COVID-19 Antibody Test: End the Coronavirus Blockade?

ST. The test that believes that the Lewis-Coronavirus blockade can be put to an end is now here in St. Louis.

The COVID-19 antibody test is designed to tell you if you have been exposed to the virus in the past and if your body may be immune to the virus.

Around the world, this kind of test is expected to re-open society and send millions of people back to work with “immunity badges.”

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ARCpoint Labs in Clevecourt is one of the first companies in the region to offer blood tests for COVID-19 antibodies. This is a test available to those who have been free of coronavirus symptoms for at least 7 days.

Scott Lambert, president of ARCpoint Labs St. Louis West, said:

These antibodies provide some immunity.

“When acting like other viruses similar to COVID-19, immunity levels of 6 months to 1 year are usually expected,” Lambert said.

Anyone who has the antibody can return to work, school, and the emergency room without fear of infection. According to Lambert, many of the people who are being tested at this early stage are medical professionals who have regular contact with infected people. This test can result in reunions of healthy relatives and those in need of care.

“What we’re finding is that everyone wants to make good decisions. We don’t have the data to help make that,” Lambert said.

Last week, dozens of employees were tested by a local company for antibodies. Lambert tests his staff weekly, but said continuous testing is important.

Mostly negative

According to Lambert, over 95% of the people tested in his lab are negative for antibodies. It means they were probably not exposed to the virus.

“You are like our other people. You need to be social and to be very careful,” Lambert said.

If you are negative, you are still at risk of infection, and you should continue to pay attention to the people you contact.

“It helps many people feel more comfortable about the decisions they have to make,” Lambert said.

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There are several types of positive results. You may have one of the antibodies, IgM. This may indicate that it is still fighting the virus and is contagious. If only IgG antibody test is positive, it may be beyond the infection. If both IgM and IgG are positive, you may be in the middle stage of infection.

Problem accuracy

Now that the FDA has abandoned the initial review process for a pandemic, more than 70 companies are selling these tests.

“It’s a bit of a worry to me,” said Dr. Alex Garza, commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. “You need to be really confident in the accuracy of the test. The only way to do that is to validate it in a lab-like setting.”

Without oversight, Dr. Garza asked how accurate these tests were
And whether it can give people a false sense of security.

“I postpone those studies until they’re done, so I can better understand their accuracy. I wasn’t convinced that the results actually reflected what was going on, so I don’t want anyone to get test results, “Garza said.

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However, as the number of positive cases continues to grow, demand for immediate results has not slowed.

Lambert does not allow the tests provided by his lab unless we are in a pandemic.

“None [tests] Experienced the rigors of normal FDA. What they basically say is “Whoever can do a virus test that you are comfortable using goes for it.” So it’s like the time we’re in now, “Lambert said.

As of Tuesday, ARCpoint does not offer a quick test that produces results in less than 20 minutes. Lambert was seeking guidance from the laboratory, a national entity overseeing the Laboratory Improvement and Modification (CLIA). CLIA currently states that it does not have the authority to approve rapid testing. 5 On Your Side is still waiting for comments from CLIA.

Currently available tests require blood draws and take 24-48 hours to obtain results. The cost is over $ 160.

For more information and reservations, please visit ARCpoint Labs St. Louis website.