Who can use a coronavirus antibody test?

Anyone over the age of 18 can take a coronavirus antibody test. If you are taking this test because you had symptoms recently, you should only take this test 14 days after they started because your body may not have built an antibody response before this. Otherwise, you can take this test anytime.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• fever

• loss of taste and smell

• continuous dry cough, which can occasionally lead to shortness of breath and breathing difficulties

Other symptoms include:

• muscle aches

• headache

• sore throat

• diarrhoea

• tiredness and fatigue

• rash

Coronavirus testing is very important for key workers, and people supporting those who are in at-risk groups to make sure they can go to work safely.

You can order a coronavirus antibody test kit if you have never had symptoms of coronavirus and want to find out if you’ve been infected previously and been asymptomatic (didn’t show visible symptoms). 

Can I still take a coronavirus antibody test if I’ve been vaccinated?

We can provide antibody testing if you have already been vaccinated and want to see the vaccine’s effects on your spike antibody levels. However, your results may be affected by a number of different factors.

If you have been vaccinated and receive a negative result for antibodies, this may be caused by:

• Testing too early (less than 3 weeks after a dose)
• Having a delayed response (some people develop antibodies weeks later than others)
• Testing after the first dose only (some people only develop antibody responses after the second dose)
• Being immunocompromised, or a reason why your immune system may not react as well as others (either because of a medical condition like diabetes or cancer, older age, medication or lifestyle factors like obesity or smoking)

Try to remember that a negative result does not always mean you haven’t responded to the vaccine. Immune responses after infection involve other immune pathways than just these antibodies. This includes cellular immunity (B and T cells), which are not analysed by this antibody test. 

So, if you receive a negative antibody result after only having one dose of the vaccine, you should continue to get your second dose as planned.

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How does this coronavirus test work?

This antibody test is a laboratory-based blood test. This means that you collect a blood sample using a lancet by pricking your finger. This sample is then sent to our fully-accredited partner laboratory in the UK for testing and analysis.

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When should I collect the sample?

You must collect your sample no earlier than 2 weeks after you first started showing symptoms that may have been related to coronavirus. If you haven’t had any symptoms recently, or at all, you can collect your blood sample at any time. This is because if you collect your sample within the first 14 days of showing symptoms, you may not have produced an antibody response, so your test may come back negative even though you have the virus.

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Will this test tell me if I’ve already caught coronavirus or if I have it right now?

This test will only tell you whether you’ve created antibodies to either a natural infection of coronavirus or to the vaccine. It cannot distinguish between the two. 

This test will not tell you if you currently have the virus or whether you are still infectious to other people. If you need to find out if you currently have the virus, you need to take a PCR swab test.

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How accurate is the test?

The laboratory we’re partnered with currently reports that our antibody tests detect 99.98% of cases if the person taking the test has developed antibodies. If the person taking the test did not develop a strong enough antibody response, or their levels of antibodies have dropped, the test might not be able to tell you if you’ve had coronavirus before. 

The reports from the laboratory show that these tests have a sensitivity of 98.8% and a specificity of 99.98%. This means that:

• in a group of 10,000 people who have antibodies to coronavirus in their blood, the test will identify 9,880 of them as being positive correctly. 
• in a group of 10,000 people who do not have antibodies, this test will report a negative result in 9998 of those people. This means that out of every 10,000 cases, two may be told they have antibodies when they do not.

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Is it legal to sell these tests in the UK?

These tests are completely legal to sell in the UK and  have a CE-mark to prove their authenticity.

Do the NHS need these tests?

We are using a very small portion of our partner laboratory’s capacity, which is not being used by the NHS at the moment. Due to this, our testing service in no way harms the national testing effort. If this changes, we’ll work with our partner lab to make sure we’re fully supporting the NHS.

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Why does the test cost £50?

The price of this test covers the entire testing service, which includes:

• a coronavirus antibody blood sample collection pack

• pre-paid delivery to our partner lab

• the analysis of your test at our partner lab

• our doctors processing your results and returning them to you

• a follow-up appointment with one of our doctors if you need it

If you have any further questions for our doctors, you can message one for free through your patient account.

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How to use the antibody test kit

• The test kit you receive will come with clear instructions inside on exactly how to use it.

• To use it, you will need to collect a small blood sample which you can do by taking these steps: 

• Start by washing your hands with warm water and make sure to dry them thoroughly afterwards

• Take the included alcotip swab and use it to clean the fingertip you want to collect the sample from. You should use the third or fourth finger of your non-dominant hand (the one you don’t write with)

• Twist the cap and then remove the purple stick from the lancet, place it on your fingertip and press the purple button on the end

• You will notice a drop of blood form on your fingertip where your skin has been punctured. Take a clean tissue and wipe this first drop away. Now, aim your hand downwards above the collection tube and massage the side of your finger to form another drop of blood

• Using your other hand, gently squeeze your finger and catch the drops of blood produced in the collection tube. You must fill the tube to the upper line. If you can’t fill it, use another lancet on a different finger to complete the sample

• After you’ve collected your sample, use the plaster to stop the bleeding. Screw the lid back on to the collection tube, and double-check it’s closed securely.

• Make sure you’ve put written your details on the sticky label provided and stick it firmly on the tube as the lab need this to analyse your sample 

• Put your labelled sample inside the protective wallet and put the wallet into the pre-paid envelope, along with your used lancets. You can use any UK post box to send your test kit back to our partner lab

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Understanding your coronavirus test results

Once the lab has received your sample, you should get your results within 1-2 days, which you will receive in your patient account.

Positive test results

If you test positive for coronavirus antibodies, it means that you have been previously infected with the virus, and have some immunity, or that you have built up an immune response from a vaccination. This test is unable to distinguish between the two.

We do not know how long any immunity lasts or how strong it is, and you might be able to carry the virus and pass it on. Due to this, you must still follow the rules of social distancing to make sure you don’t spread the virus to vulnerable people or catch it again.

Does a negative result mean I've not had coronavirus?

If you’ve not had typical Covid-19 symptoms before, then a negative result probably means you’ve not been infected. But, if you think you have previously had typical COVID-19 symptoms but have a negative antibody result, it may be that you have not had a sufficient immune response to it, or your antibody levels have dropped since your infection. It’s impossible to say who these people are without testing for antibodies. There is some evidence to suggest that antibody levels in some people may drop to undetectable levels some time after infection, but other parts of the immune system stay active. These B cells and T cells might provide some level of immunity, but we don't have tests for them yet, and we don't know what level of immunity they might provide. There are other tests which are being developed that might give a better indication of past infection, but these are in a research phase. Once they become available, we’ll let you know.

If you develop symptoms after taking your test, you should self-isolate. If you’re feeling very unwell or are concerned about your symptoms, you should contact your GP or call NHS 111. 

Do I still need to follow social distancing if I test positive for antibodies?

You must still follow the rules of social distancing as we do not know how well our antibodies work against fighting another coronavirus infection. You may be able to fight it to some extent, but we can’t be sure. We also do not know how long your immunity will last. So until we do, you must continue social distancing, especially because even if you have immunity, you may still be able to spread the virus.

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