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The Amazon metropolis of Manaus may have survived the Corona crisis. A team of scientists from the Institute of Tropical Medicine of the University of São Paulo examined more than a thousand samples from blood donors and found antibodies against the coronavirus in 44 percent.
The scientists examined blood samples from people in Manaus that had been given since February 2020. Because the amount of antibodies in the blood decreases over time, the researchers assume that 66 percent of donors were already infected.
Rapid expansion at the beginning
Experts assume that a population has achieved herd immunity with an infection level of 66 percent. At this point, some viruses can no longer spread because they can no longer find enough carriers for a chain of transmission.
In fact, the coronavirus spread rapidly in the Brazilian city of 1.8 million as of March. The gravediggers were reportedly no longer keeping up with the excavation of the graves and some of the dead were stored in refrigerated containers. Aerial photographs of Manaus show a cemetery with a new grave lined up below.
Turn by miracle
During the height of the crisis in May, up to 80 people died daily in Manaus from the disease caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus. But no drastic measures were taken against the spread. However, the turning point came in May: the number of infections dropped significantly, miraculously.
Ester Sabino’s team from the University of São Paulo suspects, according to their preliminary study, which has not yet been reviewed by uninvolved colleagues, that the reason for the decline in the number of infections is the increase in the number of immune people. However, the study has weak points. For example, samples examined from blood donors are not representative of the entire population.
According to projections, the study authors assume that 0.28 percent of all those infected in the city died. In absolute numbers, the researchers expect 4,200 deaths per corona. It should be noted that Manaus has an extraordinarily young age structure: the majority of the population is 30 years old or younger. (noo)
