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Covid

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Original poster

Covid antibody test via ZOE

75 replies

FlatteredFool · 05/07/2021 13:15

Hi, I had an email from ZOE offering me a covid antibody test. I've been accepted as suitable (it's not on offer for everyone) and my finger prick test will arrive in 5 days. I'll be really interested to see the results as I was ill with a bad chest in feb/March/April 2020 and have had 5 courses of steroids since then for recurrent asthma exacerbations which I've never had before at such a rate. My chest hasn't recovered fully since then and I've got a chest X-ray booked for the end of the week to see if anything shows in there.
Has anyone had their antibodies checked via ZOE or any other way?

OP posts:

everybodysang · 05/07/2021 13:18

Yes, I have. It showed no antibodies so said I probably hadn't had Covid in the last six months. I am fairly certain I had it in March last year (was very ill and also lost sense of taste and smell quite a while before it was listed as a symptom) so did wonder if it might show up.

I was a bit surprised how tricky it was to get enough blood out! I had to jump up and down loads to get things moving.

taratired · 05/07/2021 13:34

I have too, I have antibodies, but only had Covid at Christmas.

I had the opposite problem - getting the bleeding to stop! Two drops and the tube was full, I had to hold my arm in the air to stop it. Weird experience though, having to pierce your own finger to do it...

Muchtoomuchtodo · 05/07/2021 13:39

Yes. I did one.

I had an antibody test at work last summer which was positive.

I have since had 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine (way more than 3 weeks ago) and this antibody test came back negative.

It did say in the rest result that it was only looking for antibodies from an infection, rather than antibodies made after the vaccination.

It bloody hurt and my finger has been really sensitive over the puncture site for nearly a fortnight now!

shahavsn · 05/07/2021 13:53

I've done one for ZOE, no antibodies detected from infection.

annlee3817 · 05/07/2021 14:00

I did one a few weeks ago and no antibodies, I tested positive for covid in February this year, I did have it mild though

Dancer12345 · 05/07/2021 14:02

I’ve also done the Zoe one - no antibodies.
I also was surprised by how difficult it was to get enough blood out, and how long after my fingers hurt for! I still have marks on them and that was a couple of weeks ago!

changingstages · 05/07/2021 14:51

@Muchtoomuchtodo

Yes. I did one.

I had an antibody test at work last summer which was positive.

I have since had 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine (way more than 3 weeks ago) and this antibody test came back negative.

It did say in the rest result that it was only looking for antibodies from an infection, rather than antibodies made after the vaccination.

It bloody hurt and my finger has been really sensitive over the puncture site for nearly a fortnight now!

oh yes, I thought it was really interesting that they could tell which antibodies were from vaccination and which from infection - it's fascinating.

It did hurt, didn't it? I thought I was being a right baby because it felt bruised for a couple of weeks!

Yorkshirepudding1987 · 05/07/2021 15:00

Mine was negative for antibodies from infection. Email started it was unlikely I'd had covid in the last 6 months. We think we had it in Feb 2020.

My finger wouldn't stop bleeding, had to use a plaster in the end. Put your hand in a bowl of warm water first for a few minutes and keep your arm down to get rhe blood flowing (I had gestational diabetes last year so got used to using a lancet 4 times a day for months)

My results were back the day after I posted it.

zafferana · 05/07/2021 15:03

I did one last week for Zoe. I also found it hard to get the blood out of my finger and didn't manage to get up the 600 line on the vial. I have low BP and by the end I was feeling dizzy and sick and had to sit down for a minute or two until it passed. No antibodies found, which was no surprise. I don't think I've had Covid and certainly not in the last six months.

KeepingOnKeepingUp · 05/07/2021 15:06

Yes - am very confident I had it in March 2020. A colleague had it (confirmed) and I got sick five days after with classic symptoms. And no antibodies here. And yes; getting blood out was hard. Even though I struggled to fill the vial, I managed to somehow get it all over the kitchen.

onthinice · 05/07/2021 15:08

I got one of the kits delivered but couldn't face the amount of blood required and so haven't done it. It was out of curiosity rather than me thinking I'd had covid in the past.

wendz86 · 05/07/2021 15:45

Yes I had one, they only check for antibodies from last 6 months and I think if I had it, it was march 2020. I was negative.

SE13Mummy · 05/07/2021 15:53

I did one via the ZOE app too. No antibodies from infection. I've not had Covid but I'm a teacher so I thought I might have been exposed to it. Apparently not.

GiantToadstool · 05/07/2021 15:55

Ive got one coming to me from zoe app. I had covid in January so Im guessing I dont have andibodies still..

Elizabeth110100 · 05/07/2021 16:00

I did one and got positive antibodies. I did one for my 18 year old and they came back with no antibodies.

Itsanewdayforme · 05/07/2021 16:03

It’s here sitting on my kitchen table but I’ve been putting it off because i hadnt realised how much blood was required and don’t think that I’m brave enough to do it to myself! DH has refused because he’s squeamish too!

BarberQueue · 05/07/2021 16:06

Yes I did the Zoe one and it came back negative for antibodies from infection which is what I was expecting. I didn't have any problem getting enough blood - the vial overflowed. My problem was making it stop!

Abraxan · 05/07/2021 16:08

Both myself and 19y have done one.
It only tests for virus acquired antibodies not vaccine ones.

I had confirmed covid in October. My test showed antibodies from that, 7.5 months later.

Dd hasn't had it afaik. She has been around it - was home when I had it (and didn't isolate within the house) and has known a number of university friends to have had it. Had to isolate a couple of times. She hasn't got antibodies so appears to have missed it.

A few people I know have now done them. It's worked out so far that those who had it confirmed by pcr have antibodies. Those who have never tested positive, including those who felt they had symptoms earlier in, have come back negative.

Abraxan · 05/07/2021 16:11

I found it tricky to get the blood to flow and fill the tube. I took a while and lots of squeezing. But I also have issues giving blood for blood tests, etc.

Dd was the opposite, vial was full in less than a minute, blood just flowed out.

GiantToadstool · 05/07/2021 16:14

I'd like to know if I have vaccine antibodies. Shame it doesn't do both!

AllBellyandBoobs · 05/07/2021 16:28

Yes I did it, no problem with the blood, the advice to put your hand in warm water and jump around seemed to work! I had antibodies and had a positive test in October so just over 6 months from the infection. I was quote poorly with it but not enough to need hospital.

MouldyPotato · 05/07/2021 16:38

Just to warn you OP it's not just a little pick and a tiny drop of blood. You need to get quite a bit out.

nellly · 05/07/2021 17:11

I've done this through Zoe as well, I had the opposite problem from PP and I couldn't stop the bleeding! The lancet was really effective, but I'm pregnant so I've got more going around I suppose. Mine also showed no antibodies and I had Covid March last year (and did have antibodies in June study)

OnceBitten25 · 05/07/2021 17:59

I've done the test. I had Covid in Nov and have antibodies. As previous posters have said it's a fair amount of blood you have to get in the tube! Results come back v quickly

Muchtoomuchtodo · 05/07/2021 19:37

@GiantToadstool

I'd like to know if I have vaccine antibodies. Shame it doesn't do both!

Me too.

It would be very interesting.

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