How strong is your Covid immunity? A blood test could offer some insight
The test, which focuses on the part of the immune system that confers long-term protection by prompting the body to"remember" the virus, could help make sense of the complex tangle of Covid immunity that now exists from person to person.
The test involves taking a small blood sample at a clinic and mixing it with snippets of proteins from the virus. Researchers then look to see if the so-called T cells are activated in the sample.and typically lie in wait until they detect the presence of foreign invaders. Unlike antibody levels, which can wane following vaccinations or infections, T cells can recall a virus years, and sometimes decades, later., including from variants that can dodge protective antibodies.
Tests to detect T cells have mostly been limited to labs for research purposes, and the process is usually expensive and difficult to do on a large scale, Guccione said. The new kit, however, is designed to be used widely, and results can typically be delivered in less than 24 hours, he added. "To look at the degree of intensity of T cell immunity and have that correlated with protection — we're not at that level yet," he said."But we hope to be at some point."
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