Antibody Tests Touted As Lynch Pin To Reopening Economy Come With Serious Flaws

Politico: The Next Coronavirus Testing Debacle
Blood tests that measure a person’s antibodies to the coronavirus could be a powerful tool to determine when it’s safe to reopen the country. But concerns about the accuracy and availability of the tests — which detect whether a person has ever been exposed to the virus, and are different from the tests used to diagnose the disease — could hamper plans to allow Americans back to work and school. (Lim, 4/13)

NBC News: Antibody Tests Need To Be In Place For 2nd Coronavirus Wave, CDC Director Says
As Americans look toward a return to normalcy after the coronavirus pandemic, a major question will be: Who is immune to the virus? To answer that question, the promise of antibody tests looms large. These tests are different from the diagnostic tests used to determine whether a person is sick with the virus. Instead, the tests look for the antibodies in a person's blood that the immune system makes in response to an infection. (Edwards, 4/13)

CNN: Antibody Tests: All Your Questions, Answered 
As the world watches and wonders when coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures might end, some hope antibody tests might help provide a solution. Antibody tests -- also known as serology tests -- aren't meant to diagnose active infection with the coronavirus. Rather, they check for proteins in the immune system, known as antibodies, through a blood sample. (Simon and Yu, 4/14)

The Washington Post: Michigan Health Care Workers To Be Tested For Antibodies To Covid-19
The biggest hospital system in Michigan is launching what’s believed to be the nation’s largest test for novel coronavirus antibodies. The study could determine who has already been infected with the virus and may now be immune to it — information that public health officials say is vital to decisions about reopening society. Beaumont Health will test blood samples from its 38,000 employees, as well as thousands of additional physicians and affiliates, officials said in interviews. (Harris, 4/13)

Boston Globe: The Key To Rebounding From Coronavirus May Lie With Antibody Tests. But Caveats Abound. 
As leaders strategize about reopening schools and businesses and plan for life on the other side of the so-called coronavirus curve, all eyes are on a type of testing that may help determine who has been infected with COVID-19 and whether they’re immune. The test that may define this new frontier detects specific proteins in a person’s blood, known as antibodies, which develop to fight off infections such as COVID-19. The antibodies could help determine just how pervasive the disease is across the world, but also could potentially pinpoint whether an infected person who recovered has developed an immunity. (Lazar and Ryan, 4/13)

NBC News: Escaping The Coronavirus Lockdown With Test And Trace
The coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. spurred calls to "flatten the curve" to limit the speed of the virus' spread. Now, as states begin to think about how to ease their lockdowns, a new rallying cry has emerged: "test and trace." (Chow, 4/13)

The Hill: FDA Approves First Saliva-Based Coronavirus Test 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first saliva-based coronavirus test Monday under its emergency powers, Rutgers University announced. The FDA deployed its emergency-use authorization to approve of the test from the Rutgers lab RUCDR Infinite Biologics, informing the university of its approval on Saturday. The new saliva-based test aims to allow for increased testing and safety for health professionals conducting screening. (Coleman, 4/13)

Politico: U.S. Still Falling Short On Accurate Testing, FDA Chief Says
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn has acknowledged the need to ramp up testing, but on Sunday his tone was cautious: Having an inaccurate test is worse than not having a test at all. Going forward, Hahn said on ABC’s “This Week,” “further ramping up testing, both diagnostic as well as the antibody tests, will really be necessary as we move beyond May into the summer months and then into the fall.” The doctor added that the United States has done more than 2 million tests, but stated: “We need to do more. No question about that.” (Dugyala, 4/12)

Los Angeles Times: Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Testing And Treatment Scams Spike
Three weeks ago, Lorina’s cellphone rang. Seeing it was a local call, the 61-year-old Riverside resident picked up. A woman’s voice said she was working with Medicare, the national health insurance program, to distribute tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. All she needed, the woman said, was Lorina’s name, address and Social Security and Medicare information. (Ormseth and Rubin, 4/13)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Nasal Swab: 3 Vans, 6 Coolers, A Plane, A Storm And 2 Labs
The lines start forming the night before, as people with glassy eyes and violent coughs try to get tested for the virus. In the darkness, they park their cars, cut their engines and try to sleep. The backlog for coronavirus testing in New Jersey, the state with the second-highest caseload in the country, has been getting worse, not better, officials say. So far, New Jersey has conducted over 115,000 tests, about one for every 75 residents. Across the river in New York, the epicenter of the crisis, there is about one for every 40. (Callimachi, 4/13)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Expands Coronavirus Testing To People Without Symptoms
The city of Houston is offering free coronavirus tests for anyone — not just those exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 — at its two drive-thru testing sites, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Monday.The city, which previously had required residents to show symptoms of the disease, also plans to double its daily capacity at the two sites, from 250 tests each to 500 each. It may take a few days to fully reach the new capacity, and people still must register before taking the test, Houston Health Authority David Persse said. The test remains free for everyone, including those who do not have symptoms. (Scherer and Despart, 4/13)

Modern Healthcare: University Of Chicago Medicine Testing Possible COVID-19 Treatment
University of Chicago Medicine says it's launching a clinical trial to study plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients as a possible treatment for the illness. The trial, which will recruit local patients who have recovered from the virus, will explore whether blood plasma can be used to treat new COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms, UChicago Medicine said in a statement today. The Red Cross recently called for people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma that could help current patients battling the virus. (Goldberg, 4/13)