COVID-19 antibody testing will soon be available at your local doctor’s office.

Two days ago, the FDA issued an emergency use authorizations (EUA) for SARS-CoV-2 virus antibodies. https://wb.md/3mUZLWE

Antibody

Antibodies are immunoglobulins – Y-shaped proteins made in plasma cells. The purpose of an antibody is to attack and neutralize foreign viral and bacterial invaders.

Antibody Test

It takes ten to twenty days for your body to make antibodies. If you contract COVID-19, the antibody test will be of no use. A couple of weeks after your recovery, the antibody test will be valid.

After you have had a disease such as measles, mumps, and similar disease, the body makes antibodies to help fight off that specific disease in the future. If you have measles antibodies, you can easily get mumps, but not a recurrence of measles. It protects you specifically against the disease you had.
With COVID-19, there is a discussion about whether the antibody produced from one strain of COVID-19 will be protective against a mutation. The jury is still out on that question. https://bit.ly/2S3cbxv

COVID-19 Antibody Test

Assure is the company that created a COVID-19 antibody test. Until recently, your blood would be drawn and sent to a central processing laboratory, tested, and many days later the results would be sent to you.

This test is now deployed to hospitals, doctors’ offices, urgent care centers, and emergency rooms. The test is conducted like the fingerstick you get when giving blood. Your blood is tested in a relatively short time and the results available the same day – in most cases.

Long-term Immunity

Some antibodies can last for a few years, like the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome. Researchers found that the effective life span for the SARS virus was two to three years. The SARS pandemic was in 2002 and 2003. The specific virus, SARS-CoV, is like the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, but not the same. https://bit.ly/2GbkFQD

What is the life expectancy of the COVID-19 virus antibodies? No one knows. We do know that tetanus antibodies protect you for at least eleven years. After that time, you have the option to get a booster shot. The measles and mumps antibodies are good for 200 years.

Conclusion

A lot has been done in the fight against COVID-19 in the past six months. There are many companies around the world developing vaccines and testing existing medicines to treat and prevent COVID-19. The early COVID-19 tests took weeks to complete.

Today, testing can be done in areas convenient to more people, and the results available very quickly. Many blood donation centers offer an antibody assessment after donating blood. Progress is being made. Vaccines are no guarantee that the spread of COVID-19 is abated or cured.

Scientists are hoping for a 70% effectiveness rate for the new vaccines. I think that is highly overambitious for a new vaccine. A year from now we will know. In the meantime, and after vaccines are available, face masks and other protective measures must still be employed for personal protection.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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