The Corona pandemic currently allows Germany to breathe a little easier. The incidences continue to decrease and Baden-Württemberg is also pleased about low numbers. So it's no wonder that some politicians are now considering relaxing the mask requirement - even German Health Minister Jens Spahn thinks a gradual abolition is the right thing to do. But if you look in the direction of Great Britain, it could soon be over again with the bliss. There, the so-called "delta mutation" of the coronavirus has spread. This could soon threaten Germany as well, but many might not even recognize their corona infection as such with the delta variant, which first emerged in India and has been dubbed the "double mutant." That's because, as the British news channel BBC now reports, the symptoms are different from those of the previous variants and the original coronavirus. And that can also have far-reaching consequences for summer vacations. The Delta variant continues to spread in Spain.

Corona symptoms vary with delta mutation - does vaccination still help?

One piece of good news is that our vaccines approved in Europe so far probably protect well against the delta variant. According to a recent U.K. study, severe disease progression can be prevented 96 percent of the time by complete vaccination with BioNTech's product. With complete AstraZeneca immunization, cases of hospitalization due to Covid-19 can be averted in 92 percent of cases.Thus, vaccine efficacy is similar for the delta variant as it is for the alpha mutation, which was first identified in England and now accounts for a large proportion of new infections in Germany, according to the U.K. Public Health Agency (PHE). The important thing, according to PHE, is to be fully vaccinated in all cases. PHE immunization chief Dr. Mary Ramsay said in a news release, "It's essential to get vaccinated with the second dose as soon as it's your turn to get maximum protection against all existing and upcoming variants."

Corona symptoms in delta mutation: how to recognize disease?

Vaccination against coronavirus and its mutants appears to be increasingly important - even with the delta variant in mind. That's because detecting it could be difficult. Indeed, as Tim Spector of King's College in London told the BBC broadcaster, symptoms have changed in most covid-infected people. He explained that fever is still part of the symptoms, but infected people suffering from the delta mutation complain less and less about the loss of sense of smell and taste. This was previously considered a typical corona symptom.

Spector further explained that for some younger people, a Corona infection can thus feel more like a simple cold. That makes it all the more important to get tested for Covid-19 in any case - even if you have normal cold symptoms, he said. This is because the delta variant already accounts for more than 90 percent of all new corona infections in the UK.

The U.K. currently has a 7-day incidence of 75.1, even though nearly 45 percent of the population there is already fully vaccinated. Since the alpha variant of the coronavirus, which initially spread in the United Kingdom, now also accounts for more than 90 percent of new infections in Germany, researchers assume that the same will happen with the delta mutation and that the variant will gain a foothold in Germany in the coming weeks.

Image by Wilfried Pohnke