Berlin clinic completely quarantined because of B.1.1.7 mutant
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Berlin clinic completely quarantined due to mutation
In Berlin, an entire hospital has been quarantined because of the British Corona variant B.1.1.7. The number of those infected there continues to rise.
The British Corona variant has been found in at least 14 employees and patients at the Humboldt Clinic in Berlin. The health department responded – and quarantined the hospital.
I.In Berlin, an entire hospital has been quarantined because of the British Corona variant B.1.1.7. Again “Tagesspiegel” reported that 14 cases in staff and patients had been confirmed at the Humboldt Clinic in the Reinickendorf district by Saturday noon. Routine screenings in the ward for internal medicine and cardiology showed positive evidence in 20 people so far, as the clinic confirmed.
According to the report, the health department ordered the quarantine on Friday. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is involved in the measures, it advises clinics and authorities. The employees are under so-called commuting quarantine: They can cover the distance between home and work and otherwise have to isolate themselves.
Like the operator of the clinic, the state-owned Vivantes group, announced on Twitter, an admission freeze also applies. New patients and emergencies would be moved to other hospitals.
Access to the clinic has been tightened, delivery services and craftsmen are no longer allowed. The “Tagesspiegel” quotes experts as saying that it is a painful step because emergency and health care is now restricted in north Berlin. But this is necessary. Everything must be done so that the spread of the mutant does not explode in the capital.
According to the newspaper, all patients and employees should be tested. If a test is positive, the sample is sequenced to determine whether it is the B.1.1.7 variant. Only when the RKI, the clinic and the health department have an overview should a decision be made on further steps, according to the report.
The mutant appeared in Kent in southeast England at the end of last year. According to British experts, it is 30 to 70 percent easier to transfer than the previous one.
Vivantes announced two days ago that the infections in the Humboldt Clinic could not be explained by travel. The corona variant has already been detected in Berlin outside the hospital.
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