Antibody testing of key importance for lifting emergency measures

(Patria) – Testing the population to determine who has already had or recovered from the coronavirus could help governments decide on relaxing measures, including the return of people to work.

Antibody testing through blood analysis, also known as serological testing, would differ from current coronavirus tests but would provide a much clearer picture of the pandemic's development.

- Immune memory cells (antibodies) remain in the blood after infection and are specific to the virus, says Dr. Caroline Buckee, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Most current coronavirus tests are based on a nasal swab and laboratory analysis of the mucus sample to identify virus carriers.

However, a serological test would determine who has already had the virus or been exposed to it by measuring the level of antibodies – proteins developed by the immune system to attack bacteria or viruses. This would be particularly helpful for asymptomatic cases who may not even know they had or recovered from the coronavirus.

- It is crucial to determine whether coronavirus antibodies actually protect against new infection – we still do not know that, adds Dr. Buckee. This means it is still being determined whether those who have recovered from the coronavirus can become ill again.

For this reason, many countries plan to invest in antibody testing to determine how much of the population has become immune to the virus.

Euronews reports that some laboratory companies in Europe and the US have already begun developing and producing commercial versions of these tests, which will be available in the coming weeks.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued the first authorization for an antibody test last week.