Re: Rapid roll out of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing—a concern
Dear Editor
The original excellent and cogent letter-article has now spawned a variable (in both coherance and relevance) correspondence.
There is a case for wider population SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening and indeed PHE have such a programme which reports regularly.
It would be reckless and irresponsible to mandate urgent testing of SARS-CoV-2 Ab status. The presence or absence of Ab means little, and may vary from test to test, person to person, and over time. The idea mooted above that somehow a positive result might bring joy or fulfillment is worrying - obviously what of the fear and anguish arising from a negative test?
Tests and testing - screening or in response to trigger factors - are not toys or playthings. Ab responses except in those badly infected with SARS-CoV-2 are inconsistent and potentially dangerously misleading. A statement above from an academic running a business providing such testing to healthcare professionals is very concerning in asserting that the possession of Ab establishes immunity to re-infection. There is no such evidence.
Curiosity about Ab status is legitimate and can be answered by private companies outwith the NHS. The NHS should not be involved in this, wasting time effort and money in the process. The response to SARS-CoV-2 in the UK has been characterised by poor performance generally; rightly many bodies like PHE are under intense scrutiny now and with luck may yet be abolished (an unexpected bonus). Adding Ab testing to a litany of mis-judged and mis-timed interventions will throw yet more fuel on the reputational conflagration already engulfing many centralised sclerotic organisations involved in this pandemic response
Rapid Response:
Re: Rapid roll out of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing—a concern
Dear Editor
The original excellent and cogent letter-article has now spawned a variable (in both coherance and relevance) correspondence.
There is a case for wider population SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening and indeed PHE have such a programme which reports regularly.
It would be reckless and irresponsible to mandate urgent testing of SARS-CoV-2 Ab status. The presence or absence of Ab means little, and may vary from test to test, person to person, and over time. The idea mooted above that somehow a positive result might bring joy or fulfillment is worrying - obviously what of the fear and anguish arising from a negative test?
Tests and testing - screening or in response to trigger factors - are not toys or playthings. Ab responses except in those badly infected with SARS-CoV-2 are inconsistent and potentially dangerously misleading. A statement above from an academic running a business providing such testing to healthcare professionals is very concerning in asserting that the possession of Ab establishes immunity to re-infection. There is no such evidence.
Curiosity about Ab status is legitimate and can be answered by private companies outwith the NHS. The NHS should not be involved in this, wasting time effort and money in the process. The response to SARS-CoV-2 in the UK has been characterised by poor performance generally; rightly many bodies like PHE are under intense scrutiny now and with luck may yet be abolished (an unexpected bonus). Adding Ab testing to a litany of mis-judged and mis-timed interventions will throw yet more fuel on the reputational conflagration already engulfing many centralised sclerotic organisations involved in this pandemic response
Competing interests: No competing interests