Academy Calls for Extensive Testing, Strong Healthcare

The recommendation prepared by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, compiled by immunologists, physicians, and biologists, makes specific professional recommendations to the government and authorities for the short- and long-term treatment of the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to the recommendation, the continuous application of tests of the right quantity and quality is an essential condition for both short-term and long-term treatment of the epidemic. On the one hand, many more tests should be performed that detect the infection itself (rtPCR), especially in vulnerable target groups (health care workers, residents of nursing homes, all patients admitted to hospital, etc.) and their environment.

However, long-term epidemiological measures will also need to identify susceptible and already protected people (people already immune to the virus) who have not yet contracted the disease. This requires other types of tests: tests that detect antibodies in the blood that develop after infection.

Based on the results of a rapid and extensive testing, groups could be set up within the population in a registry system with adequate data protection. This could then be the basis for selective measures that better protect the members of the susceptible group and give the members of the protected group rights (and possibly an official certificate) to return to work. According to analyzes, selective epidemiological measures are more cost-effective than 'pull, let go' type measures. It is recommended that group segregation should be ensured until vaccination or effective drug prevention is available.

The recommendation emphasizes that, in particular, contact detection, sampling, analysis and recording capacity need to be expanded as a matter of urgency.