Scientists to study course of coronavirus in 'Germany's Wuhan' to understand its spread and ways to contain it
To understand how the new coronavirus spreads and how it can be contained, German scientists have announced what they describe as a first-of-its-kind study that will use the country’s worst-hit district -- or what is being referred to as "Germany’s Wuhan" -- as a real-life laboratory.
Where is Germany’s ‘Wuhan’?
The district in question is Heinsberg, which is ground zero of Germany’s COVID-19 outbreak. “The first coronavirus infections had occurred in this district. The circle with the largest cluster of infected so far is considered to be the “epicenter” in Germany,” says a statement.
The virus has spread more widely among the 250,000 residents of Heinsberg – a district in North Rhine-Westphalia bordering the Netherlands – than anywhere else in Germany. Its infection rate is said to five times higher than the German average, reports The Times. There are over 1,300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 37 deaths in the district. More than 550 people have recovered from the illness so far.
“The advance of the virus in Heinsberg, nicknamed “Germany’s Wuhan” after the Chinese city where the global pandemic emerged, is between two to two and a half weeks ahead of the rest of the country,” says The Guardian.
The experts of the current study said that they were unaware of any other studies of this nature being carried out in other hotspots, such as Wuhan in China.
(Axel Heimken/Pool Photo via AP)
What is the study?
Renowned Virologist and director of the Institute of Virology at the University Clinic Bonn, Dr Hendrik Streeck, with a team of 20 medical students, will research the course of infections in the district.
Other well-known researchers are involved in the planning and implementation of the study, such as the head of the Institute for Hygiene, Dr Martin Exner, and Leibniz Prize winner Dr Gunther Hartmann, who logistically supports the research. The work is being carried out in collaboration with the Heinsberg Health Department and the district administrator, Stephan Pusch.
The study has been named -- COVID-19 case cluster study. “The state government, together with the district of Heinsberg and the Institute of Virology at the University Clinic in Bonn, initiated a unique corona research project. From Monday (March 30, 2020), Dr Streeck, with a team of 20 medical student assistants research the course of infections in the district of Heinsberg,” reads the statement.
The research project is scheduled to run for four weeks. The scientific team is interviewing patients to identify possible causal chains with previous illnesses and to use them to generate recommendations for the German and European population as a whole.
Why is this study important?
The experts will study how the virus spreads, how many people are infected, what the estimated number of undetected cases might be nationwide, and which measures have helped to slow down the disease. In the process, the experts will also gather information as to how to deal with COVID-19 and in what ways the disease can be further contained.
The experts believe that the course of the infection process at Heinsberg can provide answers and insights for the whole of Germany. They believe that it holds the answers to unresolved questions that could make the difference between an indefinite and uncertain future under lockdown and a gradual return to normalcy. The results could have implications for other countries as well.
“The district of Heinsberg is an ideal situation to find answers for the rest of Germany. In this situation I see the task of science to quickly create facts,” says Dr Streeck in the statement. Pusch hopes that the study will help explain how “normalization of everyday life can be made possible for people throughout Germany.”
The goals of the study include determining the “undisclosed figure” of the SARS-CoV-2-infected and those who have already been through an infection.
“A study center is being set up in Gangelt, the starting point of the epidemic. It will investigate how many people in the Gangelt community are exactly infected with the coronavirus, who is at particular risk and what solutions there are for this crisis,” says a local report.
Virological diagnostics, including the living environment, as well as a questionnaire study, will be used to assess the extent to which the tests carried out were correct and how the virus can possibly be transmitted via air, surfaces, consumer goods, food, and water. Besides, the test subjects will be interviewed about previous illnesses and causal chains (travel, food, animal contact) to generate “prevention recommendations for the entire German and European population,” say experts.
“The scientists plan to go into homes, schools, and hospitals and examine how the virus impacts everyday life, researching, for example, how it is spread through surfaces, mobile phones, door handles or TV remote controls,” says another local report.
The initial results are expected to be made public soon. “The results, the first of which could be released in days, will be crucial in shaping the response to the pandemic. If, for example, it should turn out that a large proportion of the sample is carrying the virus with no symptoms, Europe may have a far worse problem on its hands than it thinks, in the shape of a hidden reservoir of disease,” reports The Times. The article further says, “If, on the other hand, the council’s drastic measures turn out to have done the job, the cluster study could strengthen the case for lifting some restrictions within weeks.”
Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann says in the statement through the study, “we hope to gain new and additional knowledge about the virus in order to at least limit the spread. We hope that our medical facilities will be able to optimize the hygiene and disinfection measures.”