Coronavirus: what we know, what we don’t know



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WHAT WE DON’T KNOW:

How long do they protect antibodies.

The findings on the antibodies the body produces against SARS-CoV-2 are important for vaccine research and provide information on the possibility of immunity after the disease. In several studies to date, researchers have found that permanent protection is unlikely because the level of antibodies drops rapidly. So far, documented secondary infections have been mild, but they seem possible. A scientific paper from the United States now holds new hope: Researchers have noticed a decrease in antibodies. The remaining antibodies became more effective at fighting the virus. Effective protection could be established much more quickly.

What role do children play.

Children play a subordinate role in the epidemiological chain – is the common opinion. Young children in particular are considered to be more difficult to infect, are more difficult to transmit the virus and, due to the often mild symptoms, they tend to shed fewer viruses. However, they can carry as much viruses as adults. There is now mounting evidence that the risk posed by children may have been underestimated. An antibody study shows that six times more children in Bavaria were infected than originally reported. Experts believe that the number of infections may be skewed, as children (mainly at the start of the pandemic, but even today) are tested less often.

How big is the role of aerosols.

British virologist Julian Tang recently wrote in the Guardian that the danger of the smallest airborne virus-containing particles could have been underestimated. You could fly over a meter indoors. “Aerosols are distributed everywhere and relatively quickly, so that we breathe them all the time,” explains aerosol researcher Martin Kriegel. The RKI now lists aerosols along with larger droplets as the primary route of transmission. How long the droplets and aerosols float in the air depends on the particle size, temperature, room size, air draft and humidity.

What the optimal block looks like.

The researchers found in the models that a long block may be optimal for one company and a short one for another. Although the companies are similar. It could not be said that a country is behaving irrationally if it has not had a blockade. Alexia Fürnkranz-Prskawetz University Mathematics: “Small changes in the weighting of health and the economy can have huge effects. A society that focuses more on health will opt for a longer block. Keep it shorter.”

Where the virus originated.

Virologists have decoded the SARS-CoV-2 genome in a very short time. Where the virus originated is still unclear, as is when the virus passed from animals to humans. Bats as original hosts and pangolins are conceivable, sold at the wild animal market in Wuhan, where the first human could be infected. Theories that the virus came from the lab have been refuted.

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