Researchers in Germany may need to test thousands for their immunity with Berlin planning its exit strategy from the lockdowns because of the pandemic.
German researchers planned on introducing so-called coronavirus immunity certificates that will ease the transition when post-lockdown life happens.
This certificate would allow Germans to leave the lockdown earlier than the remaining population if they’re positive to the antibodies.
Some states in Germany are on lockdown and there are still stricter quarantines in some areas.
Is this the Best Way to Break Free from the Lockdowns?
The researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig want to send out antibody tests to help people leave lockdowns easier.
These tests are designed to check if a person’s immunity has begun developing antibodies to the virus and indicate that they once carried the virus and may now have immunity.
With a positive test, the person may leave lockdown and governments would be able to relieve the restrictions in areas with the so-called herd immunity.
The head of the project, epidemiologist Gerard Krause, said that the people who turn out to be immune may be given a vaccination card that could allow them to be exempt from work-related restrictions.
The good news is that Germany is among those countries with lowest death rates from the Covid-19, which some experts claim is a result of the testing rolled out by the government of Angela Merkel.
Other Countries with Similar Plans?
The UK is with similar plans concerning antibody testing to reduce the restrictions.
The government of Boris Johnson has already ordered millions at-home testing kits that, if they get approved, may be sent to the frontline workers and sold online and in pharmacies.
But, the testing to the coronavirus has had mixed results throughout the world.
Spain recently had to return tens of thousands of fast coronavirus tests ordered from a Chinese company because they were found to give inconsistent results.
Some showed false positives and others detected antibodies to some other more common coronaviruses.
This is why there’s still doubt among scientists about the extent to which past infection with this virus can avert reinfection and the duration of the immunity.
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