Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

coronachecktest.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 187 posts

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#51

Post by joshmaker »

product50 wrote: post #32
jupp0r wrote: post #24

> The sensitivity is 97.90 %, the specificity is 91.77%. This seems like it could provide a false sense of security to many if used widely by the general population.

Some smart ass always has to comment how this is not perfect and thus not useful. Look at the alternatives. Should we just keep on waiting otherwise?

But there are other tests, the US just didn't use them. South Korea has had tremendous success with testing.

> On Feb. 4, two weeks after South Korea reported its first coronavirus case, the government gave “emergency approval” for Seoul-based Kogene Biotech to move ahead with the test kits.

> Kogene currently exports test kits for the novel virus to 35 countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/coronaviru...

> Researchers say a viral test is relatively easy to develop. Rather, scientists say, the chasm between the testing haves and have-nots reflects politics, public health strategies and, in some cases, blunders.

> South Korea opened nearly 600 testing clinics, including dozens of drive-through stations. More than 250,000 people have been tested

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/world/europe/coronavirus-...

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#52

Post by hackcasual »

frandroid wrote: post #38
Gibbon1 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's likely useful for mild cases and for detecting people previously infected. People that recovered can be put to work in hazardous places. And can donate plasma to make serum[1] for treating sick people. [1] Antivirals are a crap shoot but serum works hands down.

How about a source for that [1]

https://www.jci.org/articles/view/138003

It's far to early to call it a slam dunk for nCov-2, but it is a treatment already used for rabies and hepatitis.

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#53

Post by gopalv »

baybal2 wrote: post #5

That's an antibody test, not an RNA test. Quite a different thing. It will only detect an infection when you have an immune response already. It will not if you don't. RNA tests can detect the virus even if it doesn't turn a person diseased.

> That's an antibody test, not an RNA test.

Yes, this is an exposure test - which works okay for a completely novel virus like this one.

The real question is whether this has a drop-off factor for immunity for instance (i.e non-infectious herd immune) or if it can differentiate between exposure and carrier for the disease.

It might be useful right now, but it will get less useful as the months go by.

For instance, the QuantiFeron test for TB tests me as positive because my white blood cells take TB very seriously (or so it looks like).

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#54

Post by Animats »

OK, good. With both antibody tests and virus tests available, people who have had COVID-19 and recovered, and now presumably have immunity for some length of time, can be identified, even if asymptomatic. They can go back to normal life. In China, they'd be given a green card with a QR code to identify them.

How long immunity lasts after recovery is still an unknown. Maybe for life, maybe for weeks. Repeated tests over time will tell.

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#55

Post by crispyporkbites »

throwaway2048 wrote: post #42
erentz wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One reason people seem to be missing for why antibody tests are very useful is it will allow us to confirm those that are now immune. We can’t get this from the RNA testing because it’s primarily being used on only symptomatic people at the time they have symptoms (and then only if they can get the test which typically means severe symptoms) But if we start to test widely for antibodies we can start to clear people f…

There is evidence that people can become re-infected, so antibodies aren't enough.

Citation? IIRC all of the examples were either false positive re-tests or atypical patients (i.e. with some immune issue that only supressed the virus when they tested negative)

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#56

Post by gbjw »

skellington wrote: post #36
kragen wrote: post #28

"Qualatative detection of COVID-19’s IgM and IgG antibodies" I hope their test kits are more carefully made than their website. I mean, normally I know it's in poor taste to criticize someone's spelling, since what really matters is their ideas, not their educational background or learning disabilities. But I think this case is an exception: we're talking about a company who's claiming to offer a solution to the bigg…

Why? That's how the test kit works. It develops colored stripes that you QUALITATIVELY interpret. There is interpretation in the meaning of the saturation of the strip color.

I think they are referring to the (mis)spelling of 'qualatative.'

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#57

Post by erentz »

throwaway2048 wrote: post #42
erentz wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One reason people seem to be missing for why antibody tests are very useful is it will allow us to confirm those that are now immune. We can’t get this from the RNA testing because it’s primarily being used on only symptomatic people at the time they have symptoms (and then only if they can get the test which typically means severe symptoms) But if we start to test widely for antibodies we can start to clear people f…

There is evidence that people can become re-infected, so antibodies aren't enough.

There’s not good evidence of that. There have been cases of people testing negative then positive again but that doesn’t mean they had cleared the virus and got reinfected. It more likely means they had a false negative. (E.g. I have a friend in hospital right now with COVID-19 that has had four tests, one positive, two negative, then one positive again, all tests within the space of four days.)

It also can be the case if you are immune compromised that you may clear the virus through good luck, drugs, and your innate immune response. But you never developed a good adaptive immune response and so don’t show a strong antibody response.

Immunity to this virus may not last 10+ years, but it’s seeming unlikely that is lasts less than 6 months.

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#58

Post by chapium »

dktoao wrote: post #26

Ummm, guys. Unsubstantiated claims along with a website clearly designed to sell... Screams scam to me. If it is real, wait to hear about it from the CDC or other reputable source.

Its so easy to take in news we want to hear. You are right, this needs better sources.

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#59

Post by BurningFrog »

absherwin wrote: post #45

This is an antibody test which will only be positive days after the onset of symptoms. This is principally useful for several purposes: 1. Figuring out who to isolate in hospitals if the RNA test isn't available in sufficient quantity 2. Understanding who has already recovered from COVID-19 and is thus immune with all that implies in terms of inability to spread the disease and reduced need for PPE 3. Enabling us to…

A test for who is immune seems very important a few months down the road!

Re: FDA just cleared a $20 Covid-19 antibody test

#60

Post by noelsusman »

lisper wrote: post #12
whateveracct wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely still important progress & a big deal though, right?

This will make it easier to tell if a symptomatic person has COVID or something else. But it won't help with early detection, which is what is most urgently needed.

We needed early detection weeks ago. That ship has sailed. At this point a test like this is probably more urgent. The lead time on getting tests for patients showing up to the hospital (i.e. they have symptoms) will make a massive difference in how much PPE the hospital goes through.
Post reply on HN