Antibody test question

[LuvOrlando]

Anyone out there know the skinny on Antibody tests? I have scripts for my family and the flare seems to have quieted enough to go with masks and all. I am trying to decide between Labcorp and Quest, SEEMS Quest has Abbot and Euroimmun IgG with is less precise and SEEMS Labcorp only has Roche - but I can't talk to anyone so it's muddy. I've read that Quest doesn't let you pick what you so I'm leaning towards Labcorp if they only have one it's no contest, but now wonder if I'm being mislead so I figured I'd ask here. So hard to get a straight answer

 

[disneychrista]

At this time Antibody tests are not really that accurate and they don't really tell you if you have any protection against the virus. I would save my money.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

There are only about 6 tests that are approved by the FDA so you might want to check which lab/version is one of those 6.

We got the antibody tests at Northwell Health in NYC which uses an approved test and it was good to get confirmation that what we had in March was Covid-19.

FYI regarding the “save your money” comment above if you have insurance it likely covers this test so you pay $0 out of pocket - knowledge if power so I recommend it, especially if you want some peace of mind. But note it does not guarantee you can’t get it again or spread it because we don’t know enough about it yet.

 

[Heather07438]

https://covidtestingproject.org/


It seems 3 of the 14 available tests are strong. Several are pretty useless for most intents and purposes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/health/coronavirus-antibody-tests.html

 

[katie01]

I just heard about this, might be an option if you’re able to give blood, you could get the antibody test for free https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/covid-19-antibody-testing.html

 

[disneychrista]

FYI regarding the “save your money” comment above if you have insurance it likely covers this test so you pay $0 out of pocket

To me that is crazy that insurance would cover an elective test that isn't even accurate or gives you anything other than being able to say "I had it." I am not looking forward to January and seeing the new rates. I am expecting to see a substantial increase in premiums because of all this.

 

[Pamlur]

People.com has an article about a woman who had Covid in February, tested positive for antibodies, donated plasma, and now has Covid again. I'm still not sure anybody knows enough about this virus to speak with any authority on anything.

 

[okeydokey]

At this point antibody tests are not reliable. I would love to get one, but I will wait a while to see if anyone can produce one that is valid.

 

[jlwhitney]

People.com has an article about a woman who had Covid in February, tested positive for antibodies, donated plasma, and now has Covid again. I'm still not sure anybody knows enough about this virus to speak with any authority on anything.

She probably never had it and the antibody test wasn't a solid one. Plus people.com will publish just about whatever they want.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

People.com has an article about a woman who had Covid in February, tested positive for antibodies, donated plasma, and now has Covid again. I'm still not sure anybody knows enough about this virus to speak with any authority on anything.

I read that article and it seems to be they believe it's just a resurgence of the original virus that went dormant for awhile, not that it's a new infection. In her case, it likely doesn't matter as it seems this second time around is so much worse for her. The good news for the rest of us is that they're finding the resurgence isn't a live virus and they aren't shedding it.

Here is the article for anybody else who's interested

https://people.com/health/dallas-woman-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-again/

 

[Heather07438]

To me that is crazy that insurance would cover an elective test that isn't even accurate or gives you anything other than being able to say "I had it." I am not looking forward to January and seeing the new rates. I am expecting to see a substantial increase in premiums because of all this.

Yeah, we know they'll raise the rates using covid as an excuse even tho ppl have put off many medical needs this year and these companies probably have double the profits for 2020 so far.

 

[godisney14]

There are only about 6 tests that are approved by the FDA so you might want to check which lab/version is one of those 6.

We got the antibody tests at Northwell Health in NYC which uses an approved test and it was good to get confirmation that what we had in March was Covid-19.

FYI regarding the “save your money” comment above if you have insurance it likely covers this test so you pay $0 out of pocket - knowledge if power so I recommend it, especially if you want some peace of mind. But note it does not guarantee you can’t get it again or spread it because we don’t know enough about it yet.

I’d love to learn which insurance carrier is covering costs for antibody tests. I have yet to hear of one.

Yeah, we know they'll raise the rates using covid as an excuse even tho ppl have put off many medical needs this year and these companies probably have double the profits for 2020 so far.

That’s an incorrect opinion of the complex health insurance industry.

First, insurance companies aren’t making as much money as you think. The bill for hospitalized patients due to the coronavirus is costing insurance companies immensely. I’m not sure how much you are aware of health costs, but a week’s stay in the hospital, specifically in the ICU, with all the tests and medicine administered is very expensive. As much as a home costs in certain parts of this country. Cost of routine care and doctors visits are negligible in comparison. Why do you think certain portion of the country have been trying to implement universal healthcare? To get the vast population to utilize preventative care and stay out of the ER, inpatient, ICU, requiring more expensive treatment and care.

