This is a forum open to Experts, Regulators, Health Professionals, Scientists, Physicians, Practitioners, Nurses, Medical Staff and Laboratory Staff to post and discuss their experiences with the current Covid-19 pandemic. All are welcome to post your thoughts, experience, knowledge, and expertise. Communication and the exchange of ideas is a pivotal component to turning the corner on this crisis. We appreciate your input.
There is a general lack of understanding regarding the different types of testing. The CDC has made clear that antibody testing alone should not be used to diagnose the virus. The reason for this is that the antibody testing being administered during this pandemic is not specific to SARS-COV2 (the Covid-19 virus). The common cold is a coronavirus which could give a positive result by the current antibody testing methods. There is a type of antibody test that is very specific and is used to detect other viruses (such as HIV), however it has yet to be developed for the SARS-COV2.
Currently, the only way to confirm a SARS-COV2 infection is by genetic testing. Genetic tests by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test for the physical presence of the virus, as opposed to antibody tests which indicate that your immune system has responded to an infection. Even if the antibodies being produced happen to be specific to the SARS-COV2 virus it does not indicate that the person is not infectious. If we know our history, an infected person can be asymptomatic and still spread disease. Only the genetic test can indicate if you are infectious.
Some criticism of genetic testing for SARS-COV2 is that the virus is not always present in a person's specimen, leading to a false negative result. To me, that just indicates a need for more frequent genetic testing. At the end of the day, what matters most is that the virus isn't physically present in a person's nose, throat or mouth where it can spread to others.
This is not to say that the antibody test is not meaningful. In fact, both test should be administered in conjunction with one another. However, when I see the push for antibody testing alone, it just reminds me of how there is a lack of genetic testing in medicine, the country and the world. I'm constantly reminded that we desperately need to build the genetic testing infrastructure in this country to deal with this crisis and future crises. By infrastructure I mean more funding for genetic labs like Genome and more Molecular-Genetic training at Universities.