What do you think about the COVID-19 antibody tests?

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Hello,

My company is encouraging us to come back to the office on the 27th of April, or at the latest 11th of May. They are offering antibody tests to make us feel more at ease. I have been following these tests closely in the news and there is quite a bit of mixed messages on whether or not they work or if you can even build immunity to the virus.

In today's news, Roche has announced that they will be releasing an antibody test, which I am more likely to trust due to their worldwide leadership in diagnostics.

https://www.20min.ch/schweiz/news/st...-2021-12420033

Given the evidence, how do you feel about these tests? Would it make you more willing to go back to work or go out in public if you were found to have had the virus?

I am still not sure... I had a serious flu in the very last days of February. I suspect due to the symptoms and timing, that it very well may have been COVID-19. I am at high risk due to asthma and I would like to feel more at ease during this crisis.

Thanks for your feedback!

2
Putting aside the possibility that the tests have limited specificity, so even your result may not be accurate, the challenge is one of time.

If you have been infected & had no symptoms, not enough time may have passed for you to develop immunity. It takes several months for your body to build that immunity - it is one of the reasons the flu jabs are done in Oct/Nov, well ahead of the influenza peak in Jan. It is also why some people get flu even though they had the jab, as not enough time had passed.

So all the while you have not built immunity you are at risk of (re)infection if your immune system hasn‘t updated itself.

Nevermind the possibility that prior infection is not yet proven to protect against re-infection (although I would be surprised if this wasn‘t the case).

You may have had Covid-19, but statistically it is more likely to have been seasonal flu (as the timing would fit for the latter as well) and there were only a handful of recorded cases of C19 in CH at the time.

However, the symptoms can be differentiated. You say a serious flu - was it accompanied by shortness of breath (C19)? Did it put you in bed within 2 days of symptoms (likely flu)? Gradula and worsening dry cough (C19)? Body pain/aches (flu)? Guess you‘ve Googled the differences...

3
The antibody response is relatively quick - it has to be - days or weeks rather than months.

I found this good summary:

https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/20/...we-still-dont/

Roche say they will rather than they are -some of this may be logistics but I suspect the R&D department is working overtime.

I'm glad I don't have to work anymore, but if I did, it would be with a scarve around my face and keeping social distancing

4
Short-term antibodies that drive the body’s response (IgM) to an infection are not the same as those that store long-term immune memory (memory B cells that drive the IgG-based response). That’s the point I’m making. The latter takes time to establish and is a better “proof” of immunity and more useful to know than whether you have ever been exposed. For example, flu vaccines generate a long immune memory (the problem is that influenza mutates quickly), whereas you need boosters for tetanus. So prior exposure does not guarantee future immunity, so it is really important to understand what the test is for.

5
Hey there,

Anti-body tests do provide peace of mind, certainly for people who, knowingly or unknowingly, already contracted and recovered from the virus. However, as per stats recently released from the CH govt only up to 5% have achieved immunity. That is a very low figure. This means that the anti-body test may not be the right tool.

My workplace is contemplating a move back but they are on the safe side and would be the late mover to see what happens around. There are few colleagues who have made it plain that they will not go back till things substantially subside mainly due to being in high risk category.

6
Thorough and continued repeat testing is the key out of this until such point that we have a vaccine, which isn't 100% definite that we will, so I'm not hanging any hopes on that. I can get tested for the active virus or antibodies at my doctor's clinic now. The front page of the clinic website states this.

I do go out in public sporadically. My partner has been told that home work will continue for them, and whilst they're able to social distance within the office, it's the lift and public transport which are his concerns. He was quite nonchalant at the beginning of all this, but I think everyone has a moment when things clicked in their head and became real. His was catching the lift 10+ floors out of work after an office chat about the virus. Mine was an little incident in Migros on Lowenstrasse on 25 Jan.

Speak to your doctor and ask for a test.

16 April

Homeoffice: The federal council strongly advises to work from home and not use public transport . #CoronaInfoCH

https://twitter.com/CoronaEnglish/st...89794369716227

On Monday, and again today, Alain Berset has made specific reference to people continuing to work from home if they are able to, and to not use public transport to get to work. This has been a clear and consistent theme from the Federal Council.

