The good doctor came over to work on his Pandemic project yesterday and brought two Covid antibody tests, one for me and one for the Redhead, who deals with the public everyday at a local marina. I recently returned from South Dakota after the rally. Just to let you know; I’m not infecting anyone after Sturgis, I was cleared of ever having Covid, so was the Redhead.I’m surprised anyone reads any media or watches any news programs, especially after their reports on Sturgis. Hell, I immediately refused to subscribe to the Week Magazine again after they called the rally a Covid Spreader. The numbers were ridiculously low, but they still blamed bikers. You were way more likely to contact the disease by staying home. So, I asked the doctor to define the various tests. For instance if folks received some of the tests, they could have come into contact with the disease months before the rally. They could have also had some contact but were not contagious. The media just wanted to blame bikers.See below:
PCR tests look for pieces of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the nose, throat, or other areas in the respiratory tract to determine if the person has an active infection.
It does not help determine who had an infection in the past. If the public is allowed to administer the test, it is often inaccurate.
It does not help determine who had an infection in the past. If the public is allowed to administer the test, it is often inaccurate.
• It also does not help determine if a person who was exposed to COVID-19 will develop active infection during the two weeks after exposure.
In some people, the virus can only be found by PCR for a few days at the beginning of the infection, so the test might not find the virus if the swab is taken more than a few days after the illness starts.
• In some people, the virus can be found by PCR in the nose and throat for several weeks, even longer than the time that they are actually contagious to other people.
• This test requires certain kinds of swabs that are in short supply.
Antigen tests look for pieces of proteins that make up the SARS- CoV-2 virus to determine if the person has an active infection.
• It does not accurately rule out those who are not infected.
• Antigen tests are less sensitive than PCR tests, meaning there may be false negative results.
• Negative tests should be treated as presumptive. If a healthcare provider is concerned that the person has COVID-19, even after a negative antigen test, then the test result should be confirmed with PCR testing.
Antibody Test, also called Serology test looks for antibodies, specifically IgM and IgG, against SARS-CoV-2 in the blood to determine if there was a past infection. Antibodies is what gives your body the immunity to a particular virus.
A negative antibody test means that the person may not have had COVID-19 in the past. However, they could still have a current infection, and the antibody test was collected too soon to give a positive result.
• It can identify people who had an infection in the past, even if they had no symptoms of the illness.
• In some cases, it could help determine when COVID-19 illness occurred, since we know that IgM is formed before IgG and that IgM goes away before IgG.
• It can help determine who qualifies to donate convalescent plasma (a blood product that contains antibodies against COVID-19 and can be used as a COVID- 19 treatment).
• If lots of people take the test in a community, it can help public health leaders and researchers know what
percentage of the population has already had COVID-19.
• It may be negative if it is used too close to the beginning of an infection, which is why it should not be used to detect active COVID- 19 infection.
• In areas where there have not been many cases of COVID-19, many of the positive test results will actually be false positives (see Positive Predictive Value2). Some antibody tests have low sensitivity3 and specificity4 and thus may not produce reliable results.
• Some antibody tests may cross-react with other coronaviruses that are not SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, leading to false test results.
• We do not know yet if having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 can protect someone from getting infected again or, if they do, how long this protection might last. Until scientists get more information about whether antibodies protect against reinfection with this virus, everyone should continue to take steps to protect themselves and others, including staying at least 6 feet away from other people outside of their home (social distancing), even if they have had a positive antibody test.
If positive, the health department will interview the antibody-positive person about symptoms and if they were around someone who had COVID-19. If the person had symptoms or was around someone with COVID-19, the health department may recommend they get a PCR test. No contact tracing will be performed.
• If negative, no public health activities will be performed.
• In some cases, it could help determine when COVID-19 illness occurred, since we know that IgM is formed before IgG and that IgM goes away before IgG.
• It can help determine who qualifies to donate convalescent plasma (a blood product that contains antibodies against COVID-19 and can be used as a COVID- 19 treatment).
• If lots of people take the test in a community, it can help public health leaders and researchers know what
percentage of the population has already had COVID-19.
• It may be negative if it is used too close to the beginning of an infection, which is why it should not be used to detect active COVID- 19 infection.
• In areas where there have not been many cases of COVID-19, many of the positive test results will actually be false positives (see Positive Predictive Value2). Some antibody tests have low sensitivity3 and specificity4 and thus may not produce reliable results.
• Some antibody tests may cross-react with other coronaviruses that are not SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, leading to false test results.
• We do not know yet if having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 can protect someone from getting infected again or, if they do, how long this protection might last. Until scientists get more information about whether antibodies protect against reinfection with this virus, everyone should continue to take steps to protect themselves and others, including staying at least 6 feet away from other people outside of their home (social distancing), even if they have had a positive antibody test.
If positive, the health department will interview the antibody-positive person about symptoms and if they were around someone who had COVID-19. If the person had symptoms or was around someone with COVID-19, the health department may recommend they get a PCR test. No contact tracing will be performed.
• If negative, no public health activities will be performed.
–Bandit and Dr. Christian Reichardt
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