– I closed the door and stayed home

More than 8,000 Norwegians have tested positive for the coronavirus, but with the new antibody test, more cases of infection will likely be detected. One of them is television chef Wenche Andersen.

In mid-March, Wenche had typical flu symptoms, but there was no ability to assess it. They told him to quarantine at home, which he did for two and a half weeks.

Positive result for antibodies against corona

Almost two months later, Wenche received a response that she had a coronavirus.

– I was summoned to do a subsequent test, most likely because I am in the risk group, that is, more than 65 years old. It was positive for antibodies against the crown.

According to the Institute of Public Health, the offer of antibody tests is given to specific groups of the population, such as those at risk groups.

Dr. Harald Dobloug explains that the test will be able to respond if the immune system has been in contact with the virus or has been fighting it.

– That is, you have had the infection or received a vaccine against it. Since there is no vaccine for Covid-19, the crown has been tested positive for the antibody test, Dobloug explains.

Although Wenche has had a crown, it does not necessarily mean that she is immune to the virus.

– Assume he becomes immune because we use the test on similar viruses, which give immunity, says Dobloug and continues:

– We do not know how long or how high levels of antibodies must be in the blood to be immune to covid-19. Therefore, you must act as if you can get it again.

120,000 Norwegians may have been infected

When Wenche Andersen became ill, he isolated himself at home for longer than the doctor recommended was safe.

I closed the door and stayed home. My biggest fear was infecting others, says Wenche, who can also say that he doesn’t know anyone, at work or in private, who has been infected.

Dr. Dobloug believes that Wenche has done everything right and says that the antibody test he has done, and that many can now take, can say something about how many have actually been infected.

In a survey in which 400 random Oslo citizens took the antibody test, about two percent were antibodies detected.

– If you take two percent and extrapolate it to all of Norway, it means that up to 120,000 Norwegians are infected. But remember that Oslo is where there has been the highest infection.