Antibody tests for Covid-19 wrong half the time, CDC says

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN

Antibody tests, often called serologic tests, look for evidence of an immune response to infection. "Antibodies in some persons can be detected within the first week of illness onset," the CDC says.

They are not accurate enough to use to make important policy decisions, the CDC said.

"Serologic test results should not be used to make decisions about grouping persons residing in or being admitted to congregate settings, such as schools, dormitories, or correctional facilities," the CDC says.

"Serologic test results should not be used to make decisions about returning persons to the workplace."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/antibody-tests-for-covid-19-wrong-half-the-time-cdc-says/ar-BB14DD2E?li=BBnb7Kz

---

Here is the problem. You have Trump and other electeds want to appear like they are producing so they insist that scientists give the go ahead to a bunch of half baked ideas that normally take years to approve. However, when they do not work out, they turn around and blame the scientists for going along with their promises.

You see this all the time with Trump pressuring staff to go along with some half baked idea to open soon. When it does not pan out, staff is blamed for confusion that the policymaker helped create in the first place with Project Warp Speed!

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Trump will be claiming cases are 50% lower very soon

And MAGAts will believe him

[brush]

2. Anti-body testing is well and good but isn't testing for the virus...

Last edited Wed May 27, 2020, 10:03 AM - Edit history (1)

the priority?

[FakeNoose]

3. Part of their agenda is to get people back to work

... so whoever takes a test that shows "immunity" can presumably go back to work. Chump is even talking about giving "immunity" passports so people can work or travel without wearing masks, etc.

Of course if the tests have a 50% failure rate (it's wrong half of the time), this could all backfire spectacularly.

[DeminPennswoods]

4. This affects policy at every level

Think about all the discussion about "asymptomatic" people who tested positive for antibodies. It's lead to the belief that the rate of infection is much higher than thought which, in turn, is has lead people to think it's more contagious than it actually might be. JMHO, but this idea has informed a lot of the mask/no mask debate, too.

I believe the CDC has also pulled approval for many of the antibody tests that initially had gotten an EUA. IIRC, there were only 3 or 4 antibody tests that actually were shown to detect the antibodies correctly.

There is no doubt a more sensitive test for a positive diagnosis - one that detects viable virus - is needed although I'm not sure if it's possible. An accurate antibody test is also needed. These two tests would go a long way toward figuring out exactly what's happening. Then we'd be making better informed policy decisions.

[Ford_Prefect]

5. This kind of attitude of forcing progress by insisting it takes place at your schedule

is so typical of the Bad Boss Syndrome. I saw this often in situations where managers did not understand how the work was actually done and yet insisted those doing it make it happen better, more productively, and faster according to their own profitability goals.
It was nearly impossible to sit in a meeting with them and listen with any respect to their decisions, their exhortations towards greater performance, and the way they mangled language to sound like they "knew" what they were telling us to do.
Along with his many other flaws, Trump is the Archetype of Bad Management. I realize this is not news to most of us. I just needed to call it out because it is so very blatant in this case.

[progree]

6. I've seen a lot of news stories on some states combining regular virus test results with these

seriological antibody test results, making it look like they are doing more testing than they really are; and they, or people using their statistics, are therefore coming up with low positive test percentages -- low percentages of tests that are positive are generally considered a good sign. So they are making it all look better than it is. MAGA!