At the risk of being criticized for starting a new thread rather than posting in one of the existing threads, I thought it would be helpful to have one thread to report on status of any completed antibody testing by CC members or their families. This might shed some light into the potential herd immunity in any given area.
Any useful info should be shared, such as your location, date of test, possible exposure, and most importantly, test platform used since there is such disparity in accuracy. My understanding from the latest data is that Roche and Abbott tests both have sensitivity/specificity ratings of 99.5% or more. And please, only report once test results are received. There is little to no utility in reporting you are getting or have just gotten a test. Wait until you have results to report.
I will begin with DH who was tested in Mississippi this week using Abbott test. He and I both had Covid symptoms after spending the month of February in NYC, but did not meet criteria for virus testing in Mississippi at that time (early March).
His result was negative; since he and I had same symptoms, assumption is I am negative as well so will not test.
I would like to get this test (I’m convinced that I had a mild case in late February) but my doc wouldn’t agree to give me the piece of paper I need…she believes that the test is returning too many false results and is also giving people a message that they’re immune if they do get a Positive.
however, I’ve done a fair amount of research on this and I disagree with her…so, like a pain pill addict, I’m going to shop around for a doc who will give me the go-ahead.
I know someone who was sick in Feb. Had different antibody tests with inconsistent results. Their doc thinks the antibody tests are unreliable. Importantly, there may be some question about which antibody each of these tests were looking for, e.g. the lab materials explicitly state that crossover with other coronaviruses is possible.
I would suggest waiting until there is better information on which particular test is reliable.
Husband took the antibody test last week. $94 at a major hospital with a national reputation. It took 8 working days to get the results.
Negative. Negative for anti-bodies, and negative for Corona virus currently.
We’re amazed. We were pretty sure he had it: fever, aches, bad headaches, dizzyness and loss of smell. Husband had to literally stick his nose into the unground, freshly-opened coffee beans, to smell them.
Frankly, disappointed. We were hoping for that extra edge of immunity.
Both roche and Abbott platform (not the test for active virus used at White House) are highly accurate. Not just according to their press releases, but Johns Hopkins database.
Urgent care clinic in my location is collecting blood, and lab work is done at hospital. Since there was no backlog, results were available in 24 hours. Cost was $50.
@katliamom I don’t know if this will be helpful or more confusing, but my anecdotal impression is that the particular one you are referring to (NJ) is turning out not to be reliable.
Also, this article is worth reading for those interested in a few of the details of T cell vs B cell immunity:
“T cells found in COVID-19 patients ‘bode well’ for long-term immunity”
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/t-cells-found-covid-19-patients-bode-well-long-term-immunity?fbclid=IwAR0U-eBEB8iHVwIMxV7IAF46xp2_k0gBKT9Zyl63_0lMC86nzsezRgnQP24
Yea, I know… we went into it without big hopes for any kind of definitive answer… just for a bit of a hint, lol. It is what it is: all one big unknown…
My sister had her antibody test today. I’ll report her results when she gets it.
She tested negative for the virus about I think 6 weeks ago or so (hard to keep track of time when one isn’t going anywhere,) but she had headaches every day after, so her Dr. thinks it’s possible her test was a false negative. She didn’t have any other symptoms though.
My husband had at antibody test done last week through Quest labs. (Nor sure which test it was). We live in the Chicagoland area. We thought for sure we had it in early February - all the symptoms, coughing for nearly a month, tested negative for flu. It went through H’s entire leadership team and a few were hospitalized. He tested negative as did others from his team who got the test. We were disappointed too!
A nurse friend said her hospital system told staff not to bother because the tests are too unreliable .
We have a friend up the street who had the same symptoms in early March, tested negative for flu, who also tested negative with Abbott’s test.
Here is how a medical friend explained some of the testing to me:
“They only test for the IgG immunoglobulin. Hopefully they’ll eventually be testing for IgM and other types of Immunoglobulins as they gradually improve. There’s more than two Ig’s I just can’t remember all their names. I think it’s A, G and E too. Our testing center (in our town) can detect if you’re making some antibodies from Corona but some people may be still be making antibodies and it not be noticed till the tests include more Immunoglobulin types of the Corona virus.”
@momofsenior1 we have quest labs. So my friend said the same thing, to not bother getting the test from them.
Weird update!
After getting an online notification last week that my husband tested negative for COVID, today his results came on paper, in the mail. Showing he tested positive!
We went back to his online portal and the notification from last week is gone… So, clearly the initial notification was incorrect… maybe it was for another patient?
Anyway, so now we know he (likely) had it. My husband feels a bit vindicated, that it wasn’t “all in his head”, etc.
And while it would be nice to think he (and perhaps I) have some immunity, reports from the USS Roosevelt suggest some sailors have had it TWICE. Go figure.
My family had the antibody test given in NY. They said it’s 95+ accurate. We all tested negative. It took 3 days to get the result back and it was free. No doctor’s referral was needed, just a walk in at an urgent care facility.
Baby kid tested negative. She said it was easy to get tested at a UW Medicine clinic. UW Virology is running the Abbott test, so those results are as good as they get. She was bummed that she would not be able to donate plasma for research.
Wow, oldfort, NY has really gotten its testing organized. Kudos. Here in Colorado, it’s still a bit hard, husband tested at National Jewish Hospital, the top respiratory hospital in the country. It took him days to get an appointment, and ten days to get his results. Cost was $94.
The test is its own, developed at NJH, and given emergency FDA approval.
I was sick for over a week in February. Fever that wouldn’t go away, dry cough lasting over a month. I am in Southern California and went to Quest for the Abbott test. Unfortunately, it came back negative.
I took two Abbott tests in NYC about 10 days apart both were positive, with identical levels. I was a little sick in early March, with some COVID symptoms but nothing terrible. My husband tested negative 2 of my 5 kids tested positive, 3 negative. With my twin daughters (high school seniors) one was negative one positive and they share a room. Abbott tests for all.
@Kareno - when you were sick did you quarantine yourself? I am just wondering why some people in your family didn’t get infected.
My brother-in-law’s brother had a small family wedding for his son in March. Someone had the virus at the wedding and everyone was infected a week later.
I was sick with headache, sore throat , cough for over 2 weeks in early March. Because I had been traveling all over the place, including Washington State, I was able to get the antibody test from Quest. It was negative. i was hoping that whatever I had was a mild version. I would have donated plasma.
Did you have Covid / were you sick as well? One of my family members has been sick with Covid symptoms, including fever for 6+ weeks; Covid test was negative but Dr said high likelihood of false negative as other bloodwork was fine. Nobody else in our family has been sick; it is is strange.
@momo2x2018 my brother has been sick for almost a month with fever, aches, fatigue, and a cough. He’s been tested for so many things by now including 2 negative covid tests. The doctor finally just said, “there’s a lot of fever or unknown origin going around.” He is getting better but very slowly.