Germany implements Europe’s first large-scale antibody testing program

Germany implements Europe’s first large-scale coronavirus Antibody test To help researchers assess infection rates and more effectively monitor the spread of the virus.

Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, released details of three serological tests on Thursday. One is a blood donation, one is from four regions of the country where the outbreak of the virus has been seen, a representative study of a larger population.

When determining infection rates, experts now use models based on data that can quickly become stale or incomplete, and spot checks and randomized tests are a better approach. I’ve been arguing for a long time.

However, no country has successfully implemented a national antibody testing program.

According to Health Minister Jens Spahn, Germany is already emerging as the leader in testing for the coronavirus itself, performing up to 100,000 tests per day.

The purpose of the Sars-CoV-2 antibody test program was to determine the number of Germans immunized against the virus, and how large the proportion of asymptomatic cases was Is to look at the “percentage”. “Said Dr. Willer.

The test also revealed the number of people who died in Germany and added how high the mortality rate was, he added.

All three studies will be jointly conducted by the Robert Koch Institute, the Virus Institute at Charite Hospital in Berlin, and the Helmholtz Infectious Diseases Research Center in Braunschweig.

Initially, up to 15,000 samples are taken every 14 days from blood donation. Second, a representative blood sample is taken from approximately 2,000 people and focused on the four areas where Covid-19 is most affected. Work on the first and second surveys will begin next week, with first results expected in May.

Third, 15,000 people will be tested for antibodies in 150 regions of Germany. Work will begin next month.

Willer said the test would allow health authorities to “better understand and understand the course of the epidemic.” He added that he could more effectively evaluate the steps taken to slow the spread of the virus and provide more information about unrecorded cases that were not reflected in official statistics, he added. Was.

Knowing how far the virus has spread and how many infected people have died can help authorities determine when people can be allowed to return to normal life.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control also conduct antibody tests. One study included blood samples from people who were not diagnosed with the virus at the coronavirus hotspot, the second was a national survey from various parts of the country, and the third was a survey of healthcare professionals .

Earlier this week, Finland Finnish broadcaster Yle has announced a similar, but small, antibody testing program aimed at testing a randomly selected sample of 750 people / week.

Tim Colborn, associate professor at the University of London’s University College Global Health Institute, said that knowing the actual infection rates from random antibody tests was “very helpful.”

“Efforts to measure the prevalence of Covid infection through random sampling of the population will shed light on this important unknown,” he said.
He added that better ideas for infection rates could help identify clusters and target health interventions.

Other countries have announced plans to conduct nationwide tests, but have had difficulty getting them to the ground. India announced on April 4 that it will begin a rapid antibody test for people reporting coronavirus symptoms at the “containment zone” (a hotspot where infections are high) and at large transition centers. It bid for the test last month.

But it has not yet Increase capacity And after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put the country under a strict 21-day blockade, disrupting the supply of test kits, he faces significant logistical challenges.

Some governments have seen antibody testing as an important stepping stone to mitigate some of the stringent lockdown measures introduced around the world to curb pandemics.

One of the main caveats is that scientists have not reached a consensus on whether the immune response to Sars-Cov2 is adequate and sustained.

But experts say that better testing and a more thorough depiction of epidemiology will help health authorities respond more quickly and stop the crowds and outbreaks before they surge.

Additional report by Stephanie Findlay in New Delhi