Regulators prohibit proposals for next year’s rates that appear to be making up for unexpected higher costs incurred in the current year. The rates have to be explained by how much costs are reasonably expected for the next year. It’s not an excuse.

If you don’t want rates to continue, any of these things will help:

• convince your neighbors to take all precautions and prevent the spread
• reinstate the health care mandate
• create a universal health care system

 

[Imzadi]

Various news articles say that there are over 100 different COVID-19 antibody tests are out on the market. MOST of them are not approved by the FDA. There are currently only 13 tests/labs approved by the FDA. If one is getting an antibody test done somewhere, one needs to know which test is that facility using and is it one of the FDA approved ones.

Here is the FDA's list. scroll down to see the tests:

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices...ices/eua-authorized-serology-test-performance

I got my antibody results back a few weeks ago. The test was done by Northwell Health, one of the hospital systems which treated a large majority of the COVID-19 patients in NYC & Long Island, NY, and could compare the accuracy of the tests against their actual hospital patients. They use the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG test, approved by the FDA. The antibody tests, along with COVID-19 tests, are being done for free throughout the state by the NY State Health Dept,.

I was hoping to donate my plasma for convalescent plasma, which may help up to 4 severely infected COVID-19 patients to recover. Studies are still being done on the convalescent plasma. I thought I had some symptoms mid-March, after being in way too packed supermarkets as we were all trying to stock up before the stay at home order took place. Unfortunately, my results are negative for COVID-19 antibodies and they gave me my actual (lack of) antibody count.

 

[Imzadi]

I have scripts for my family and the flare seems to have quieted enough to go with masks and all.

What do you mean by flares? Are you still having symptoms? You have to wait about 6 weeks after your last known symptoms as it takes that long for antibodies to appear. Even then, the tests may not be accurate.

 

[Heather07438]

I’d love to learn which insurance carrier is covering costs for antibody tests. I have yet to hear of one.



That’s an incorrect opinion of the complex health insurance industry.

First, insurance companies aren’t making as much money as you think. The bill for hospitalized patients due to the coronavirus is costing insurance companies immensely. I’m not sure how much you are aware of health costs, but a week’s stay in the hospital, specifically in the ICU, with all the tests and medicine administered is very expensive. As much as a home costs in certain parts of this country. Cost of routine care and doctors visits are negligible in comparison. Why do you think certain portion of the country have been trying to implement universal healthcare? To get the vast population to utilize preventative care and stay out of the ER, inpatient, ICU, requiring more expensive treatment and care.

Regulators prohibit proposals for next year’s rates that appear to be making up for unexpected higher costs incurred in the current year. The rates have to be explained by how much costs are reasonably expected for the next year. It’s not an excuse.

If you don’t want rates to continue, any of these things will help:

• convince your neighbors to take all precautions and prevent the spread
• reinstate the health care mandate
• create a universal health care system

I'm onboard for that. All the layers of dysfunction, inefficiency and exploitation are a tangled mess but we're made to feel unpatriotic to question our healthcare. From the conversations I've heard at the pharmacy, sounds like people are happy blaming this mess on lazy people, as if everything was fine until the lazy people came and dragged it down. So what if dozens of other countries are managing better, they don't have 'real' healthcare apparently.

DH now pays $700/month for himself plus plenty of out of pocket too. I absolutely expect to pay a higher premium next year. This year he hasn't even used his insurance yet. A couple years ago DS15 with perfect health was $285/month. After 18 months of that and not using it beyond a physical, we cancelled. It's a malfunction. I guess it's wrong for me to place the blame on insurance when there's really dozens of other worse mechanisms making those premiums so high. Still, if they can find a way to clear twice the profits off us next year, why wouldn't they?

 

[godisney14]

I'm onboard for that. All the layers of dysfunction, inefficiency and exploitation are a tangled mess but we're made to feel unpatriotic to question our healthcare. From the conversations I've heard at the pharmacy, sounds like people are happy blaming this mess on lazy people, as if everything was fine until the lazy people came and dragged it down. So what if dozens of other countries are managing better, they don't have 'real' healthcare apparently.

DH now pays $700/month for himself plus plenty of out of pocket too. I absolutely expect to pay a higher premium next year. This year he hasn't even used his insurance yet. A couple years ago DS15 with perfect health was $285/month. After 18 months of that and not using it beyond a physical, we cancelled. It's a malfunction. I guess it's wrong for me to place the blame on insurance when there's really dozens of other worse mechanisms making those premiums so high. Still, if they can find a way to clear twice the profits off us next year, why wouldn't they?

