Thursday, May 21, 2026

Why 2G and 3G are not enough to fight the fourth wave


Mr. Karch, the 3-G rule has been in effect in our office for several weeks. I have been vaccinated twice since the summer. Should I still be tested?

Generally speaking, there is nothing against daily testing. But you have to weigh: if you do not accept the test, what are the risks? How much does the test cost? If we recommend three PCR tests per day, it will not help anyone. If you do not have any symptoms, then a weekly deep nasal swab check and a self-check every two days at the testing center are absolutely acceptable to you.

The fixed cohort is tested regularly in schools. Does this also make sense in the workplace?

Of course, this reduces the likelihood that someone will be infected without knowing it, which has a positive effect. If you can do these pool tests, it is better than everyone doing the tests at home. This is of course not only useful in schools. Of course, the question is always: how do you deal with people who have been vaccinated? Since we haven’t done too many tests on vaccinated people in the past few months, there must be many undetected infected people among them.

So should all people who have been vaccinated receive more testing?

People who are vaccinated are less likely to spread it than people who have not been vaccinated. However, the gap is getting smaller and smaller. Of course, people who have been vaccinated contribute less to what happens in the intensive care unit. However, in terms of transmission, the difference is no longer that big. It makes sense to provide tests for vaccinated people, especially in the workplace.

André Karch is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Münster, Germany. Together with physicist Viola Priesemann and other authors, he submitted a strategic paper on the COVID-19 pandemic this winter.


André Karch is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Münster, Germany. Together with physicist Viola Priesemann and other authors, he submitted a strategic paper on the COVID-19 pandemic this winter.
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Picture: Picture Union/dpa/dpa pool


First of all, vaccinations can protect me from serious diseases. Second, it reduces my risk of infecting others. Which wears faster?

There is evidence that protection against serious diseases fades a little bit slower than protection against infection or infection. If we look at the situation in the intensive care unit, the contribution of the unvaccinated people is even greater. However, as far as the spread of the virus is concerned, both unvaccinated and vaccinated people have played a role-the latter is increasing. They are also tested less frequently than people who have not been vaccinated. At the same time, they have fewer restrictions on their actions because they mistakenly believe that they are protected.



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