Introducing antibody testing could guide a targeted booster program | Vaccines and immunization

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Large-scale antibody tests will be offered to the public in the UK as part of a new program that a leading scientist said could lead to booster vaccines aimed at people at risk.

Thousands of adults will be tested every day as part of a government scheme that explores how much natural protection people have after contracting the coronavirus. Anyone over 18 will be able to sign up starting Tuesday when they get a PCR test, with up to 8,000 recipients sent home with two antibody tests if they test positive.

On Sunday, the government said 32,253 positive cases had been recorded in the past 24 hours, with 49 more deaths.

Two finger prick antibody tests will be sent for home completion and sent back for analysis. The first should be taken as soon as possible after a positive result, and the second should be taken after 28 days.

The study will provide much-needed data, said François Balloux, director of the Institute of Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. “In the whole context of reinforcers, I am not a big fan of giving reinforcers to populations regardless of age and health. I don’t think it is necessary at this point.” He added that it was morally difficult to justify giving reinforcements to young and healthy people.

“I think providing boosters as long as there are antibodies is very smart. When people ask me should I get a booster, it makes sense to give boosters to those who don’t have enough antibodies,” he said, adding that – however – some people can still be protected from Covid without antibodies.

Reinforcements for everyone don’t make sense, Ballox said, but targeted reinforcements can be thrown. He added that the new program would give a good idea of ​​re-infection and provide “basic information”.

“At the moment, we have no idea how many cases of infection,” he said.

Dr Mohamed Mounir, a virologist from Lancaster University, said the primary goal of antibody tests is to see if the antibodies protect against other variants of the virus. He said people who order tests should not think they won’t get infected again when they test positive for the antibodies – or have more protection. “It can’t tell you that you won’t get Covid again, or that you can’t infect people,” he said.

Munir agreed with Baloo that the information collected could be used to help determine who needs reinforcements. “People will be sampled before it is decided whether or not they need a booster but that is not the primary goal of the research.”

Covid-19 antibodies mean you will likely have some protection from severe illness, but it is still possible to catch the virus and then spread it. Antibodies take time to develop. Most people make the antibodies within 28 days of infection or vaccination, but it may take longer.

The Department of Health and Social Care says it will be the first time that antibody tests have been made available to the general public, and the scheme could also provide insight into any group of people who aren’t developing an immune response.

The data will be used to guide the ongoing approach to the pandemic and give more insight into the effectiveness of vaccines on new variants.

The announcement comes amid an ongoing debate over the introduction of fortified cookies in the UK.

Sajid Javid said he is “confident” that a booster vaccine campaign can begin next month despite reports that experts want more time to consider whether they are needed.

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