Russia flocks to get antibody tests to ensure "high titers"; CDC calls it "unreliable"

Russia has over the time mostly depended on the antibody response of a person to determine the presence of anti-viral proteins needed to combat the novel Coronavirus, the Associated Press reported. The antibody tests are inexpensive, widely available, and actively marketed in all private clinics nationwide. Moreover, on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had bragged about having "high titers" (a measurement used to identify antibodies concentration in an individual) in front of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Since first widely publicized in Moscow in May 2020, according to AP, the government health department has frequently promoted antibody tests in all state-run clinics. The clinics have also offered free tests for individuals with health severe health conditions. Several senior Kremlin high-profile officials like Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov initially refused to get vaccinated due to having high levels of antibodies (however, he later did). "In some cities, I went to, I need to take a PCR test and it wasn't possible but I could take an antibody test--it was much easier," AP reported quoting Dr. Anton Barchuk, head of epidemiology group at the European University in St. Petersburg. However, United States-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has publicly discredited the COVID-19 antibody test to establish active virus proteins.

CDC calls antibody tests "unreliable"

Calling antibody tests "highly-unreliable" to determine virus presence in an individual, the CDC explained that it can take at least one to three weeks for a body to make Coronavirus antibodies. "Test the look for the virus is genetic material, called the PCR test, ones that look for the virus proteins. Antigen tests are used to determine if someone is infected." The antibody tests drew a negative impact since it is not certain to the health experts as to what count of antibody is considered safe against the virus.

The tests looked for two different types of antibodies. One that appears in an individual soon after he/she is infected. Second, that takes over a week to develop. The tests became popular amidst the spike in COVID-19 cases in Russia, when people wanted to determine the severity of the disease and need to get a jab. Notably, despite the presence of self-generated antibodies, both CDC and World Health Organisation (WHO) have suggested vaccination.

With input from AP

Image: AP