Fewer than 10 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses would be available in coming weeks, health official says

An accommodation facility for refugees in Cologne, Germany has been hit by a coronavirus outbreak, according to Cologne officials.

41 residents have tested positive for Covid-19, with 31 of them testing positive for the variants first identified in South Africa or Brazil, according to a statement from the city’s press office.

In addition, 16 members of staff have tested positive for the virus, with 11 of them testing positive for the South Africa variant, labeled B.1.351 by researchers. 

The other five staff members are awaiting the results of the variant analysis, the statement said.

All of the residents living in the center have been under quarantine since January 26, which has been under surveillance since Sunday, it said.

Entry into the accommodation center is not currently allowed.

The first two coronavirus cases were detected in the accommodation — home to approximately 600 refugees — about 10 days ago, with the first case of the variant identified last week.

The head of Cologne’s health department Harald Rau said that the news of the outbreak is a “clear alarm sign for all of us” and urged residents of Cologne to avoid contact “even more consistently than before” and to keep practicing social distancing and good hygiene measures.