Bernhard Nocht Institute in Hamburg, virus mutations do not come as a surprise: “First of all, it is quite normal to have mutations in the area of the genetic code of viruses when they are copied and passed on,” he says in the podcast “Soundtrack.” Knowledge “from t-online and the Leibniz Association. According to Koch, however, it is relatively rare for the properties of a virus to change in the process. This is exactly what happened with variant B.1.1.7 that appeared in Great Britain.
Listen to the complete episode “Soundtrack Knowledge” and subscribe to the Podcast free of charge at Spotify or Apple Podcasts:
The mutation means that “the transferability has become better – better from the point of view of the virus.” So it is spreading faster. In the opinion of the infectiologist Koch, this does not have to mean that the vaccination campaigns recently started worldwide are now less effective.
“I really have to say that from a scientific point of view I am really not at all concerned about the effect of the vaccines,” said Koch in an interview with moderator Ursula Weidenfeld. The reason for this is the construction of the vaccines and the virus itself. The currently known mutations only cause minor changes in certain proteins of the virus – “these changes are very selective”. The vaccines used, on the other hand, would stimulate the immune system to produce a much broader immune response, explains Koch in the podcast.
Till Koch has confidence in the corona vaccines: “From a scientific point of view, I’m really not at all worried.” (Source: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine)
Are the vaccines themselves dangerous?
Millions of people around the world have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus, in Germany alone more than 1.5 million. It is clear to the expert that this is the case side effects can also occur. But the first death reports were circulating on the Internet, who would claim a connection with the vaccinations. Expert Koch says: “The fact that people really died as a result of the vaccination has not yet been seen in the large vaccine studies.” However, side effects and allergies are possible and even expected.
These side effects are, for example, pain or redness at the injection site. “And that occurs with the overwhelming majority of people, let’s say 80 percent of the people who are vaccinated,” says the infectiologist in an interview. These body responses indicated “that the body is doing the immune response”. Ultimately, this is even a sign of effectiveness.
You can learn more about how vaccines work and side effects, the benefits of rapid tests and the difference between flu and coronaviruses in the podcast episode of “Tonspur Wissen”.
The podcast “Tonspur Wissen” from t-online and the Leibniz Association is available in all podcast apps on smartphones and tablets and on all major platforms:
You can find the special episodes of “Soundtrack Knowledge” on the coronavirus here in the overview.
– .
