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The "Quest" test is FDA approved for antibodies so I am guessing the FDA believes it is reliable.
I love how the test for active corona virus is reported to be unreliable and everyone forgets about that but we get an antibody test and everyone just starts "alleging" it "might not" be "reliable" because they know it will turn out to be reliable.
A clinic in my area is also offering to send samples out to Quest for the antibody test.
I think a lot of people now are just curious: "I was feeling under the weather for a week back in February. I wonder if I had Covid?" If you test positive (assuming its accurate) it means you have been infected in the past and now your body is making antibodies against the virus. That would be nice to know, because you may feel safer about going out in public.
However, just because you have antibodies doesn't mean you are immune. With things like chicken pox and measles, once you get it you are generally immune for life, or at least long term. We don't that about Covid-19 yet.
We have a local clinic that started doing antibody testing this week - the lab they're using is FDA approved.
I asked why they're one of the only places in my region that has been consistently doing testing. (They've been doing nasal swabs for a month as well.) Their answer: they've been very aggressive at seeking out the testing.
My take is that tests ARE definitely available ... but they're not going to be dropping into everyone's lap. Clinics should be proactive in getting the materials and most are not.
YMMV
I'm nervous about walking into one of those testing labs. I have an Anylab nearby, I have not checked to see if its open and if they have the tests, but they have a tiny waiting area.
A clinic in my area is also offering to send samples out to Quest for the antibody test.
I think a lot of people now are just curious: "I was feeling under the weather for a week back in February. I wonder if I had Covid?" If you test positive (assuming its accurate) it means you have been infected in the past and now your body is making antibodies against the virus. That would be nice to know, because you may feel safer about going out in public.
However, just because you have antibodies doesn't mean you are immune. With things like chicken pox and measles, once you get it you are generally immune for life, or at least long term. We don't that about Covid-19 yet.
I read that the 50 people in South Korea that were re-infected, had very low anti-body counts when they recovered the 1st time.
I'm nervous about walking into one of those testing labs. I have an Anylab nearby, I have not checked to see if its open and if they have the tests, but they have a tiny waiting area.
It's a clinic.
Drive thru testing in their parking lot or outdoor testing.
You have read though that a positive may have a chance of being 50% false positive?
Not sure there is any peace of mind in any of this yet.
I am aware of the false positives and false negatives. My wife is testing as we speak. If both results are consistent, I would feel more confident with the outcome. Two positive results, in conjunction with the other factors I mentioned in the OP would indicate a higher probability of accuracy.
My son had a mystery illness in October, but as far as I know, there is no speculation at this point that the disease could even have been in existence that early. He had never been this sick: Two weeks of fevers, a horrible cough, shortness of breath, body aches. He was on an inhaler, steroids, and antibiotics and got mostly better after the two weeks. Negative for flu, strep, and mono. He coughed literally for months. I was at our family doctor in February for something unrelated, and I mentioned that he was still coughing, so the doc wanted to take another look at him. He listened to him and had him use an expectorant each day and his inhaler before bed each night (the coughing was worse at night) and to report back in two weeks if it was still happening and he'd send him for an x-ray. Thankfully, it got better by then so he didn't go back. A week or two before he became ill, he was in Atlantic City with his friends at an event that drew people from all over the country and some from other areas of the world. So it's likely that it was just some random bug... but I still wonder.
When he was in the acute stage of his illness, none of the rest of us got sick. After he started to recover, hubby and I developed a dry cough. Daughter didn't get sick at all despite sharing a room in a cabin with him the day before he got sick and the day he started coughing, because we were away for a weekend. So I don't know. If the antibody tests were more accurate, I'd send my son to get one just to see and, if positive, the rest of us would go as well... but since half of the positives are false positives, I will just wait for them to get more accurate.
It was either late to mid-November or early December. I mostly remember not moving from the couch for 3-4 days and shortness of breath (I attributed it to anxiety at the time), except for the visit to the doctor.
My wife is also testing today. Two positive results, in conjunction with the other factors I mentioned in the OP would indicate a higher probability of accuracy.
Two positive results, in conjunction with the other factors I mentioned in the OP would indicate a higher probability of accuracy.
I also have some factors that indicate I had it.
- I have had an M-protien spike (which is known to be cause by viruses)
- I developed a chicken pox mark on my foot
- My WBC took a header when I was sick and hasn't really recovered well.
- My liver enzymes - 100% of the time normal came back messed up. Reason per my doctor, virus.
All of it is like my body is still struggling with something after getting knocked down hard when I got it in January.
I asked my doctor for the Covid-19 test yesterday and she refused. But today I got an email from a place I have labs done in the past that I could get the test -- without a doctor's prescription. Perhaps going through them is the doctor's prescription.
I am considering doing it.
The cost is $200.00 but I think it would be worth it.
It is "health one" labs that goes through "Quest".
The problem is, there is a potential risk of getting yourself exposed to someone who is at the lab for testing and they are positive. The labs are crowded with such potential carriers with asymptomatic symptoms AND you may not have the virus BUT since you visited lab, you may get it from someone else.
So I would personally avoid it.
And btw, what's the point of testing? Haven't you seen this video yet?
As long as the medical system can handle it, lockdowns are not necessary.
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