There are two types of tests researchers use on patients for Coronavirus detection. One tests whether the patient is infected. It's the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which is a method for amplifying the disease's RNA from the patient's snot -- we've seen them demonstrated on TV where a stick is poked into the patient's nose. That would confirm whether or not the patient is infected, but it works only while the patient is infected.
The other test is a serum test which would require a small sample of blood from which the researcher could determine whether the patient's body has antibodies to the virus. But that's the tough one, since the antibodies in that patient may have developed to fight some other form of the virus and might not protect against Covid-19.
Numerous companies and institutions are working to develop an antibody test. Let's all hope some or all of them come up with a simple, fast, and cheap test. And more importantly, someone comes up with a working vaccine.
Resources:
The coronavirus test that might exempt you from social distancing—if you pass
New COVID-19 Antibody Pilot Testing Begins Friday Across LA County
Coronavirus Update: N.J. City Begins ‘Rapid Antibody COVID-19’ Testing On First Responders
Could a simple blood test for COVID-19 antibodies help reopen the economy?
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3:10 PM 4/15/2020
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Updated 7:43 AM 4/16/202: a news release dated 4/15/2020 from Abbott Labs proclaims:
Abbott has launched its third test for coronavirus (COVID-19) and will start shipping it in the U.S.
The test is a serology test – also called an antibody test – which could be a critical next step in battling this virus.
Abbott's test helps to detect the IgG antibody to SARS-CoV-2. An antibody is a protein that the body produces in the late stages of infection and may remain for up to months and possibly years after a person has recovered. Detecting these IgG antibodies will help determine if a person was previously infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
The new antibody test is to be used on Abbott's ARCHITECT i1000SR and i2000SR laboratory instruments, which can run up to 100-200 tests an hour. ...
We're significantly scaling up our manufacturing for antibody testing and expect to ship close to 1 million tests to U.S. customers this week and 4 million of the antibody tests during April.
Abbott plans to ship 20 million antibody tests in the U.S. in June and beyond as we expand our testing capabilities to our Alinity i lab system.
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