I have paid an extortionate amount for a 100% accurate(apparently) antibody test and the results came back negative!!
This was an approved test from ‘Abbotts Laboratories’ where I had to squeeze blood from my little finger into a vial and send it to be lab tested.
I can’t believe I’m negative☹️ I was relying on positive antibodies to protect me at work.
I was so convinced as my illness fitted most of the symptoms. 😷
healthunlocked.com/afassoci...
Pat
Ermmmmm! Sounds like you may have had some other form of Flu type virus. I know there have some issues with the reliability of some tests but they now claim to have one which is “apparently” 100% accurate 🤔 and I believe it’s the one produced by Abbott’s
There are two I believe. The one the government have bought by Roche and the Abbotts one.
Isn't that a positive negative. Besides this Cov-19 I'm in the same category as you + Cirrhosis and not on any list. Here we go we are all different. My dad was diagnosed with AFib 26yrs ago on Warfarin & still going strong.
My AFib is six months old. 🙄
Flu jab I get it but had mild symptoms not after the jab but just before this & mild symptoms since. Then again another post puts the sinus runny nose down to Bisoprolol. 🤔
Can I ask what you paid for the test Pat ? I feel that both my husband and myself had the virus before lockdown. Even the cats became ill .....
£99.99!!
It was priced for the desperate.
It is the going rate.
Thanks! Just looked it up. I'm used to taking drops on a test strip for my warfarin Coaguchek test but filling 2 test tubes from a finger prick ?!
Julia it was only one small tube. Around 10 drops needed but it was far more difficult than I thought. They give you 3 lancets just in case and I used 2. I could only squeeze 3 drops from my left little finger and one missed the tube! Then I had a go on my right little finger and determination made me squeeze the rest out.
I ordered the test last Sunday night, it arrived early on Tuesday, I posted it back the same morning and they emailed me the result on Wednesday afternoon.
Pat
Thanks Pat! I may try this. I've saved more than that by not being able to visit hairdresser during lockdown !
Did you order the test on line please? If so could you advise on the website address please. Thanks
The website is ‘online clinic’ you need a profile on there which is easy to do. I registered with them 3 years ago to buy antibiotics( for toothache as had 10 day wait for dentist who was on holiday). They sent me an email saying they’re in stock.
Thanks that’s very helpful. Myself and my family had fever, cough etc in January this year so interested to find out if we had the virus. From what I’ve read online the suggestion is that the virus was in the community in the U.K. from early December or even earlier. In fact there were a number of pneumonia cases that were really serious back then and one had bloods rechecked and found to have Covid.
I was unwell in January too. Many children were off or at school coughing. The usual annual winter illnesses going round school.
Once we knew coronavirus was here, we were told to only suspect It if you had a ‘new persistent cough’
My oldest daughter had breathing difficulties as well. I’m not convinced it was the ‘normal’ seasonal virus but the only way to tell is through the antibody test. I also believe there was a lot of covering up as well
A friend of mine in Australia thought she had it. Awful coughing, fever, site throat, headache etc. Took about a week to improve. She didn't have it either. Maybe just look after yourself as a regular flu?
I have Had a flu jab every year for ~8-9 years. I have had flu in the past but it didn’t feel like this illness. I kept my head with this, with flu I remember being a bit delirious.
Am I assuming that if one is in AF then they are an 'At risk' group, or have you guys got other issues??
I believe there is 'no evidence' re an arrythmia/AF of whether there is any more of a risk. The British Heart Foundation and the Arrythmia Alliance have details on their website. Other Heart Disease issues are way above any AF re risk I believe
. Hope that helps.
Thanks. I was only diagnosed (opportunistically) and was gutted. I am a very fit 69year old - work as a nurse in a prison setting, keen cyclist (100+ miles a week) and look after grandchildren (or did until this pandemic) I have not been into work since the lockdown for the reason of my diagnosis, and am desperate to get back...
It is possible that you had a false negative and have actually had, and recovered from, Covid. From what I have read, no test can be 100% reliable. Even if it’s 99% accurate there can be a significant number of false negativs. The only way to be sure would be to do another test, perhaps using a different method, which would entail more expenditure. As you are a teacher, are you not entitled to free testing?
I’m hoping it was a false negative and I’m not telling school I’ve had it, in case they begin paying for staff to have one but leave me out thinking I’ve had one.
The result is worded ‘you have not had covid 19’.
And ‘no antibodies were detected’.
I wanted to have had it ( munchausen?).☹️
There is an interesting article (link below) which discusses the difficulties around testing. It notes that “if you have typical symptoms of coronavirus, then it’s safest to assume that you have the disease, even if your test is negative.”
