3 ms·

We now know a significant amount of people have no symptoms or very light symptoms and no antibody response. An anecdote. My friend and his wife got tested when

We now know a significant amount of people have no symptoms or very light symptoms and no antibody response. An anecdote. My friend and his wife got tested when giving birth. She was positive for antibodies he was not. It is quite possible that for ever person who had antibodies there is some unknown x of people who got it and never developed antibodies.

cm2187 6y ago
I have seen Dr Raoult in France suggesting there was likely significant cross immunity from other coronaviruses. If it is the case, would the person develop covid19-specific antibodies after getting it?
cube2222 6y ago
IANAD, but you can have similar antibodies (which test positive) from previous infections with similar coronaviruses, not this one specifically. So somebody who had no exposure to COVID-19 could test positive. Afaik that's the main drawback of the antibody test.
- koheripbal 6y ago
  The antibody test specifically tests for a protein that only exists on covid-19. A positive test result is much more reliable than a negative result.
baddox 6y ago
What is the actual effect on the world if that’s true? I’m assuming that people who were infected but never developed symptoms or antibodies were still able to infect other people who might develop symptoms and antibodies.
peteretep 6y ago
How would you end up without antibodies? The virus just failed to replicate in your system and died out of its own accord? Or are we suggesting the people with no symptoms are still asymptomic carriers?
- carey 6y ago
  You will only get detectable antibodies if the virus activated the adaptive immune system. This could be the case if the infection was successfully and quickly controlled by the innate immune system.
- koheripbal 6y ago
  It doesnt mean thee are no antibodies It means the antibody test doesnt test the right protein.
legulere 6y ago
People without symptoms are also much less likely to spread. So likely your friend really didn’t get infected.
jonathanstrange 6y ago
How would we know that if they don't even have an antibody response? You're resorting to anecdotal evidence but there is no way to confirm this hypothesis empirically on a large scale. I guess it depends on what you mean by "significant amount", though.
the-rc 6y ago
Another anecdote from NY. I had mild symptoms in mid March that didn't exactly match what was being described in the press. Spending hours at the hospital trying to get tested seemed riskier, so I was never diagnosed. In late April I got tested at Mount Sinai hospital for antibodies as part of their study and I was positive, with a high titer. A friend of mine was, too, with a low titer. In a second test two weeks ago I still had the same titer, while she was negative. As an additional anecdote, without mention of other variables, the nurse taking the second sample told me that males had a higher titer on average. I think we also have higher mortality rates, though.

cm2187 6y ago

I have seen Dr Raoult in France suggesting there was likely significant cross immunity from other coronaviruses. If it is the case, would the person develop covid19-specific antibodies after getting it?

cube2222 6y ago

IANAD, but you can have similar antibodies (which test positive) from previous infections with similar coronaviruses, not this one specifically. So somebody who had no exposure to COVID-19 could test positive. Afaik that's the main drawback of the antibody test.

koheripbal 6y ago
The antibody test specifically tests for a protein that only exists on covid-19. A positive test result is much more reliable than a negative result.

baddox 6y ago

What is the actual effect on the world if that’s true? I’m assuming that people who were infected but never developed symptoms or antibodies were still able to infect other people who might develop symptoms and antibodies.

peteretep 6y ago

How would you end up without antibodies? The virus just failed to replicate in your system and died out of its own accord? Or are we suggesting the people with no symptoms are still asymptomic carriers?

carey 6y ago
You will only get detectable antibodies if the virus activated the adaptive immune system. This could be the case if the infection was successfully and quickly controlled by the innate immune system.
koheripbal 6y ago
It doesnt mean thee are no antibodies It means the antibody test doesnt test the right protein.

legulere 6y ago

People without symptoms are also much less likely to spread. So likely your friend really didn’t get infected.

jonathanstrange 6y ago

How would we know that if they don't even have an antibody response? You're resorting to anecdotal evidence but there is no way to confirm this hypothesis empirically on a large scale. I guess it depends on what you mean by "significant amount", though.

the-rc 6y ago

Another anecdote from NY. I had mild symptoms in mid March that didn't exactly match what was being described in the press. Spending hours at the hospital trying to get tested seemed riskier, so I was never diagnosed. In late April I got tested at Mount Sinai hospital for antibodies as part of their study and I was positive, with a high titer. A friend of mine was, too, with a low titer. In a second test two weeks ago I still had the same titer, while she was negative. As an additional anecdote, without mention of other variables, the nurse taking the second sample told me that males had a higher titer on average. I think we also have higher mortality rates, though.