Thread by @DrEricDing

OUTBREAK OF #B1351 VARIANT IN AUSTRIA 🇦🇹—B1351 🇿🇦 variant now identified in 293 cases in western Austria state of Tyrol—at least 140 active cases. Germany🇩🇪 is considering closing the border to Tyrol. Austria govt has issued urgent travel warning. #COVID19
tagesschau.de/ausland/europa…

2) “Experts rated the South African mutation as more dangerous than the British one. "The course of the disease should be more severe and the resilience to vaccinations should be higher. This mutation would set us back a long way."

3) Folks, Tyrol is a very popular Alpine tourism region of Austria that is bordered by Germany 🇩🇪 to the north, Switzerland 🇨🇭& Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 to the west, and Italy 🇮🇹 to the immediate south. If it’s in Tyrol, it’s likely all over Central Europe. And that what is worrisome.

4) Same time, “a central question is also whether Tyrol is the main focus because the country is researching the infection situation on a large scale. "We are pioneers in sequencing in 🇦🇹, which is why we have the most complete and comprehensive data situation at the moment”

5) In some ways, sequencing can reveal mutations when we didn’t know existed, but it can also spotlight areas that sequenced heavily to begin with. But this just means it’s likely already throughout Central Europe.

6) My sources tell me, Austria 🇦🇹 ministry of health had refused to close the border to Tyrol region... and guess why? Because Tyrol’s hotel lobbying organization has threatens to REOPEN ALL HOTELS if Austria’s Ministry of Health closes the border to Tyrol. 🔥

7) And Tyrol’s provincial leader only proposed very very minor public health mitigation such as testing those who use a gondola cable car 🚠 ... and refused to accept Austria 🇦🇹 ministry of health’s #COVID19 infection numbers.

➡️Tyrol is like the Florida of Austria now!!! 🤦🏻‍♂️

8) Ironic sad thing is that Austria’s main pillar against #COVID19 was the.... wait for it... Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine order.... but as we know, that got blown up this weekend when South Africa 🇿🇦 announced the AZ vaccine was mostly ineffective against mild/moderate #B135!!! 🤦🏻‍♂️

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1358831754216374281

9) AND GUESS WHAT—great timing—Austria also just lifted almost all of its previous #COVID19 lockdown rules. Only a curfew exists, and restaurants/hotels are closed, but everything else open including schools—it’s hard to describe how bad this #B1351 for 🇦🇹
reuters.com/article/health…

10) This outbreak has flashback nightmares reminiscent of March 2020 in which the Tyrolean village had a massive outbreak at Ischgl ski resort, that then seeded rest of Europe. And by massive superspreading event, I mean MASSIVE!

google.com/amp/s/amp.theg…

11) correction, while Liechtenstein and Switzerland are to the general west of Tyrol, technically the tiny state of Vorarlberg 🇦🇹 lies in between. But y’all get my general point it sits at the nexus of Central Europe, okay? Thx.

12) Some are now calling this outbreak “Ischgl 2.0”. In the Ischgl outbreak last year — it led to epidemics in 45 countries worldwide!

It might be happening again. But this time with the more dangerous greater-antibody resistant #B1351 variant.

bbc.com/news/world-eur…

13) this reporter doesn’t hold back — “I grew up in Tyrol. It hurts when political idiots of the ÖVP (conservative ruling party of 🇦🇹) whose horizon is limited to the cable car 🚡, now definitely destroy the reputation of this wonderful country—And Chancellor Kurz just watches”

https://twitter.com/TomMayerEuropa/status/1359046594235150339

14) Ah, Twitter, only took 9 hours, but I’m now called the “Tyrol-Basher” among right wing conservative Austrian 🇦🇹 politics. But I do have skin Austria—my wife is Austrian-born, and I have been to Tyrol dozens of times and know the wonderful place. But #COVID19 pandemic crisis?!

15) I’ve seen this happen of course — @beltrandelrio @Rodpac remembers when I was bashed by Mexico leaders for sounding the alarm in June 2020–and 🇲🇽 president AMLO now has COVID. And we know Tyrol 🇦🇹 caused one of the worst global outbreaks in 45 countries from Ischgl last year.

16) When epidemiologists are simply pointing out the data and advocating for public health safety—politically bashing a scientist is stupid & dangerous. We all want this pandemic to end. Denying & muzzling public health science is exactly what Trump did. He has blood in his hands

17) to be clear—Austria has extremely generous #COVID19 relief assistance for residents & businesses— with massive cash infusions to keep people afloat. So this isn’t the same as in US where there is “how do people eat” argument vs public health. We need to stop pandemic first.

18) Someone needs to tell Austrian leaders @sebastiankurz & Tyrolean state leaders that the new #B1351 variant in Tyrol will cause reinfections, as well as attenuate their vaccines, especially AstraZeneca but also many other vaccines. Reinfection:

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1358065355785134083

19) The Novavax vaccine is also much much weaker against the nee Tyrol/South Africa #B1351 variant. Only 50% efficacy for B1351.

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1358065399703732225

20) Austria’s #B1351 disasterous outbreak is continuing.

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1359135923615719428