Vaccinated and/or recovered: 2-G is safe

Isn’t the PCR test safer than 2-G? Example: An untested person with an itchy throat goes to a concert but does not notice the infection.

Wagner stresses that the fact that PCR tests outperform vaccination in terms of reducing risks “cannot be said under any circumstances.” One cannot test oneself to get out of the epidemic: “In combination with vaccination, however, the tests can effectively flatten the infection curve.” Redlberger-Fritz also rates PCR tests as snapshots, “which are usually taken the day before. If I was infected the day before, I could still be negative today, but six hours later I could be very positive.” People who have been vaccinated are less likely to cause a cascade of infection – unlike those who have only been tested with PCR.

How dangerous is it to vaccinate infected and untested people?

“There are also hits with 2-G,” Wagner says. For the fight against the fourth wave, regulation is “insufficient”. 2-G is useful “in getting people to get vaccinated and to prevent unvaccinated people, who are more likely to end up in hospitals, from going to public places where they can get infected.” Redlberger-Fritz sees it differently: it may happen that a vaccinated person is “unlucky and suffers from a major infection.” But then it can be assumed to be “less contagious” and, if the 2-G rule is in place, “you meet people who are less infected or not infected at all thanks to vaccination.” The positive effect of vaccination is increasing and “we have community protection”.

It considers that a superspreader event is unlikely to occur under these conditions. This means that 2-G is important to contain the epidemic. It is true that some vaccinated people who develop symptoms in the peak phase of infection can release the same number of viruses as those who have not been vaccinated, “but they release fewer infectious virus particles – and for a shorter period of time”. Vaccination has now been shown to be effective – and not only against severe courses: in about 70 percent of cases, it prevents infection completely.

Australian researchers also calculated that contact with unvaccinated people carries a 20 times greater risk of infection – compared to contact with a vaccinated person. The greatest risk of transmission is between two unvaccinated people; If both are vaccinated, the risk is reduced by a factor of 200 (see graphic above).

Should vaccinated people test themselves regularly?

Redlberger-Fritz: “I think it is very important that people who have been vaccinated be tested for symptoms, even if they are very mild. Or when visiting people who are at risk.” Wagner advocates a broader testing approach: “The safest option would be if vaccinated people with many contacts were tested three times a week.” The longer it has been since the second vaccination, the more often it is necessary to get yourself tested. “Only those who received a new batch do not need urgent testing.”