The global Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world. The virus has so far infected over 98 million, killed more than 2 million, and left countless people unemployed over the last year.
Even as various countries around the world, including United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, India, U.A.E., and others begin their vaccination programs, it remains unclear when exactly the world will move past this massive public health emergency.
The active number of cases continues to rise. The UK has recently reported the spread of a new, more contentious strain of the virus. Several countries have experienced a second-wave of the virus.
Before various vaccines around the globe received mandatory clearance post Phase II or Phase III user trials, COVID-19 tests had proved to be the most promising weapon against the spread of the virus.
Testing helped keep the number of virus infections in check and played a crucial role in halting the chain reaction.
Since traditional RT-PCR diagnostic tests are expensive and require more time and effort, alternative testing methods such as antibody testing proved highly useful in the fight against COVID-19. But, are antibody tests still important?
Here in this article, we’ll discuss how antibody or serology tests still have an extremely important role to play in our fight against the virus.
But first, let’s begin with the basics.
What Is An Antibody Test for COVID-19?
The human body’s immune system creates antibodies (a type of protein) when it’s infected (with a virus) or vaccinated.
These antibodies help us fight off infections and protect us from getting a disease (COVID-19, for instance) again. This is how our bodies protect us from thousands of different disease-causing viruses and bacteria on a daily basis.
An antibody test for COVID-19 is conducted to find out if an individual has had the novel Coronavirus before. Also referred to as a ‘serology test,’ it looks for antibodies in the specimen.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention), antibody testing isn’t typically recommended for detecting current infections, except on occasions when viral testing is delayed or unavailable due to some reason.
An antibody test quantifies the number of immunoglobulin M (IgM) & immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in a blood sample.
An antibody test may not indicate if you currently have an infection because your body may take one to three weeks to produce antibodies.
But, antibody tests do help determine if a person has developed immunity or not.
Antibody Tests Help Assess the Extent of the Pandemic
Antibody tests have in the recent past been used to gauge the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic at the population level.
Public health experts and administrators have used antibody testing to measure how the pandemic is affecting the population at large.
Corrective measures can be taken as per the results obtained through antibody testing in a community.
Antibody Tests Help Identify Asymptomatic Carriers of the Virus
IgM antibodies appear first in reaction to an invading virus. So, the presence of these antibodies in a sample is indicative of recent exposure to the virus.
Quick availability of this information has proved helpful in identifying asymptomatic carriers or silent spreaders of the virus as well as the people an asymptomatic Covid-19 positive individual may have come in contact with.
IgG antibodies on the other hand are produced in later stages of infection. Therefore, a patient testing for these antibodies would imply recovery.
The presence of these antibodies does not guarantee full protection as we won’t know how potent they are or how long they will last. Even with this limitation taken into account, antibody tests for COVID-19 still offer a range of other benefits.
Antibody Testing – A Low-Cost Alternative
COVID-19 rapid test kits based on antibody testing cost a fraction of the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. The former can be administered in the United States for less than $10; it costs even less in other countries.
An RT-PCR test, on the other hand, can cost up to five times more. Plus no special training or assembly is required for administering an antibody test.
People Can Return to Work Sooner
Even as millions of professionals worldwide have returned to work already, many business organizations still continue with remote-work shifts. The virus, after all, is still around us and infecting hundreds and thousands of people daily.
After undergoing antibody tests that are now readily available in most countries, people can return to work more quickly.
People, who are serologically immune, can volunteer to get back to their offices or worksites.
This will also help stop the unwanted spread of the virus.
Antibody Testing Can Help Determine If We Are Close to Achieving Herd Immunity
It is difficult to conduct RT-PCR diagnostic tests on a mass-scale. Antibody tests, however, can be conducted on a wider population and used to determine if a community is slowly moving towards herd immunity.
The presence of antibodies in a large percentage of the population indicates that the virus may no longer be able to reproduce.
Is COVID-19 Testing Still Relevant?
Yes.
Vaccinating billions of people with different vaccines worldwide will take several months to complete. Till then, people need to take all necessary precautions (e.g. wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, or disinfecting homes) and public health agencies need to continue testing people for COVID-19.
Therefore, antibody testing is still an important tool in our fight against the ongoing pandemic.
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