Fantastic News But Still...

[tiggerblue10]

...a lot of research needed to establish if antibodies are effective at warding off a second infection and how long they are present in the body for. Potential game-changer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52656808

Another question will be when we can all be tested.

[Spicerack]

Lol. I feel such a brute now, prudie.

[tiggerblue10]

If you're shielding chances are you haven't yet been exposed.

This would be a pin prick test as the antibodies would be present in the blood rather than bodily fluids which is where the virus is.

[dannyk13]

Spicerack, Home deliveries, post, newspapers, visitors such as nurses stc.

[Robinia]

Tigger watch the video in the link I posted. He said it isn't a finger prick test.

[vulcan42]

One can only assume that the majority of people will be checked more quickly if they attend a pharmacy for the test and it will eventually be rolled out to test the people who are housebound and therefore are at a lesser risk.

[Peter Pedant]

// Doesn't mention whether it will be self test, which would be the speediest way for it to be done.//

wont be - and will be on the market in a montha two
I predict £100 a shot ... mone to be made for Roche

and yes the link between present of antibodies and recurrence is yet to be established
take it from me that there are diseases where the test shows positive and no protection - TB and herpes

and there are others where all you have to show is one protective titre ( Hep B) for life (*)

I regret that the scientists have NOT gone into a room had a hoolie and then come out and all said in one voice: - - blah blah de blah, because that wd be MUCH clearer

Karol Sikora this am on R4 as a cancer specialist was mucking it up - he has tested all this staff with a non standard system and had to admit that no one had any idea what it meant.

Naughty Karol when the Beeb were busting a gut to portray good caring Karol -

[youngmafbog]

Sounds good, but I'd like to see the logistics of this.

For instance how do you test 66m (plus the unregistered) people?

Home testing could be an answer but often with these things they need to be done carefully and not contaminated. Could we trust people to do it correctly? Could we trust people not to use someone else to obtain an 'all clear' star?

[woofgang]

naomi I am not sure that antibody tests can ever be swab tests...I think you need blood.

[Peter Pedant]

// I am not sure that antibody tests can ever be swab tests...I think you need blood.//

brayne went into neutral one that one
blood is really where the antibody is , BUT....
mucosal antibodies - secreted on surfaces would be present

Little lesley moleseed who WASN'T murderer but served 20 y anyway - they sortta had a space - was blood gp A - and no one noticed and pleaded that they were both A(-) oo er Mrs - and he didnt do it

but I am not sure if the gels want to submit....
dont complain - [lease dont complain

[naomi24]

Oh, thanks Woofgang. What a shame.

[tiggerblue10]

PP, can you test if antibodies prevent re-infection? Can a sample of blood be infected with a sample of the virus and see how it reacts? Or doesn't it work like that?

Just me thinking out loud.

[Peter Pedant]

well they dont in Herpes ( prevent a reinfection ) H Simplex
in 1968 we found 60 % of those over 60 y had non protective antibody ( which I always thought was low - 40% had never had a cold sore which I thought was v unlikely even at the time)

and they are wickering about that even now
even if it iproper anti covid antibody is it any good?

But people get better from covid and so antibody has to be present and they are doing plasma transfer experiments so at least a few doctors out there think it is protective

Other scientists are saying the antibody ( they say IgM is the thing) will be protective for six months or so

still others ( this AM R4 and teevee) say even if you test positive for antibody then you CAN'T pick up your granchild and go
mwah mwah mwah
at which point Naga said - why test then?

see elsewhere for disparaging remarks about Carol Sikorla who was obviously answering outside his area of expertise ( cancer )

[ meanwhile vaccine news - by the time it is out, Covid will be so rare that they will have to vaccinate volunteers and then do squirty-squirty experiments (= challenge with virus and see if they get ill)]

[tiggerblue10]

Sorry PP, was in work Skype vid-con.

So basically, we are looking at world-wide herd immunity then.

I follow Prof. Karol Sikora on Twitter.

[jim360]

How widespread has Covid-19 been in the UK, I wonder? Makes a difference as to the usefulness of the test. But great to see all the same. Now let's hope that antibodies are actually worth having.

[Zacs-Master]

https://twitter.com/reuters/status/1260895131563147264?s=21

[dannyk13]

I have AB Negative blood so no antibodies, only antigens, so how would that affect the blood test?

[woofgang]

thanks PP every day is a school day! so there could be a swab test?

[david small]

Good news indeed. Sort the wheat from the chaff so to speak.

[Peter Pedant]

// I have AB Negative blood so no antibodies, only antigens, so how would that affect the blood test?//

oops sozza - I dragged in Lesley moleseed as all the samples were surface samples -and by the time of acquittal, several years old.

ABneg - universal recipient - less than 2% off hand
and you would have antibodies to other things and would mount an antibody response to Covid
and actually yo have to receive negative blood as Rh+ would sensitize you - so dont worry about that you have an antibody system which is fully operational

[Peter Pedant]

// PP, can you test if antibodies prevent re-infection? Can a sample of blood be infected with a sample of the virus and see how it reacts? Or doesn't it work like that?//

yes in theory as we were doing that in the sixties - the antibody if present prevents the infection in the cell system - IF there is a cell system. That is where the word 'neutralysing' comes from. The antibody blocks attachment of the virus onto the cell (neutralyses it) so it cant infect the cell -
[this works well in H Simplex and BHK cell line in case anyone er understands what I was saying]

BUT - remember that HO-Chloroquine works well in a cell line ( inhibiting 50% I think ) - and has piffle effect on the ward.