In a bid to get people out of lockdown, Germany is rolling out antibody tests to 100,000 people in the next few weeks. It is also ramping up its daily mass testing to 200,000!
The ambitious project enables officials to identify people who are already infected with the novel coronavirus and give out 'immunity certificates' to those who have already built up their immunity.
What other countries can learn from Germany?
The country analyzes about 100,000 PCR tests daily which involve throat swabs to collect active infections.
Health officials of Germany would then use the information pooled from the testing to evaluate the viability of concluding the lockdown. With advice from researchers, they could then be able to determine when to reopen schools and allow mass gatherings.
As the country also plans to replicate the success of Korea in slowing the spread of coronavirus, Germany likewise plans to test 200,000 individuals daily.
Compared to other countries in Europe, Germany is more aggressive in mass testing at a current rate of up to 500,000 a week.
As of this writing, Germany has over 60,000 COVID-19 cases and 600 deaths, representing only less than 1%.
Will the UK follow suit?
Meanwhile, the U.K. government is yet to approve such Coronavirus antibody tests despite promises that the DIY kits could be made available by the second week of April.
Labor Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth urged the U.K Government to follow the approach of Germany in rolling out antibody tests to get millions of people back to work.
'Germany appears to be leading the way in the testing and we have much to learn from their approach,' he said.
According to Daily Mail, mass testing in the U.K is ten times lower than Germany. This is blamed not on facility shortage but on lack of organization.
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