93 percent of Dutch blood donors now have antibodies against the corona virus in their blood, blood bank Sanquin reports. The vast majority of those antibodies were obtained through vaccination.
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Antibodies are also in the blood if someone has had a corona infection. Sanquin can use tests to determine whether the antibodies against the virus arise from vaccination or from infection
The vaccination strategy is clearly reflected in the increase in antibodies among increasingly younger donors. From mid-April to mid-July, the number of donors with antibodies rose every week, by an average of 5 percent per week. From mid-June, the blood bank also sees donors under the age of 30 with antibodies increase rapidly.
A – nicely high – ceiling seems to have been reached among donors over the age of 30, where the increase in antibodies is only taking small steps. The few percent of donors without corona antibodies are people who have not been vaccinated, and have not had an infection. In a very small part, the antibodies may have dropped.
Sanquin virologist Hans Zaaijer emphasizes the importance of a balanced distribution of these vaccinations. “An average high percentage of people with antibodies does not mean that this is the same everywhere in the Netherlands, and that the protection against the virus is sufficient everywhere. People without antibodies are still at risk.”
By: ANP
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