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Almost a hundred cases more than the previous record, 459 new coronavirus infections have been detected in Hungary in the last 24 hours. How reliable can we be in current tests?
Diagnostic PCR tests (based on the polymerase chain reaction) already use internal controls so precise that they almost completely rule out false results. They are nearly 99.9 percent accurate. Antibody tests, on the other hand, are not very valuable because immunity is lowered. Antibodies are just markers, they simply indicate the immune system’s response to viruses. T lymphocytes have real meaning, but there is no proof for it yet.
Can you expect flock immunity in the second wave?
There will be no spontaneous immunity to flocks. The vaccine alone can induce immunity in the flock, not spontaneous infection, as shown by cases of reinfection. If there were immunity to flocks, the protection developed in them would have prevented re-infection. The Swedes tried, they did not enter, compared to other Scandinavian countries, more of them died as a result of Covid-19.
Is there a new way to defend?
The mask and testing are still a matter of life. I think testing costs money and is a very bad decision. Much research remains to be done to detect the outbreaks. Educators who have been in an airspace with dozens of children for four days must be tested. In addition, doctors, healthcare workers, social workers, and healthcare workers must be tested regularly.
It is becoming more and more certain that the type of blood also counts in the infection.
Yes, people with blood group A seem to be more susceptible to infections, which can have a genetic background.
Speaking of genes, are men really more exposed to the coronavirus?
Men seem to have more illnesses, making them more susceptible to Covid-19. This is due to a lack of estrogen, which probably gives women greater immunity to the coronavirus.
What else can help the immune system fight disease?
There are no exclusively immune boosters, I can say ordinary basics. Sleeping well, for example, significantly improves the defenses of our immune system. Intake of water at proper intervals is important because it increases blood volume, which moves the blood that carries the immune system to the capillaries. In addition, by increasing blood circulation, exercise also helps the production of various mediator molecules in muscle cells, increasing the number of immune cells. Therefore, their reconnaissance and combat units reach different parts of our body faster.
Is it worth equipping ourselves with vitamins?
In the current Covid-19 virus, vitamin D seems to play a bigger role in defense, which is important because there are many people with vitamin D deficiency among Hungarians.
What can be the best vaccine?
There will not be one of the vaccines, there will be many, which is good. But let’s not forget that 7.5 billion people need to be vaccinated. The whole world!
How safe will it be?
I know that the Hungarian government has ordered a vaccine to be developed at Oxford, about which promising news is coming. The vaccine must always go through many filters. Although there is a lot of pressure to do it as quickly as possible, you still have to go through testing phases that are accepted by science.
I mean: profession and not politics.
Many rapid tests were carried out in March, many of which were inoperable. Many people were said to be infected and others not, while the opposite could be the case. That is why it is important that the profession decides which vaccine to vote for, not the politicians.
What do you think, kShould vaccination be appropriate?
I am on the side of mandatory vaccination. Just think of how well BCG has benefited everyone who is vaccinated with it. In post-socialist countries, BCG has been mandatory for about 70-80 years, which can be considered a great decision today.
Are side effects expected from the vaccine?
Some mild and rare side effects are definitely to be expected. For example, if someone is very fond of sweets and the first cream of their life turns out to be lactose sensitive, it will only be safe if they eat the cream. The test should not have side effects in 10 out of 100 people, but in 10 out of 10 million. The British version has already been tested by a thousand volunteers without side effects.
When is vaccination expected?
I am more skeptical than average, I guess for the second quarter of next year. By March-April 2021, which is not necessarily a science, but a delay in production.
(Cover image: András Falus. Photo: Lajos Soós / MTI)
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