Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Covid-19 Study

Back in March, in the early stages of the Covid-19 business in Germany....there was a village in eastern Germany had a severe up-start with the Coronavirus.  N-TV (commercial news) did a update on this village and a surprising research project by a university in the region.

This story revolves around Neustadt am Rennsteig.  Population 1,100 folks, and you'd classify it as a farming village.  Location?  About half-way between Jena and Fulda.  For an American, you'd say it's halfway in the middle of nowhere.  Near an autobahn?  No.  Any industry?  Just some folks who produce glass products.  Tourism?  Well, a fair number of folks come in the winter period to do hiking and ski activities. 

You might take the tourism angle and just suggest that some non-locals showed up in February and passed around Covid-19. 

This was the village that Thuringia (the state) went and did a complete 'lockdown'.  The infection rate set the pace for this action. 

So the University of Jena went recently and did a study of antibodies in the locals.  Free test.....plenty of volunteers.  It's been five months since the lockdown period and went back to normal.

The test results? About half of the folks who were noted with the virus in March....show NO antibodies now. 

Now, the number of folks who were identified with the virus in March?  49.  But they covered around 600-odd people to see if any other results showed up. 

All of this equaling?  More or less, if you get Covid-19, your immunity starts drifting immediately downward....in a matter of weeks, not months or years.  The way this was written....suggests that everyone has a different pattern, where some have immunity that lingers longer than others.  Reason?  Unknown, and it might be years before they figure out why Johann is different from his wife Rita. 

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