4 ms·
I don't know a lot about the antibody tests. Is the novel coronavirus novel enough that they know exactly the kind they're testing? Is it a specific test for SA
by Brendinooo 7y ago
I don't know a lot about the antibody tests. Is the novel coronavirus novel enough that they know exactly the kind they're testing? Is it a specific test for SARS-CoV-2?
- FabHK 7y agoThere are many antibody tests. The one I’ve read about (from the Charité in Berlin) was designed (or found) to also test positive for the “original” SARS, and for very closely related bat viruses (neither of which should present an issue when testing humans today), but not for other corona viruses (such as the common cold etc.). That test has also very carefully been validated, with excellent sensitivity (=few false negatives) and specificity (=few false positives). Not sure all available tests have gone through quite so thorough validation.
- maxerickson 7y agoThe Ohio prison system is probably testing for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, not antibodies. That testing is specific to the virus (the type of test can respond to multiple viruses, but being specific to the target is one of the design criteria). An antibody test should also generally be well targeted.