Germany could issue thousands of people coronavirus ‘immunity certificates’ so they can leave the lockdown early
- Scientists (however) remain unsure about the extent to which past infection with the virus can prevent reinfection and for how long immunity will remain.
- German researchers want to send out hundreds of thousands of coronavirus-antibody tests over the coming weeks, Der Spiegel reported.
- People who test positive for the antibodies could be given an “immunity certificate” that would allow them to leave their coronavirus lockdown early.
- Other countries, including the United Kingdom, are planning mass testing to ease lockdowns.
(Business Insider) – Germans could soon be issued “immunity certificates” that would allow them to leave the country’s coronavirus lockdown earlier than the rest of the population if they test positive for antibodies to the virus.
States across Germany are in lockdown, with strict quarantines imposed in some parts of the country.
However, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig want to send out hundreds of thousands of antibody tests over the coming weeks that could allow people to break free of the lockdowns, Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
If the project is approved, the researchers will test 100,000 people at a time starting in early April, Der Spiegel said.
The tests are designed to detect whether a person has developed antibodies to the COVID-19 virus, indicating that they were at one time a carrier and may have built up immunity.
A positive test could allow the person to leave the lockdown while many positive tests could allow governments to ease restrictions in areas with “herd immunity.”
