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Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

Going to go get a COVID antibody test today.

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    Posted: May 01 2020 at 11:32am

So going to go get a COVID antibody test this afternoon to see if I have been exposed to the virus. Given the vacation the first week of March I went on I am thinking it's about a 50/50 chance I have been exposed. Time to find out. Has anyone else gone to get a COVID antibody test? 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 4:21pm

Well that was fast and easy, in and out in less than 5 minutes and no one else there. Should have results they said within 24 to 48 hours.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Little House Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 6:01pm

Keep us updated.

If you don’t mind, what country are you in?  Are they doing surveillance testing? Around here (Ohio, USA) I couldn’t get an antibody test if I wanted one.  I have heard of people in other states getting them though.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 8:32pm

Originally posted by Little House Little House wrote:

Keep us updated.

If you don’t mind, what country are you in?  Are they doing surveillance testing? Around here (Ohio, USA) I couldn’t get an antibody test if I wanted one.  I have heard of people in other states getting them though.

Washington state. Quest Diagnostics and Lab Corp are both doing antibody testing nationwide from what I have read. And it was nothing to schedule a appointment, did it online and went in all within 2 hours of finding out about it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FluMom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 9:41pm

AI do you think you have had Covid19?    I would not get the test because I have not been sick all year including last fall.  I am going to have to wait for Therapies that will keep a person from having to go on a vent or a vaccine that will work and not kill me (good luck on that one).  Hope you are immune!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 10:13pm

Originally posted by FluMom FluMom wrote:

AI do you think you have had Covid19?    I would not get the test because I have not been sick all year including last fall.  I am going to have to wait for Therapies that will keep a person from having to go on a vent or a vaccine that will work and not kill me (good luck on that one).  Hope you are immune!

Well in early March when I got back from Hawaii about a week later I had some mild symptoms (sore throat, headache, sputum production, fatigue) that didn't last for longer than 4 or 5 days.  I think given the long plane flight there and back and being around people from virtually everywhere while in Hawaii I may well have been exposed during that time frame. Just checking it out.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2020 at 10:42pm

That is a good reason to get it checked out.  It will be interesting to get your results.

I hope the 24-48 hours does not seem like an eternity.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Usk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2020 at 5:01pm

Have you gotten your results yet? I am getting tested May 12 here in Va. Hospitals in Va are looking for plasma donors  desperately.I

Am a 2 times a year plasma donor anyway so they are going to test me when I donate

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2020 at 6:19pm

Nope haven't heard by yet via email. I guess they meant 1-2 business days lol

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2020 at 7:26am

Check your spam file, AI.  Your response might have been dumped there.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2020 at 9:11am

Got my results, it was negative. So whatever I had after I got back from Hawaii wasn't COVID19.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2020 at 2:48pm

Originally posted by AI AI wrote:

Got my results, it was negative. So whatever I had after I got back from Hawaii wasn't COVID19.

Or it was Covid 19 and you just didn't create any antibodies. There are a percentage of people who do not.

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2020 at 3:48pm

Originally posted by KiwiMum KiwiMum wrote:

Originally posted by AI AI wrote:

Got my results, it was negative. So whatever I had after I got back from Hawaii wasn't COVID19.

Or it was Covid 19 and you just didn't create any antibodies. There are a percentage of people who do not.

Maybe or the test was inaccurate, or I had it and the antibodies faded fast.   I wasn't worried, more curious. If I get it, I get it, can't live in fear over something that has a very, very small chance of killing me. This isn't Ebola or Smallpox or my ex mother in laws goulash. Those are way bigger threats lol.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Newbie1A Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 05 2020 at 5:08am

ex mother in laws goulash

        

If it's to be - it's up to me!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 05 2020 at 1:05pm

Given the FDA'a latest announcement and actions on covid19 antibody testing I have little faith in the accuracy of the antibody test I took.

 The US FDA yesterday (4th April 2020) retracted an earlier approval that allowed scores of COVID-19 antibody blood tests kits to hit the market without first providing proof that they worked.

The US regulators said it took the action because some sellers have made false claims about the tests and their accuracy. All manufacturers or distributors will now have to show their tests kits work or risk having them banned from the market.
 
The US FDA in March initially allowed companies to begin selling tests as it was under pressure to increase testing options. The US FDA stipulated that as long as these companies notified the agency of their plans and provided disclaimers, including that they were not FDA approved., it was ok. The policy was intended to allow "flexibility" needed to quickly ramp up production.
 
Dr Anand Shah, an FDA deputy commissioner, said, "However, flexibility never meant we would allow fraud. We unfortunately see unscrupulous actors marketing fraudulent test kits and using the pandemic as an opportunity to take advantage of Americans."
 
Antibody blood tests are different from the nasal swab tests currently used to diagnose active COVID-19 infections. Instead, the tests look for blood proteins called antibodies, which the body produces days or weeks after fighting an infection. Most use a finger-prick of blood on a test strip.
 
The newly revised policy follows weeks of criticism from doctors, lab specialists and members of Congress who said the FDA's lack of oversight created a Wild West of unregulated tests.
 
The US FDA acknowledged yesterday that there have been problems with deceptive, false marketing among the 160 tests that have been launched in the U.S. Some companies have claimed their tests can be used at home, although FDA has not allowed that use. Others make unsubstantiated claims about their accuracy.
 
