The Brazilian city of Manaus could make history in the corona pandemic.
A study suggests that herd immunity could be achieved there - at a high cost.
Manaus could have developed the world's first
herd immunity
to the coronavirus.
Around
66 percent
of people
in the Brazilian city were already
infected.
But the unusual development has claimed a great many victims.
Manaus - At first glance, it looks like a
pandemic dream has
come true.
Because the Brazilian city of
Manaus
could have developed
herd immunity
against the
corona virus
.
But if you look more closely at the case, it quickly becomes clear that the wonderful salvation came at an extremely high price.
The
Covid 19 pandemic
* has also been
raging
in Brazil
since March
.
It is the country with the third highest number of cases in the world, after the US and India.
Over
142,000 people
have died there from the virus in the past few months.
Manaus was no exception to this situation.
The city in the
Amazon
was badly shaken, especially in the spring the numbers exploded.
But then they sank again - and without any special measures.
How can this be explained?
A pandemic dream come true?
Manaus may have achieved herd immunity
The city of over a million people may have achieved
herd immunity
.
At least
that is
what
an international team of researchers suspects in a
new study
that was
uploaded
to the
medRxiv
preprint
server a
few days ago
.
For their examination, the experts
tested
thousands of
blood samples
from blood donors in Manaus and São Paulo for
antibodies
against Sars-CoV-2 and were able to show how many of them were already infected with the virus.
The authors of the study state that around
66 percent of
the residents of Manaus
must have already had
the
coronavirus
and are therefore at least temporarily immune. * This rate is high enough to be able to speak of herd immunity.
This means that the virus
can no longer find enough victims for a chain of infection
within this specific group
.
The study has not yet been reviewed by specialist colleagues, the results are therefore preliminary.
Still, the analysis is remarkable.
Herd immunity in Manaus: But the price for the city was brutally high
But if the experts were right, it would also be clear: the
price
for this herd immunity was enormous.
According to the researchers' explanations, over
4,000 people died
in Manaus, a number that cannot be precisely identified was
seriously ill
and potentially suffered from
serious long-term effects
for years to come
.
The study gives an impressive insight into what can happen if the virus is largely given
free
rein - without protective measures and rules.
But the authors themselves warn that the results can
not simply be transferred to other contexts
.
Regional and local differences in terms of “demographics, behavior, susceptibility to infection and implementation of and compliance with non-pharmaceutical measures” are too different.
Corona pandemic: Clear words from the WHO - Herd immunity is not a solution
The
World Health Organization
(WHO)
Covid-19 Commissioner
, Maria van Kerkhove, recently emphasized that the world's population can only be
protected
from the coronavirus in the long term through
extensive vaccinations
.
It is not an option to hope for extensive immunity by infecting as many people as possible with the pathogen.
For this, a lot of people would have to become infected, many would become seriously ill and would have to go to hospitals.
"Achieving herd immunity naturally is dangerous because a
lot of people
would
die
," she said.
“There isn't a single infectious disease that has been brought under control by relying on
natural immunity
has set ”, underlined WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.
The
SPD member of the
Bundestag Karl Lauterbach is not a supporter of herd immunity either.
There is no better way to illustrate the concept of herd immunity ... pic.twitter.com/8Z0RGBmLRZ
- Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) September 21, 2020
Herd immunity does not mean permanent protection - is Manaus still threatening the second wave?
There is one more thing to consider: It is by no means certain that possible herd immunity
will remain
.
Some studies have already shown that the antibodies also disappear from the blood of people who have been infected.
The researchers in
Brazil
have also
observed this.
A
second wave of infection
* cannot therefore be ruled out in the future.
Manaus is by no means a model to imitate.
(mam / dpa) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen digital network
In the video: The Robert Koch Institute advised against an infection months ago