Summary: A joint study by leading universities reveals that at-home antibody tests can effectively detect inadequate COVID-19 immunity, aiding decisions about booster vaccinations.
Takeaways
- At-home antibody tests can identify individuals with low immunity to COVID-19.
- Negative results on these tests correlate with inadequate immunity, as confirmed by extensive lab tests.
- This convenient testing method can help at-risk individuals decide on the need for booster shots and may be valuable in future pandemics.
In a new joint study by the George Washington University, the University of North Carolina, and others, researchers looked into the benefits of using at-home antibody tests to detect immunity and to make decisions about the need for a COVID-19 booster shot—something that may be of particularly relevance for those at high risk for poor outcomes from COVID infection.
The study, “COVID-19 Point-of-Care Tests can Identify Low-Antibody Individuals: In-depth Immunoanalysis of Boosting Benefits in a Healthy Cohort,” was published June 12 in Science Advances.
Significance of COVID Immunity and Testing
By late in the pandemic more than 96% of individuals in the U.S. ages 16 and older had COVID-19 antibodies from infection or vaccination. However, immunity from the virus tends to wane over time. Uptake of the boosters has been quite low, meaning that over time the current high levels of protection will dissipate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, at-home antigen tests became widely accepted for detecting infection.
Further reading: Long-Haul COVID: Blood Test Could Predict Lung Problems
In the new study, the researchers found that a negative result on an ‘at-home’ antibody test indicates inadequate immunity as reflected in an extensive and sophisticated battery of Covid immune tests performed by highly specialized academic/industry labs at various centers around the country.
“Our research suggests that an antibody test taken at home will allow at-risk individuals to conveniently identify inadequate immunity to COVID-19 – in a world in which population immunity is declining,” says co-author John Lafleur, professor of emergency management at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “This can be important information for those who are considering booster vaccination, but question whether or not it is needed. In addition, as with home antigen testing, home antibody tests may be another useful tool in any future viral pandemic.”
