The German vaccination campaign is in a race against the particularly contagious Delta variant of the corona virus.

Only six percent of the infections were due to this mutation, also known as the “Indian variant”, said the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, on Friday in Berlin.

But the number of cases is increasing because the number of reproductions - the R value - is even higher than with the already highly infectious alpha or British variant that is currently prevalent in Germany.

Wieler therefore expects that “Delta” will determine the infection rate by autumn at the latest. 

Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

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    How quickly this happens depends on the vaccination rates and the easing of public life.

    Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) said: "The question will not be whether Delta will also become the dominant variant in Germany and continental Europe, but when and under what conditions." Ideally, this form of the virus would only be at a time when vaccination rates were high and low Incidences come into play.

    Great Britain as a negative example

    "We have to arm ourselves against new virus variants," said the politician.

    "Delta can tempt you to question successes in fighting pandemics." Spahn and Wieler referred to the situation in Great Britain, where the number of cases has been low since March.

    In May, 30 percent of the population had a first vaccination, which is why the British then relaxed the corona restrictions. 

    Since the beginning of June, however, there has been a sharp increase in infections.

    The seven-day incidence in Great Britain has now reached 70 again;

    In Germany there are currently 10 new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week. 

    More than 90 percent of the infections in the UK take place with the Delta variant, said Wieler.

    People under the age of 50 are particularly affected.

    Therefore, the government in London postponed further opening steps by four weeks.

    According to the RKI boss, the vaccines from BioNTech and AstraZeneca protect against severe courses, but the virus can still be transmitted if the vaccination series is incomplete. 

    Hygiene and distance rules still necessary

    Wieler and Spahn made it clear that the situation in Germany is good at the moment, but could also worsen if the requirements fell too early, if there was carelessness or if testing and vaccination stalled. In order to get an overview of the delta spread in this country, all positive tests would be genome sequenced. In order to contain the spread, the hygiene and distance rules remain necessary, although masks are usually not necessary outdoors.

    “The virus has not gone and it will not go away either,” warned Wieler. “Let's not gamble away our successes lightly. Let us also preserve the freedom we have regained by getting more and more people to be fully vaccinated. ”If the current restrictions are relaxed too early, the virus could spread again very quickly, especially among non-vaccinated groups. The corona rules would have to remain in force as long as not all persons for whom a vaccine is approved and recommended have had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated. "So first at least until autumn," said the RKI boss.