I think there are two factors in testing:
Sensitivity Percentage: Positive means you have got it, antibodies in this case. A false negative would mean you had antibodies, but that test didn't pick them up. So a 97% specificity rating would be good.
Specificity Percentage: False positives are a worry meaning that flu antibodies, or measles antibodies triggered the Covid-19 test. Again you would hope for a 95% specificity.
It would be interesting to hear what sensitivity and specificity Abbotts quote for their test.
I see figures in the press that show the specificity for some antiGEN tests are only 70-90%
100% sensitivity and 99% specificity
I believe there is still scientific debate as to how long the anti-bodies last. I thought for the Roche test you had to have it between 14 and 28 days after symptoms
I became ill on March 15th, so I was in the time span
I guess you feel a bit peeved Pat, after all if you had been a proven victim of the virus you would now hopefully have some immunity!
The only thing I can say is let's hope that if our government eventually offer this kind of test for key workers, then you will be able to have another one free of charge.
I think I'd still be a little doubtful as to whether you did or didn't have it
Jean
I am Jean. If I’d become that ill at any other time, without coronavirus symptoms and isolation instructions, I would have dosed myself up and plodded on. What if I did have it and my antibodies only lasted a month?
Pat
They are not really sure the antibodies protect you. Some viruses you only get once others like whooping cough you can get more than once. The best way to protect yourself is hand washing and hand sanitizer . Wear a mask and don’t touch your face.when you get home from work change your clothes and leave your shoes at the door. Take a shower the virus can stay in your hair. A new study from the NIH said even talking can spread 1000 droplets that can linger in the air for 14 minutes. If everyone would just wear a mask it would help prevent the spread and help people from getting it. My close friends daughter is an ICU doctor in New Orleans. She said covid -19 is the worst thing she has ever seen. Our family is taking this seriously. So far my 81 year old parents 6 brothers an sisters , their families , my 5 children and their families have not got it. Many have stopped wearing masks but we are going to continue even if we are the only people who do.
Because I had some other problems I was visiting the hospital in Newcastle (UK) almost every week last year for tests and the unit I went to was the Tropical Diseases Dept which is where the first two cases of Covid in the UK were being treated.
My wife and I both feel that we got the virus in late December/early January. We obviously don't know whether we caught it at the hospital or not.
My wife had the symptoms for just over a week but mine lingered for three weeks - mainly the cough.
We are both 75 and have underlying issues so we self-isolated as soon as we could and have continued to do so for nearly three months. We have been out a few times recently but we wear our masks and gloves if we get out of the car.
I have been saying for some time that an antibody test should have been made available as soon as possible to relieve the stress of not knowing and the fear of meeting people or going to the shops etc. I think the mental issues are as bad as the physical ones.
My wife has dementia and it has been a nightmare keeping her safe.
Here in the US, the Abbott test has been found to give false negative results (meaning you could actually be positive) between 14 and 40% of the tests performed.
Really? I’m surprised as here In the UK they say it’s 100% accurate. Although our government have done a deal with Roche. I’m hoping my school, as it’s a private school, will acquire them for the staff if and when they can.
There is no antibody test that is confirmed accurate, despite loads that claim to be. All are giving false negatives and false positives. My brother is a virologist and believe me, if such an antibody test existed, he would be getting it for me. His advice is absolutely not to buy one at present, as none of them work properly. The ones on sale are just trials.
Absolutely agree. My son Is a Frontline Consultant in London. He tested positive four weeks ago and has been back on the frontline again for Two weeks now. He explained that this by no means proves it can’t be transmitted again. He is hoping he may get at least some temporary short lived immunity to get on with the job!
Even if you had tested positive there is no proof that you have immunity. Recent evidence suggests that patients who have been ventilated with severe symptoms have been shown to have higher immunity, whereas patients or general public with mild Covid and few symptoms have shown very low levels of immunity. Either way there is still no evidence to back up that immunity is of long duration. This comes from an English Professor who was interviewed on This Morning yesterday.
I understand that. A part of having that test was wanting proof that I’d had it.
Since I began this post, I’ve heard of 5 other people having the same test, people who were convinced they’d had Covid19 and had had typical symptoms. None tested positive.
Pat
Positive result still wouldn’t be a guarantee of protection. It would just prove you had Covid. My Son is a frontline Consultant in Infectious diseases in London. He tested positive four weeks ago. He has been back on the frontline For two weeks now and, knows that at best it might give him a slightly lower risk of transmission over a very short term, but nothing more than that. He is still going to work not knowing whether any possible cover still remains. Keep taking every precaution in any event to protect yourself and save your money. At the moment your life is more important than proving that you may have had it. Take care. k
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