Health – Freiburg im Breisgau – Freiburg University Hospital hopes for answers thanks to PCR tests – Health

Freiburg (dpa / lsw) – The planned large-scale PCR tests of schoolchildren and daycare children in Freiburg could, from the perspective of experts, provide important scientific findings in the fight against the corona pandemic. One hopes for answers to the question of how big the differences in the number of infections are depending on the age of the children, region and type of school, explained Dr. Roland Elling, who is in charge of the pilot project on the part of the Freiburg University Hospital. In addition, they want to research how the incidence numbers in schools are related to the overall incidence values ​​in the respective region – and thus also whether classroom teaching can also be carried out with higher incidence values ​​if the school incidences are low.

Freiburg is currently setting up a pilot project to test children. In doing so, so-called pool PCR tests are used. To do this, schoolchildren suck on cotton swabs. The chopsticks are put in drums together in classes and then taken to the laboratory, where they are collected and examined on the same day. Only if infections with the coronavirus are found in this collective test do the children have to go to the individual test again in the evening. Parents are to be automatically informed of the test results or invited to retests via a specially purchased IT system. Freiburg’s Lord Mayor Martin Horn (independent) wants to gradually extend the tests to more and more schools.

From the point of view of the State Ministry of Social Affairs, the Freiburg test strategy could also be used as an alternative to rapid tests in other cities and communities – if there is a laboratory that is as close as possible and that ensures regular testing, as a spokesman said. Another prerequisite is that there is good communication with the people to be tested.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210416-99-231971 / 3

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