What does a negative antibody test mean after vaccination? The specialists are reassuring: there may even be some explanations for this.

Antibody testing, primarily in private laboratories, has recently raised many questions in the public sphere.

The discussion was further fueled by news that an antibody test conducted by about half of the Seimas members revealed that not all of them developed antibodies after the first dose of the vaccine.

For example, the first vice president of the Seimas, Jurgis Razma, reported that he had not received them.

Does this mean that the vaccine did not work?

Doctors are in a hurry to calm down: Antibodies are a very important indicator, but not the only one, in deciding whether a vaccine will protect against the coronavirus.

According to Saulius Čaplinskas, doctor of medical sciences, you shouldn’t panic if you receive a negative antibody test.

“First of all, sometimes a test can show an incorrect result. In that case, if in doubt, it should be repeated. Better yet: repeat in another lab, another system. However, it is quite possible that the test will work well, just some people may not develop antibodies.

This happens even after getting sick, and even more so after getting vaccinated. Each person’s immune system is formed differently, depending on the circumstances, “explained the professor.

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Saulius Čaplinskas

It is not the only indicator

According to S. Čaplinskas, if the antibodies did not come from vaccines from one manufacturer, it would be possible to try to vaccinate others in the future.

“In this case, if the vaccine did not have the desired effect on certain people, if it was the first vaccine, you should look and test after the second. Will it be exactly the same or not? If no antibodies are formed, it may be recommended to vaccinate to the person with the vaccine from another manufacturer, ”he said.

According to an infectious disease specialist, antibodies are not the only indicator of protection against COVID-19.