Antibody testing thread 2

[Egghead68]

Thread for people thinking about, doing, or awaiting results of COVID-19 antibody tests.

Here’s a link to the paper in @Oaksideboard’s article:

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.19.20101832v2

So that paper seems to say that neutralising antibodies were found in 79% of the sample (who had previously tested positive on a PCR test) at days 13-20, 92% at days 21-27!and 98% at days 28-41. There was no follow-up beyond day 41.

Ignore the rogue !

My husband received his results back today, he tested positive for antibodies. He bought the test from Superdrug and was an Abbotts test. He got the results back within 24 hours.
He had symptoms a day before lockdown, was very ill for 2-3 weeks but recovered quickly. He's also asthmatic. We're both in our late forties.
My son and I lost our sense of taste and smell for nearly 3 weeks but no other symptoms. We presume we had it too.

My results came through - negative! Abbott test via treated. I am v surprised and actually don’t believe I didn’t have CV but who knows. I will wait for the Roche test to become available on the NHS. I’ve wasted enough money!!

That’s great your husband has antibodies @billycorn.

@egghead68 yes I guess so. Wasn't much of a surprise, he was working in London at the time and travelling on the underground.

I work in central London in one of the main Covid hospitals, got the same symptoms as my colleagues and my Abbott test was still negative!

I'm another that tested negative for antibodies via Treated.com.

I have asthma and always get a cough after a virus and end up with chest infection. This time the cough started first, which I've not experienced before.

It was pre-lockdown and I asked GP to check if I had chest infection and chest was clear. I was prescribed a different inhaler for short-term use which is usually prescribed for people with COPD. No infection, but chronic cough for 5 weeks. Weird.

I've received 2 more results today, both negative. So that's 3/4 in our family negative - waiting on one result that had to be redone due to the sample arriving at the lab hemolysed.

Both results today were for DC who had been unwell for a while in March, one is often unwell so that's not out of the normal, but the other is never unwell. He was extremely tired in March for about 2 weeks, had ulcers in throat, sore throat, headache, funny taste in mouth, and had blisters on feet.

So it's looking like that probably we all did have another illness rather than Covid19, a real shame! Especially as I was hoping we could relax shielding a little bit.

@naturalblondeyeahright

Very detailed response from treated. I would suggest you get your money back and then go to a private clinic to get the blood draw. Most are offering the abbot test

This is possible but it seems unlikely to me that there were two very similar but different outbreaks at the same time. I think a much more likely explanation is that not everyone who has mild-moderate Covid develops detectable amounts of IgG antibodies.

I agree with you Egghead. When Surescreen were first developing their test, they said for some people, the antibodies go below detectable levels after about a month, but would "resurface" should the infection reappear. I've no idea if this is true but it seems plausible. If I get a negative, I will still think I've had it. The oddest collection of symptoms I've ever had, and I wasn't that ill.

@LatinforTelly I agree - it’s such an odd set of symptoms and such an odd timecourse - 3 times I’ve thought I was better and relapses.

@billycorn when did your DH post back his Superdrug test? I posted mine on Saturday morning and haven't heard anything yet.

Tested yesterday, got results today. Bought the test because husband thought we had both had it. I only bought one test for me, not him because he felt that if I'd had it, the he'd had it. We both had an upset stomach and temperatures with chills from early March on and off for three weeks.
So, not classic COVID symptoms at all. No sore throats, no coughs, no shortness of breath or anything. Got a positive result. Actually pretty stunned.

I still haven't had my results back. I reckon they've lost it. Chased London Medical Labs today and asked for a new one but I'm not very confident I'll get one (or my money back). FFS.

I used London Medical Labs. Results back in 24 hours. Weird that they seem so hit and miss.

@Watsername my husband sent the sample on Tuesday this week and he got the results on Thursday. Very speedy.

Have all the labs paused antibody testing now?
I ordered a test from Thrive on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning I got an email saying they had paused all testing on request of MHRA. They still took my money though!
Just wondering if this is a blanket ban on all labs? And how long it will go on for or what the likely outcome will be?

@Pondertweek I didn't get a reply via email with the London medical lab, but I was able to speak to someone to get my results via phone after a few attempts.

The box that we got yesterday for DH to re-do his blood test had new information in it saying that if Royal Mail have lost the sample then you can't get a refund - which worried me a lot as 2 samples didn't appear to have arrived at the lab. But I did get the results, so I don't think the tracking system works very well.

Phew! They responded to my email and they will send a new kit. I'll just have to ensure I manage to fill the stupid bottle again.

Has anyone had a kit from Atruchecks? I received mine this morning but seems pointless taking it unless I can actually get a result. I’ve emailed them but heard nothing back yet.

Similar position with Thriva and waiting to find out if they'll be able to fulfill the order. Presumably all testing has ceased for now?

This was released by the MHRA today on the Gov website Anyone supplying these types of tests should temporarily stop this service

At the bottom of the page it says "People who have purchased one of these sampling kits, and received an antibody test result, should not consider the result to be reliable and should not take any action based on it."
I don't know whether that means both positive or negative? I guess until the fingerprick method has been compared to blood/venous testing, we won't know if it's a true result.

So update on our testing situation. As mentioned earlier, my hubby, myself and youngest child were positive on several tests (Surescreen, Biozek and Nadal) my two eldest kept coming back negative even though they had symptoms around same time. (Milder symptoms though)
My eldest had the Abbott test today performed by a doctor used with venous blood and it came negative. Am actually a bit disappointed as think it would have made me feel better about school next week if I knew he already had it. And also just find it strange. He was around my husband and I the entire time we were sick (took a good week before we realised that’s what we probably had - that’s when my symptoms becomes bad)