If you have antibodies, you can’t catch it again?

Mama Bear

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:12 pm

amother [ Salmon ] wrote:

So why are people running out for antibody tests?
It sounds like the results would be more useful to the public health authorities than for those doing the testing at this point.

I think they want to see how many ppl in NY actually had the virus. That will also really lower the percentage death rate when they see that there were actually many more ppl who had it but recovered.

Mama Bear

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:13 pm

little neshamala wrote:

He was saying more than just waning. He was talking about huge drops, and also completely disappearing, in only 2-3 weeks time

I was sick from Purim for the next 2 weeks. I never tested for the virus. I just tested for the antibodies 2 months later and it's positive.

amother

Linen

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:22 pm

little neshamala wrote:

Not only are doctors saying we have no idea what having antibodies really means in terms of immunity, but Dr Dietchek sent out a video last week of him saying that the lab he works with has been seeing a large ammount of people who test positive for antibodies, and then 2-3 weeks later are tested again and the levels dropped to very low/non-existant.
He said some people had such high levels of antibodies, they donated plasma and were called back 3 weeks later to donate more-but when they retested them before donating the second time, their antibody levels were hardly there.
He said that he had tested for moderate ammount of antibodies, retested a few weeks later and he had none at all.

[Edited to remove LH -- mod]
I don't trust Dr. Dietchik.

OutofTown Girl

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:31 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

Yup, that's what the PA who gave me the test said too. (I went just for the fun of it.)
My husband tested positive for antibodies, I tested negative. Neither of us had so much as a cough since Purim.

amother

Red

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:35 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If there is such conflict & confusion, & so much unknown about it, what’s the rush to all get our antibodies checked?

I think it’s not answering any questions & making us a feel a false sense of security.

Am I wrong?

Certain doctors and clinics that have seen a massive decline in regular visits are hurting for money. Therefore, they are advertising and billing for these antibody tests, pretending that this is some kind of "immunity" test. Don't you want to see if you have the antibodies and are now immune?

These antibody tests don't show if you are immune to the disease! Any clinic trying to claim this is a scam.

Why should we test for antibodies? Because if we do have antibodies we can donate plasma to patients with COVID 19, as this is one method doctors are trying to cure/mitigate the disease.

amother

Red

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:38 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

[Edited to remove LH -- mod]

I don't trust Dr. Dietchik.

This is awful. He is such a knowledgeable and skilled doctor, but people who are sick of being quarantined don't want to hear his medical opinions. He is dealing with frum patients every day dying from this disease and in horrible condition. Yes, he is frustrated, but he speaks the truth.

ra_mom

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:57 pm

OutofTown Girl wrote:

Yup, that's what the PA who gave me the test said too. (I went just for the fun of it.)
My husband tested positive for antibodies, I tested negative. Neither of us had so much as a cough since Purim.

NYS DOH is reaching out via text message to people who took an antibody test, asking to complete a survey to give them more information.

soap suds

Mon, May 18 2020, 11:02 pm

If antibodies don’t give you immunity, then how do explain the fact that there are practically no new cases in our community? Compared to the way things were Pesach time. And don’t tell me that SD is working, because the streets look nothing like the ghost town they were 2 months ago.

gamzehyaavor

Mon, May 18 2020, 11:54 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

[edited to remove LH -- mod]
I don't trust Dr. Dietchik.

Well, I happened to hear the same thing from multiple sources. So...

asmileaday

Mon, May 18 2020, 11:55 pm

soap suds wrote:

I have the same question.

gamzehyaavor

Mon, May 18 2020, 11:58 pm

soap suds wrote:

No one said they’re not giving immunity. It’s just premature to start opening up fully before more is understood on the sequence of this virus

Last edited by gamzehyaavor on Tue, May 19 2020, 10:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Bronze

Tue, May 19 2020, 12:02 am

You don't necessarily need antibodies to be immune. Your body "learns" that COVID is a virus, and learns how to manufacture antibodies when it is detected. It remains in your body's "memory bank."

Presumably, if you got exposed again, you would again create new antibodies to prevent a full infection, even if your antibody level had dropped to nonexistent before.

But the way this works practically, and how much the virus mutates, if you can be a carrier without getting reinfected, etc. - there are just way too many unknowns to make reliable policy decisions.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, May 19 2020, 12:50 am

soap suds wrote:

I think it does give immunity. But for how long? Coronaviruses in the past don’t have life long immunity.
No one knows how long this will be. 5 months or 2 years.

LakewoodMother

Tue, May 19 2020, 1:02 am

Someone I know is putting together a survey to see how many people have tested for antibodies and what the results are. Please take the poll, it’s 30 seconds long and will mean a lot to us and to researchers. The poll is for everyone, whether or not you think you’ve had it and whether or not you you’ve tested for anything.

Thank you!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/...../edit

amother

Linen

Tue, May 19 2020, 4:01 am

amother [ Red ] wrote:

[Edited to remove LH -- mod

I think his videos have inaccurate information so honestly I would never trust him as a pediatrician.

amother

Linen

Tue, May 19 2020, 4:05 am

gamzehyaavor wrote:

No one said they’re not giving immunity. It’s just premature to start opening up fully before more is understood on the sequence of this virus
ETA- quote from dr: There are still so many unknowns in terms of how protective antibodies might be and how specific they are for this coronavirus vs. other coronaviruses.

Florida and Georgia the two states that fully opened up is seeing a decline daily. Plus the whole bp and Flatbush and Monsey and Williamsburg is in Florida and they aren’t quarantine or sd or anything like that. They are going to restaurants and acting as if everything is normal. So please explain why the same people in New York have to be on lock down because it’s dangerous and then comes to Florida and they are totally free and there are still no new corona cases so obviously corona is over.

amother

Slategray

Tue, May 19 2020, 5:19 am

I heard of something else, that all rabbonim that were nifter from covid, each took a part of the megeifah with them, when they left. For ex. After R' Chaim Mertz was nifter, there were no more new cases in Wmsbg, where he lived etc.

Ora in town

Tue, May 19 2020, 6:20 am

amother [ Burlywood ] wrote:

False positives on antibody test are highly unusual.

Even if the thest has 90% specificity, but you have only 5% positives among the population 2/3 of positives will be false positives...

Ora in town

Tue, May 19 2020, 6:24 am

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

You are not serious, are you?
You know that corona can spread without symptoms, and that this is the most dangerous phase? when you think everything is OK, but the virus is quietly spreading, no-one is testing, and then suddenly an outbreak is revealed because someone became very ill? but then it is really too late to avoid massive spread? That's exactly what happened in New York...