Unreliable tests

"Antibody tests cannot be used when people return to work"

Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+

In recent weeks, tests for antibodies to COVID-19 have become increasingly popular. In theory, they should identify people who have already had a dangerous infection and can return to their usual life. However, in reality, such tests are too inaccurate and often give false positive and false negative results, notes Business Insider.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has voiced its position on antibody tests. According to a statement posted on their website, the results of such checks may be erroneous in half of the cases. This means that they cannot be used when making decisions about returning people to their jobs.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially issued mass approvals to the coronavirus antibody tests that flooded the market. However, starting from May 4, the requirements will be noticeably tightened. The reason for this was doubts about the accuracy of such tests.

However, even the high accuracy of antibody tests would not make them useful, experts say. The fact is that so far too little is known about the immune system's response to COVID-19. According to the available data, each person's body responds to this infection in different ways.

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