According to a study, protection against a severe course of the corona virus is widespread in Germany

Most Germans have “moderate to high protection” against a severe course of corona disease in the currently dominant virus variant. The leaders of the "Immunebridge" project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) presented this interim result in a press conference on Thursday.

Accordingly, they found antibodies against the s-antigen in 95 percent of the study participants. 48 percent had antibodies against the n-antigen, which indicates a corona infection that had gone through.

According to the Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck, the n-antigen decreases much faster than the s-antigen and only lasts about nine months in most people. It can therefore be assumed that the number of those who have recovered is probably even higher. However, the researchers also emphasized that the protection against infection with the omicron variant was only minimal; that would be shown by the currently increasing number of cases.

With the beginning of the cooler season, more and more people cough and sniffle. The number of corona infections is also at a high level. Prof. Hendrik Streeck advises at WELT not to let the “incidences drive you crazy”.

Source: WORLD

According to Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), the study helps to better predict the course of infection in autumn. Based on preliminary data from the beginning of August, models have already been carried out that would have developed possible scenarios for the winter. "It can be assumed that further protective measures only have to be taken in the case of a more dangerous variant," Stark-Watzinger concludes. The countries would now have a better basis for decision-making.

The "Immunebridge" interim results also show that there are still relevant immunity gaps in the risk groups: among those over 79 years of age, 38 percent would not have had four exposures confirmed by antibodies, for people with previous illnesses this figure is up to 56 percent .

The researchers were also able to identify clear regional differences: For example, only six percent of people in Schleswig-Holstein have not yet had three confirmed exposures, compared to twenty percent in Thuringia. According to Stark-Watzinger, the new vaccination campaign initiated by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) can now specifically advertise vaccinations where antibodies are not yet available in sufficient quantities.

For "Immunebridge", blood tests and surveys were carried out in population cohorts and a newly established sample panel from June to September in order to determine the immune status in the general population and in risk groups. The researchers have now been able to evaluate the data from 25,630 participants.

It was only in July that the Corona Expert Committee Germany issued a disastrous certificate for the collection and evaluation of data during the pandemic. The study now presented was therefore eagerly awaited.