Many hospitals and local governments have reported buying tests that turned out to be inaccurate or frauds.
To date, the US FDA has granted authorization to only 12 antibody tests, meaning their methods, materials and accuracy passed muster with agency regulators. Companies with test kits currently on the market without FDA authorization will now be required to submit formal applications to regulators within 10 business days. Companies that launch at a later date will have 10 days to turn over their applications after validating their tests.
 
Initially health officials in America and around the world have suggested the tests could be helpful in identifying individuals who have previously had the virus with or without getting sick and developed some immunity to it. But medical researchers have not yet been able to answer key questions that are essential to their practical use: what level of antibodies does it take to be immune and how long does that protection last?
 
Dr Kamran Kadkhoda, a lab director at the Cleveland Clinic said, We are spending a lot of time and resources on something that is not really a panacea for reopening."
 
Currently the tests are mainly a research tool for scientists trying to determine how widely the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has spread among the American population. Those studies are underway but have produced widely different preliminary results, in part, due to variations between tests. Even high-performing tests can produce skewed results when used in a large population where few people have had the virus.
 
The NIH and other federal agencies are also reviewing tests and conducting research into whether they can successfully predict immunity.
 
Dr Stephen Hahn, US FDA Commissioner told media that his agency's "careful balancing of risks and benefits shifted to the approach we've outlined today," based on new data from FDA and NIH reviews. Hahn said more than 200 companies are in the process of submitting testing data to the FDA.
 
Medical experts who criticized the government's previous policy welcomed the new evidence requirement.
 
Dr Robin Patel of the Mayo Clinic, "We want to make sure that testing in the U.S. is of high quality and that those using the tests understand how the results should or should not be used."
 https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/us-covid-19-news-us-fda-stops-antibody-blood-test-kits-pending-proof-of-efficacy-while-many-countries-are-finding-kits-from-china-to-be-faulty-or-fake


And this is from Quest diagnostics own related q and a on antibody testing for covid 19


 Question 2. What is the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) policy for commercial manufacturers and laboratory development/use of serology tests for SARS-CoV-2?

The FDA does not intend to object to the development and distribution by commercial manufacturers, or development and use by laboratories, of serology tests to identify antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, where the test has been validated, notification is provided to FDA, and information along the lines of the following is included in the test reports2:

  • This test has not been reviewed by the FDA.
  • Negative results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in those who have been in contact with the virus. Follow-up testing with amolecular diagnostic should be considered to rule out infection in these individuals.
  • Results from antibody testing should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose or exclude SARS-CoV-2 infection or to inform infection status.
  • Positive results may be due to past or present infection with non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains, such as coronavirus HKU1, NL63, OC43, or 229E.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 05 2020 at 2:43pm

You could be right there.  We here in the UK , are desperate for an antibody test and the race is on to produce one.  Many companies have made one, but none have been accurate enough to use.  Did yours get rushed-out to beat the competition?

How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 05 2020 at 2:51pm

No idea who the maker of the antibody test was, that information is not provided by Quest Diagnostics.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2020 at 9:08am

I hope they won't rush the vaccine like they did the tests.  Here in our small country (pop 5½ million) there are about 200 children who will be ill for their whole lives because the flu vaccine for swine flu was a not so good alternative  in the rush to get something into use.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2020 at 8:20pm

Originally posted by EdwinSm, EdwinSm, wrote:

I hope they won't rush the vaccine like they did the tests.  Here in our small country (pop 5½ million) there are about 200 children who will be ill for their whole lives because the flu vaccine for swine flu was a not so good alternative  in the rush to get something into use.  

Well what's interesting is that every viral outbreak seems to produce cases of Guillian Barre Syndrome and seems the flu vaccines have a rather long history of producing GBS cases as well.  And once you have been had GBS you can never get a flu vaccine shot again. And I assume it is GBS you are talking about.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2020 at 3:08am

The last major outbreak was in 1976 with the swine flu.  Since then there have been two others, but both showed 1.7 per million developed the disease.  A lower death rate than Covid-19 by miles.  Even in 1976 it was proved not to be the vaccine but the manufacturing, which is concerning enough.  It affected 1 out of 100,000.  Still a lower death rate than Covid-19 by miles.  Just not as many.

But anyone squirrelly about getting any vaccine developed shouldn't be concerned. Unless there's a repeat of major errors in manufacturing, it's unlikely.
https://www.medscape.com/answers/315632-14149/which-vaccines-have-been-proven-to-cause-guillain-barre-syndrome-gbs



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2020 at 11:18am

It's not a disease, it'a an autoimmune response disorder that generally follows a viral infection. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2020 at 2:13pm

Semantics

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2020 at 2:48pm

The term disease relates specifically to a collection of symptoms.  Covid 19 is a disease caused by the SARS 2 virus. Immune responses are common, normal and brief - usually.  But when they hang around and/or attack the person, that is by definition a disease.

Yes that was semantics.  Semantics frame thoughts and data with precision.  Auto immune responses are a form of disease, specifically, semantically 'autoimmune disease'.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2020 at 10:40pm

I was referring to the 2009 flu season, and the illness was a form of epilepsy due to the adjunct added to make the vaccine go further (due to limited supplies, even if vaccines are manufactured each year for flu).

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2020 at 5:37am

Can you link me on that Edwin?  I don't seem to recall that complication in 2009.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2020 at 11:03am

You might not have heard of it as it was not licensed in the States.

Here is the CDC write up: Narcolepsy Following Pandemrix Influenza Vaccination in Europe

And a slight longer report:  Studies confirm H1N1 vaccine-narcolepsy link in Finnish kids

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