Munich According to the Munich infectiologist Clemens Wendtner, the first results of corona antibody studies underline the need for a vaccination to contain the pandemic. “The infection rate in the population is so low that we cannot rely on herd immunity,” said the chief physician at the Infectious Disease Clinic in Schwabing. The first corona patients were treated there in January. “We are extremely far away from 70 percent contamination. That is why finding a vaccine is important. In my opinion, without vaccination we will not get any herd immunity. ”In addition, the informative value of the antibody studies is limited. They only stated whether someone had gone through an infection, but not whether they were now immune to Sars-CoV-2.
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Open questions
Which cells and antibodies in the body ensure immunity and how long it lasts are open questions in ongoing studies. “At least we know that neutralizing antibodies offer protection against further infection. We don’t know how long. ”Studies on recovered patients showed that the number of neutralizing antibodies fell sharply again after weeks.
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In addition, the tests say nothing about the so-called T-cell immunity. It works via T lymphocytes, which can kill virus-infected cells once they have got to know their opponent. The role of these cells in the fight against the Covid19 virus also needs further research.
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Adhere to protective measures
It is all the more important to continue to exercise caution, said Wendtner. “It is important to me that each individual can make an extremely important contribution by then by adhering to the applicable protective measures.”
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