Antibody tests have been stealing the spotlight lately because they might be able to show if you’ve ever had COVID-19, even if you never had any symptoms or knew you were infected. If it turns out you were, it could mean you’re now immune to the coronavirus and it’s safe to be around others.
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But there’s a lot of confusion and debate surrounding what antibody tests can and can’t do, if they’re even reliable enough to tell us anything useful, and where and how you can take the tests. Here’s what we know (and don’t know) so far.
One more note: This article is intended to be a resource to help you understand current coronavirus testing as presented by organizations such as the US Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It isn’t intended to serve as medical advice. If you’re seeking more information about coronavirus testing, here’s how to find a testing site near you (here’s another way for Apple Maps users). Here’s how to know if you qualify for a test and why there aren’t any coronavirus at-home test kits yet. This story is updated frequently as new information comes to light.
What is antibody testing for coronavirus?
An antibody test is a type of medical test that could help doctors determine if you have ever been infected with the coronavirus, regardless of whether or not you ever felt sick. This is important because many who contract the disease are asymptomatic.
Antibody testing does not, however, reveal whether you are currently infected with the virus, nor does it indicate whether you have recovered from it if you did have it. The test only shows whether or not at some point you had the virus — nothing more, nothing less.
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Why is the antibody test such a big deal?
A positive antibody test result usually means you’re immune to the disease being tested for. Although researchers don’t know enough about COVID-19 yet to be able to say for sure whether you’ll be immune, the hope is that people who have recovered from the disease won’t be able to catch it again, or, for that matter, infect others.
If that turns out to be the case, once a high enough percentage of the population has developed immunity to the coronavirus, a form of indirect protection called “herd immunity” might shield those who haven’t been exposed yet from getting the disease — and help usher in an end to the pandemic.
Can antibody tests tell if you’re immune to coronavirus?
With other diseases caused by coronaviruses — like SARS and MERS — a positive antibody test usually indicates some degree of immunity. However, the World Health Organization has warned that scientists don’t know enough yet about this new coronavirus — which is technically called SARS-CoV-2 — to be able to say one way or the other. They’re working on figuring it out.
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How does antibody testing work?
Antibody testing looks for proteins in the blood, called antibodies, which are left over after your body fights off a disease. When your immune system detects a new infection, your body starts producing antibodies, which it then trains to fight that specific invader. These antibodies figure out the invader’s weaknesses, then neutralize, destroy and ultimately remove it from your body.
After it’s gone, your body continues producing antibodies in case it ever comes back. That’s what the coronavirus antibody tests look for — the leftover antibodies your immune system produced to fight the coronavirus.
Where can I get a coronavirus antibody test?
For now, you’ll have to start by talking to your doctor or another health care practitioner who is licensed to order lab tests. Guidelines vary by provider and by state, but generally you have to have been asymptomatic for one to two weeks (including the day of the test).
Up until this week, antibody tests have not been widely available in the US, so health care professionals and first responders have been given priority. But starting April 27, you can get an FDA-authorized coronavirus antibody test at LabCorp facilities or doctors’ offices and health care facilities staffed with a LabCorp technician (there are thousands nationwide).
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What is an antigen?
An antigen is a substance that usually comes from your environment and makes you sick when it gets inside your body. Common antigens include bacteria and viruses. Antigens trigger your immune system to produce antibodies, which fight back.
Antigens can get into your system much the same way you bring the substances you need to survive into your body. You can inhale airborne antigens into your lungs when you breathe, for example. Or you can bring antigens into your mouth when you, say, pick up an infectious substance like the coronavirus off a surface with your hands, then touch your face.
Antigens can also get into your body through your ears, eyes and nose. Rarely, but occasionally, you can absorb them through your skin.
How is antigen testing different from antibody testing?
An antigen test looks to see if you currently have the disease by searching for genetic information unique to a particular virus or bacterium. It tells doctors whether you are currently infected or not, but not if you were infected in the past and have since recovered.
Conversely, an antibody test only shows whether or not you’ve had the disease in the past. It can take up to two weeks for antibodies to be detectable in your blood — usually long after the virus has been defeated and an antigen test would come back negative.
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What is serology or a serology test?
Serology refers to the study of blood serum, and the vast majority of serology testing is done to detect antibodies. Other body fluids, like saliva, can be tested too, but that’s because they contain trace elements of blood, which is what’s actually being tested.
Serology tests can also determine blood type when donating blood or receiving a transfusion. They can be used to measure the levels of pharmaceuticals present in the bloodstream, during a drug trial, for example. But most of the time, when experts use the phrase “serology” or “serology testing,” they’re talking about antibody tests.
Although increased antibody testing may help hasten the end of lockdown, it’s not the only thing that can speed the return to normalcy. Here’s a look at what needs to happen before shelter-in-place orders begin to be lifted in the US. If you or someone in your home contracts COVID-19, here are the steps you need to take to avoid spreading the virus further. And here’s what to do to stay safe when you have no choice but to venture out in public.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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