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Antibody tests for covid-19 show whether an individual has had the disease and has developed antibodies that provide some protection against infection. As more and more tests of this type emerge in the market, the Public Health Authority is developing minimum requirements on how to guarantee quality, which is known as validation.
– When purchasing tests, the supplier claims that they have some precision. But it has to be validated, so that the tests are as sensitive in the new environment and in the population as they should be, says Karin Tegmark Wisell, Head of Department of the Public Health Authority.
Antibody test it is carried out partly in a laboratory, where the staff has a great habit of this type of quality guarantee. But rapid tests, which can be done without laboratory analysis, can be bought by more players. It is for these that the new minimum requirements must be addressed.
– It is up to who will use the tests to know the test performance so that they are responsible for showing what they say it should show. The result should also be feedback, so that the individual understands what positive or negative testing means, says Karin Tegmark Wisell.
The private health company Hedda Care is one of the players who has offered covid-19 antibody tests to individuals. This is still something that the Public Health Authority does not advise. The authority believes the tests are best used at the group level, to get an idea of how much of the group carries antibodies. But they do not have the authority to ban the use of tests at the individual level.
– Of course, you can give a small double message that we provide information although we discourage its use. But it is because we know they are used in this way and because we understand that demand is high, says Karin Tegmark Wisell.
She thinks the evidence Validated in the way that the authority will soon recommend may be safer, but stresses that the general advice from the public health authority on how to act during the ongoing pandemic is no different for those who have shown antibodies.
– A good test can give you a pretty sure message whether or not you have been infected. But we are concerned that people come to conclusions about how they can relate to the infection. We still know very little about how this virus infects and how immunity works so that you feel safe if you have antibodies.
Read more:
Healthcare companies offer companies to test their employees
Her result was positive at Hedda Care, but negative at Karolinska
