I have gone nuts and paid someone to come to my house and do an antibody test on us

[LaurieFairyCake]

Can't take anymore not knowing so I've paid £260 to bike out a test from a lab and wait while we stab ourselves and return our blood to the lab

Dh thinks I've gone a bit batshit but I couldn't take anymore

Disclaimer : it won't affect my behaviour in line with current government guidelines

@chomalungma I know! It's really good by all reports. I don't do extraction and library prep, I'm an analyst. I've been itching to get my hands on some of the SARS-cov2 targeted data, but my colleagues have that covered for us and I haven't had a look in yet . You know, maybe I should start a science thread... Not epidemiology, that's well covered in the data and analysis threads, but virology and sequencing, how the tests work and stuff.

JESUS CHRIST I NEED CLOSURE

@changemynamechangemynamewhen ... send their children back to school knowing that they weren’t ill when they had it previously or (if it is negative) send their children back knowing that it was difficult to catch, baring in mind that there were confirmed cases in the school for weeks before lockdown. In either case, it shows a reduction in risk. In terms of my workplace, only one other team member showed symptoms in my team of 20. Same applies - either it’s difficult to catch or most people that do catch it are asymptomatic.

Interesting Guardian article here

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/13/coronavirus-antibody-tests-gp-antibodies-immunity

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/10/can-antibody-testing-deliver-on-promises-to-lift-the-lockdown

For a test to be usable, the specificity should be close to 100%.

If, for example, 5% of the population have had Covid-19,
a test with only 90% specificity would mistakenly assess 95 people in a sample of 1000 individuals as having had the virus,
ie nearly 70% of the positive results would be false.
........
Immunity to pathogens is a spectrum ranging from
the varicella-zoster virus (which causes chicken pox) – against which antibodies confer lifelong protection –
to HIV, where infected individuals produce large amounts of non-neutralising antibodies that do nothing to clear the disease.
....
“The expectation is that there’s at least partial, short-term immunity,
but we don’t know that for sure and
we don’t know if mildly infected patients have any form of immunity,”
says Theel. (Mayo Climic, USA)

“For people that have had a short disease duration, it could be that their body killed off the virus quickly before there was time to mount an antibody response.”

I think they lost it.

uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-roche-hldg/uks-health-agency-approves-roches-antibody-test-the-telegraph-idUKKBN22P362

I would not trust the test.

The Roche test that was just approved by phe in the last few hours waffly or the op's test?

I’m convinced I had it a week before lockdown. I’d love to take an antibody test.

Ooh - ditto on Roche (except it’s anDM link)

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8317393/New-coronavirus-antibody-test-100-accuracy-PHE-finds.html

Wonder if there Is anywhere yet offering the Roche test?

A PP said it’s not yet available to the public

I’m wondering whether to do the Abbott test now it’s available for £49

According to a Guardian article I just read, it's a test that requires a blood sample to be taken by a professional so I suppose that significantly alters the logistics around it in comparison with home testing. I'm still hopeful. I hope it is organised and shared so we get some useful information from it. From a selfish point of view, 'd love to know which underlying illnesses are really a significant risk factor.

Guardian article
uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-roche-hldg/uks-health-agency-approves-roches-antibody-test-the-telegraph-idUKKBN22P362

Sorry, this one www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/13/public-health-england-approves-roche-test-for-coronavirus-antibodies

Get ready for Covid-19 parties if people who are antibody positive get preferential treatment anywhere.

That's going to be frustrating for those who get the illness so mildly that they don't develop anti-bodies. (- Is that how it works?)

Ah, thank you, @Bananasandorangessss - so Annott it is for the time being

Abbott

This has turned out to be a very poor advert for the testing company, I hope you at least get a refund OP.

Interesting that the government have approved a new test today which apparently has no false negatives.

As the Roche test isn’t currently available, I’ve booked myself in for the Abbott test at the clinic @NotAnotherUserNumber referred to

Unfortunately, work is really busy so I cannot go until Saturday.

Going for the proper blood draw rather than the finger prick

My test (Abbott) came back negative. I didn't use the Op's company but a well rated London one. Results were back in less than 2 days from posting.

I’ll post after my Saturday test