Coronavirus in Germany: A study is to show that humans can develop immunity to Sars-CoV-2. Experts are now expressing criticism and doubts.
- A study on the corona virus * causes a stir in Germany.
- It is designed to show that humans can develop immunity to Sars-CoV-2.
- There are doubts about the quality of the study, and it may even be methodologically incorrect.
Update of April 12 : The virologist Hendrik Streeck has rejected criticism of the publication of an interim result for a study in the Gangelt community in North Rhine-Westphalia, which is particularly affected by the coronavirus. The scientist from the University of Bonn told the Tagesspiegel in Berlin on Sunday that the field study complied with all recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). "We even exceed these recommendations, " said Streeck of the study, which examines 1,000 people from 400 households.
“Interim results are constantly communicated at congresses all over the world. Only this enables a current scientific discussion. “To claim that this is unscientific is simply not true, the researcher complained.
Streeck also rejected criticism that the interim result had been published too early. “The publication was by no means easy. We discussed into the night of Thursday whether we should now present the first data. We decided to do this for ethical reasons and because we felt obliged to report a valid interim status based on scientific criteria before publication. ”This is absolutely normal.
Coronavirus in Germany: criticism of Heinsberg study - Virologist Drosten is now turning on
First report from April 11:
Munich - When the first results of a study were presented in Düsseldorf on Thursday, attention was high in Germany. According to initial examinations in the Heinsberg district (North Rhine-Westphalia), virologist Hendrik Streeck from the University of Bonn and other experts found that 15 percent of the examined citizens were able to detect a corona infection and that this had developed immunity .
It has already been speculated whether the stringent measures to curb the rapid spread of the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen could be relaxed. Streeck said that it was possible to enter "phase two".
Coronavirus in Germany: Great doubts about the Heinsberg study
But doubts about the quality of the study quickly arose. "There is simply so little explanation that you don't understand everything," criticized virologist Christian Drosten of the Berlin Charité for presenting the interim results at a press conference.
According to a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung , the Heinsberg study , which focused on the community of Gangelt - the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic - could even be methodologically incorrect .
Gérard Krause from the Helmholtz Institute for Infection Research gives the reason. According to the Braunschweig infection epidemiologist, there are still no widely available tests that can reliably prove immunity.
Coronavirus in Germany: Virologist Drosten points to problem with antibody tests
Virologist Drosten also sees a problem with the antibody tests . These could in part be used to detect antibodies against harmless cold pathogens, which also belong to the coronavirus , according to the 48-year-old. The Helmholtz Institute confirms this thesis, as the SZ reports. According to this, a third of the colds are caused by four known, harmless corona viruses.
Furthermore, it is said that only extensive neutralization tests have so far been able to prove that the person concerned has undergone an infection with Sars-CoV-2 *. However, this was not mentioned by Hendrik Streeck at the press conference on April 9th.
Virologist Hendrik Streeck from the University of Bonn.
© dpa / Federico Gambarini
Heinsberg study methodically incorrect? All people in a household tested
Another point of criticism of the study by the scientist and his team: Individual households were selected for the tests and all people in these households were tested . "You should not take all the results from these households and convert them into percent, but at most one person per household," says epidemiologist Gérard Krause. The risk of infection within a household is many times higher than that of the general population . A complete count of all Family members therefore give an excessive percentage for immunity.
According to SZ, it also had a bitter aftertaste that Kai Diekmann , former editor-in-chief of Bild , had taken over the Facebook appearance of Streeck's study with his social media agency "Storymachine". According to the report, the 55-year-old was involved in the scandal surrounding the Heidelberg blood test for breast cancer last year as a PR consultant. The SPD member of the Landtag Sarah Philipp now wants to know from the North Rhine-Westphalian government whether public funds have gone to the agency.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
sk / dpa
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Roberto Pfeil