Germany will issue coronavirus antibody certificates to allow quarantined to re-enter society
Researchers to test thousands for immunity as Berlin plans exit strategy for pandemic lock down
David Chazan Paris 29 March 2020 • 4:59pm
The novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2, which causes the Covid-19 disease. Credit: NIAID/NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
German researchers plan to introduce coronavirus ‘immunity certificates’ to facilitate a proper transition into post-lockdown life, as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s handling of the crisis has led to a boost in the polls.
The antibodies will indicate that the test participants have had
the virus, have healed and are thereby ready to re-enter society and the workforce. The researchers plan to test 100,000 members of the public at a time, issuing documentation to those who have overcome the virus.
The researchers will use the information to determine how to properly end the county’s lockdown, including re-opening schools and allowing mass gatherings.
The immunity certificates are part of a research project being carried out at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig in coming weeks which will conduct blood tests to look for antibodies produced against the novel coronavirus in the general public, reports German magazine Der Spiegel.
“Those who are immune can then be given a vaccination certificate that would, for example, allow them to be exempt from any (lockdown-related) restrictions on their work,” said Gerard Krause, the epidemiologist leading the project.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has seen her approval ratings rise over her handling of the crisisCredit: Fabian Strauch/dpa
The test will give researchers a better idea of how many people have contracted the virus, with indications in Germany and elsewhere that large proportions of the population may have contracted it without knowing.
The test is also an improvement on existing blood tests which would indicate a degree of immunity to coronaviruses, but not specifically to Covid-19.
The project is yet to receive final approval but is expected to go ahead in April, with the first wave of results ready by the end of the month.
Despite having the fifth highest number of infected cases anywhere in the world, Germany has one of the lowest death rates – which has been at least in part credited to the government’s proactive testing regime.
A German military plane yesterday took patients from eastern France, one of the worst-hit areas in the country, to Germany. A small group of patients from eastern France and Lombardy, in northern Italy, are already being treated in Germany.
The government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has seen a surge in public support for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has experienced a boost in the polls since the outbreak started.
On Sunday, her approval ratings were between 32 and 35 percent – a six to seven percent increase on ratings before the pandemic hit.
Support for Mrs Merkel’s governing CDU-SPD coalition has also risen, while the standing of the far-Right Alternative for Germany party has falled below ten percent in recent days.
Polling released on Sunday shows the governing coalition is enjoying a majority for the first time since June 2018.
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