These links are in German but you can translate them in your browser and they're repeated across a number of media outlets:

April 22, 4:45 p.m .: Home office remains

Despite all efforts to open up the business associations, companies and cantons, Berset makes it clear that people should stay in their home office whenever possible. "We are at the beginning of the pandemic," said the Minister of Health. A second wave threatens if you let up now .

https://zueriost.ch/news/2020-04-22/...ndesrat-in-der

https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/kommt-b...t-287784107187

Can I go back to work normally now?

"Home office is the order of the day," said Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga. Working from home is a suitable measure to comply with the distance rules. In addition, public transport is to be relieved.

https://www.radio24.ch/shows/die-wic...ngen-137703598

7
I'd go back to work and out in public anyway. But if I were found to have had the virus, I'd been somewhat happier. Given the symptoms, I'm pretty sure I alread have.

8
There seems to be really conflicting stories and advice about the availability of testing in Switzerland. I would love to get a test done but my doctor was not offering it when directly asked ten days ago.

9
Thank-you for your excellent explanation, you must be a scientist.

To answer your question about my symptoms, yes to all of the above. And it was known well enough at that time in Switzerland that everyone asked if I had it when I told them (virtually) I had the flu and I knew to self isolate for 10 days. Other reasons why it was likely the virus include myself spending time with people who had just returned from Lombardy.

Thanks so much for the info. That’s my concern too - work on the 15 floor and take 3 hours on the train each day. People are really upset my work is trying to get us in the office against BAG recommendations. We could work from home full time in all honesty. Perhaps I may have to lose a job for my health.

10
Did your GP refuse to test you or tell you to stay home? I would think given the symptoms and where you'd been that some doctor somewhere in CH would want to test you.

11
Spoke to her on the phone. She said to stay where I was unless I needed hospital treatment. This is before they were really testing. To be honest, I didn’t want to go anywhere...I could have slept for 5 straight days.

12
Just wanted to share WHO's stance on Antibody testing. It seems that recovered patients may still be prone to contracting virus.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...nity-passports

13
Dito. I'd go a 100% back to my normal life tomorrow if I could, that includes going to work, going out wherever with however many people and flying wherever. Like you, there's a good chance I already had it anyway as I'd been travelling a crapload across multiple countries early in the year, had cold symptoms for a few days around early March and was then in NY around mid-March.

We can go back to work if we want to (it's mostly voluntary) in I believe two weeks and I for sure will, at least 1-2 days a week. I have no intention to live a life of fear and hole myself up any longer than I have to and unless proven otherwise, I see no reason to. We have plenty of space in the office, I can take this thing called the stairs if some elevator-paranoia were to overwhelm me (it won't). And people seem to forget you're not exactly catching anything if you spend 20 seconds near someone and the virus is either so widespread that it's irrelevant for almost anyone, or so limited in spread that chances of encountering anyone who has it are ridiculously slim.

I would take an antibody taste for the sake of it and trust them enough, though it wouldn't be for me, but instead so that I can see my parents again, who are also not afraid (general lack of fear runs in the family) and have no preconditions at all, but they are over 65 and have been dutiful - albeit massively annoyed - citizens, doing what they figured was asked of them.

14
We've been asked if we want to go back in from the 11th. They aren't allowing everyone in at once though. I said that I was easy and happy to do so, but also that I was happy to stay at home if my office neighbours are desperate to go back in.

15
I’d have no issue being in the office. It’s the way to the office that is the problem. I commute from Bern to Zurich Oerlikon on normally packed trains.

16
Unfortunately there is no data to judge the relative risk of train travel, but I think it would be reasonable to assume that prolonged close contact has been the most common form of transmission, given the extent of people traveling through the Gotthard prior to the lockdown.

Travel 1st class? The rich are going to be safely isolated at home

17
I've been informed that the tests are not available yet. Is that still the case?

Also what happens if it turns out positive? Does that mean you had it? Or may still have it?

18
Every single test has been unreliable so far, even the best ones from Roche have issues.

And the last thing I'd do is provide medical info to my employer, they have no business knowing or managing my health.

19
That’s the plan even though I’m not rich & it will suck to spend so much per month. I really wish I could find a job in lovely Bern.

20
I also use public transport, so I'd have the same concern.

The theory touted a while back was that you needed to be in close proximity with an infected person (less than 2 m) for 15 mins or more. I guess that's one way to look at it. But what about buses and trams, where people hop on and off and touch everything? The virus lives on surfaces for hours too.

It will be interesting to see how SBB and local public transport companies handle opening up and social distancing.