Antibody study

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Afternoon.

I received a letter the other day from the department of social care and imperial college London,  NHS.

Asking if I would take part in an covid antibody research study.  

I've said yes.  It would be interesting to see what the test brings back.  

Anyone else had this letter ? 

CT

 DaveHK 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Chive Talkin':

I'm in an antibody study in Scotland. I get a kit every month and post some blood off. All negative so far which is no surprise given my location, circumstances and history.

A colleague on the other hand returned a positive with no idea that he'd ever had it. Must have been completely asymptomatic.

Post edited at 17:03
 Mark Edwards 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

Tomorrow I have my first test for the ONS Covid Study. Any suggestions at what I can whisper into their ear? I know I will be getting the swab test and I hope I can persuade them to give me a blood test too, as I think I had Covid about this time last year. At worst it’s a negative data point but I would like to know (what the science says, today). I am also wondering if I will get the Lateral Flow Test, if not, it seems a wasted opportunity to compare the performance of both tests and I don’t see cost as being an issue as they are coming to my house for the test and paying me for each test session. The info pack stated that there would be about 30 min of questions tomorrow as well, and I am looking for things I can say that they may drop into their report.

 Jim Lancs 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

> Anyone else had this letter ? 

Yes I had an Imperial College test back in the summer.

 RobertKett 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Mark Edwards:

Interesting that you think you may have had Covid last january.

I've suspected that I may have had it last january, too. I had what I thought to be flu, but with a weird dry cough. On 2 or 3 occasions, and without warning, I found myself suddenly struggling for breath e.g when just walking into town. I was short of energy for several weeks after it cleared up.

I think it could have been in the country before we began looking for it. I remember reading about a guy in France who contracted it in december 2019. He'd been quite ill, so they were able to go back and check his blood samples.

 Cobra_Head 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

No, but I heard today, that 1 in 10 have antibodies, which is a very high number, I thought.

 CathS 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Mark Edwards:

I've been taking part in the ONS Infection Survey for the last couple of months.  I'd hoped to be able to blag a free antibody test, but the first couple of surveyors suggested that this wasn't offered any more.   One of the questions they ask is 'do you think you've had Covid before?'.  I answered that I might well have done, citing a couple of instances, but I don't know for sure as I wasn't tested at the time.   To which they put 'no' as the answer, as I couldn't be sure.    I went round in circles with them a few times with this.  A bit of a silly question really, as they then go on to ask you if you've ever tested positive.

You will get a self-administered PCR swab test.  They don't use the LFT for the ONS survey.

If you did have Covid at the beginning of last year, you probably wouldn't have detectable antibodies anymore, as they recede after 2-3 months.

It has also been taking me over a week to receive the results (they are not prioritised, as you are not being tested as a suspected case).  So if you think you may get the benefit of regular free screening, forget it.      The vouchers start coming through after 3-4 weeks.

It's good to feel that I am contributing to a statistically sound study anyway.

 Timmd 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Chive Talkin':

No, but I'm going to sort out getting a test for antibodies, I felt feverish in March,  'coldy' I thought, then a few months ago had a spell of brain fog which was disconcerting, like I couldn't think properly. Hopefully the result will become a part of the bigger picture.

Post edited at 22:51
 wintertree 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Timmd:

If you had it in March your antibodies are likely gone, with only specialist memory cells left knowing when and how to build more if needed.  These don’t show on antibody tests.

 Timmd 19 Jan 2021
In reply to wintertree: Fair enough. 

Removed User 19 Jan 2021
In reply to wintertree:

> If you had it in March your antibodies are likely gone, with only specialist memory cells left knowing when and how to build more if needed.  These don’t show on antibody tests.

Do you know for how how long the antibodies are detectable?

 Timmd 19 Jan 2021
In reply to Removed User: It seems to be 8 months, according to 2 studies.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/two-studies-find-covid-...

 CathS 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Timmd:

"Rates differed according to immunoassay methods or manufacturers, thereby explaining differences in rates between the studies," 

 Wimlands 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

We filled in the forms and agreed to take part in this last October.....didn’t hear a thing.

Then on Boxing Day had a phone call saying could they come round tomorrow to collect a blood sample...all vey odd. We couldn’t make that day so suggested the next week which they agreed to. Not heard anything since.

Given that we have barely been out for 3 months and as Wintertree says the test won’t detect anything from before Sept does seem a bit of a waste of time.

 johncook 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

Had the letter and signed up. What harm can it do.

Hopefully will provide useful data to help with the fight against the virus. (someone has to try to slow it down as the locals in my area don't seem to be bothering!)

 squarepeg 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

I did one in October. Negative on all antibodies. 

 Jon Read 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Wimlands:

> Given that we have barely been out for 3 months and as Wintertree says the test won’t detect anything from before Sept does seem a bit of a waste of time.

For prevalence estimates, negative results are just as important as positive results.

 beh 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

The REACT study? https://www.reactstudy.org/

I tested negative with the antibody one in November.  You have to lance your finger and squeeze a drop of blood onto a test stick with some buffer (it's a LFT).  Result in 10-15 mins, apparently ~20% chance of false negative but not much chance of a false positive.

 rj_townsend 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Archmagos_Dominus:

> Afternoon.

> I received a letter the other day from the department of social care and imperial college London,  NHS.

> Asking if I would take part in an covid antibody research study.  

> I've said yes.  It would be interesting to see what the test brings back.  

> Anyone else had this letter ? 

> CT

Yes, I've had the letter too and will be taking part. I'm not sure whether they respond to those taking part giving them their results - it'd be interesting to know whether I've had the virus unwittingly. The latest figures they released suggested 1 in 10 have had it already.

 wintertree 20 Jan 2021
In reply to Removed User:

> Do you know for how how long the antibodies are detectable?

A great article from Ars just came out on a recent publication on this... https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/the-persistence-of-memory-in-b-cell...

Makes me want to try my hand as an immunologist.  Such a fascinating and complex area.  In many ways it seems more computationally impressive to me than the brain, ass all this stuff happens at the molecular level bathed in thermal noise, a far cry from the abstracted, structured substrate of the brain.

Post edited at 17:12

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