No doubt insurance companies will try to make as much money as they can. They are in a business and have investors to report to. But, as I mentioned, know that state regulators limit how high they can set premiums for the following year. Now, how high that bar is, is up to the states. Some states are more insurance friendly and some are more consumer friendly. Some states and organizations even have tried to take away the pre-existing condition protection, which was one of the cornerstones of the ACA.

If money is not tight, I would find ways to keep your son on an insurance plan. Even on one of the lower tier (high deductible) plans. Health insurance is one of the things in life that will pay over and over if ever an accident were to occur. It’s not like a decision of whether to buy extended warranty for an electronic or automobile. A lot of families (even some with insurance) go upside down financially due to one unexpected event.

It’s sad that a fifth of this country either have no insurance or are underinsured.

 

[Christine]

My husband had his done through Labcorp. I know that whatever it is using is FDA approved but I have no idea if the test is any good or one of the three in a post above that seems to work. It's been several weeks since the test was done and I have yet to receive the EOB from my health insurance (which is odd because I usually get lab EOBs really quickly). I too am waiting to see what my health insurance covers.

My cousin had it done at Labcorp using Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Her EOBs are produced in about a week from service and she's gotten nothing.

 

[jerseygal]

Oldest son, 33 had very mild symptoms in March, congestion and loss of taste and smell for about 2 days. He got an Antibody test about 3 weeks ago and it was positive. I have emphasized to him that all the articles that I have read, have said only 50 percent reliable. His symptoms were very mild compared to our younger son. Youngest son, 24 had fever, chills, diarreah, mild cough in March as well for only 2 days. Went to urgent care center, at that point, Covid tests were not available, tested for flu via nasal swab, flu swab negative. Youngest sons symptoms were worse than older son.. About 3 weeks ago as well, youngest got an antibody test through Labcorp, came back negative. There certainly are false negatives as well. Really with they could work on developing an antibody test that was much more reliable!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I read that article and it seems to be they believe it's just a resurgence of the original virus that went dormant for awhile, not that it's a new infection. In her case, it likely doesn't matter as it seems this second time around is so much worse for her. The good news for the rest of us is that they're finding the resurgence isn't a live virus and they aren't shedding it.

Here is the article for anybody else who's interested

https://people.com/health/dallas-woman-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-again/

I'm no Dr but I think people with TB can reactivated when the calcium capsules that our bodies form around the disease (like a pearl) break with coughing fits later in life. Covid patient's get deposits in the lungs, maybe they hold the disease suspended in the same way - would be not good

What do you mean by flares? Are you still having symptoms? You have to wait about 6 weeks after your last known symptoms as it takes that long for antibodies to appear. Even then, the tests may not be accurate.

i meant the flare up of numbers here, we are only showing a dip now. I am thinking my entire family MAY had it on separate occasions back in late January, back before we reconnected here in PA for what was supposed to be a wekk of spring break - all had very weird symptoms: random high fevers, tingling, red eye for 2 weeks, dizzy spells & BP spiking- just weird DH travels and works in a large int'l community (hotspot using public transportation & I was there too) same goes for my kids schools plus you add in bars and travel - I would be stunned if we are all negative even though on paper I am high risk. I talked with our family Dr and considering where we all were and DS had a test for active disease which was only 70% accurate he agrees.

Dr advised me to limit myself to Quest or Labcorp only & I trust him implicitly.



GODISNEY14 - I have BC/BS PPO, don't know if they cover or not but if they don't I'm OK with paying, it's the cost for an overnight on vacation to know we can join the world. I'd feel better if it's a yes, especially to know my kids survived - that's worth a lot, maybe I can sleep again.

 

[LuvOrlando]

My husband had his done through Labcorp. I know that whatever it is using is FDA approved but I have no idea if the test is any good or one of the three in a post above that seems to work. It's been several weeks since the test was done and I have yet to receive the EOB from my health insurance (which is odd because I usually get lab EOBs really quickly). I too am waiting to see what my health insurance covers.

My cousin had it done at Labcorp using Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Her EOBs are produced in about a week from service and she's gotten nothing.

Same carrier, I could not get a straight answer when I called other than it sounded like I need a prescription from the Dr, which I have - still not sure what will be. I'll leave it sit with them, if I get a bill so be it. I decided to book a block of 4 appts with Labcorp - lets see what happens.