Coronavirus antibody tests touted by President Trump and his top officials to help reopen the economy are now widely available, but predictions for their usefulness haven't panned out. Scientists haven't figured out how much immunity antibodies provide.
Months later, the U.S. is awash in the tests but the bold predictions about their usefulness have yet to materialize.“There was definitely a lot of wishful thinking that there was going to be a magical test that was going to save us all, but we’re not there yet,” said Dr. Allison Rakeman of New York City’s Public Health Laboratory.
The National Institutes of Health and universities are conducting some of this work, but much of it has taken a back seat to the rapid development of vaccines in the middle of a pandemic. To get that proof, scientists first run experiments in animals. Human trials come next and can take even longer. Researchers track people who had an infection and developed antibodies to see if they become reinfected. Their antibodies are measured to to gauge the level needed for immunity.
But those uses were not the focus of White House briefings last spring, which attracted between 8 million and 10 million cable TV viewers daily, according to Nielsen. A spokesperson for the White House coronavirus task force did not provide a response to requests for comment. “We’re going to be very careful to make sure that when we tell you you’re likely immune from the disease ... the test really said that,” said Admiral Brett Giroir, the administration’s “testing czar.”
“We are aware of the CDC’s guidance,” Quest spokeswoman Kimberly Gorode said in a statement. “That is why we recommend that employers use antibody testing as part of a holistic approach to bringing their employees back to the office.”
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