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New research has shown that pre-existing antibodies for the common cold could help protect people, especially children, from #COVID19. Read this thread for insights:
Scientists at the University College London ( @UCL) and the Francis Crick Institute ( @thecrick) made this discovery while developing #antibody tests for #COVID19
But the mere presence of antibodies doesn’t mean that the person will be protected from #COVID19 infection or that antibodies will prevent its spread, scientists say. There is lack of definitive research on what antibodies can protect from COVID19 infection & for how long
Some people who hadn’t yet been exposed to SARS-CoV2--the #COVID19 virus--had common cold antibodies in their blood that recognised the novel coronavirus. The scientists analysed over 300 blood samples, collected before the #pandemic, btwn 2011 & 2018, to confirm their findings
Children and adolescents were the most likely to have these antibodies. 21 out of 48 samples taken from children, 1 to 16 years, had antibodies, which reacted both to the common cold & SARS-CoV2. Only 1 in 20 samples taken from adults had these antibodies
Many state governments in India were skeptical about using antibody tests for #COVID19 because of doubts about the accuracy of these tests, we reported in May 2020: https://www.indiaspend.com/doubts-over-antibody-testing-could-weaken-indias-covid-19-strategy/
In April, the World Health Organization ( @WHO) had advised countries to be cautious about antibody tests as the technology wasn’t adequate to detect past infections of SARS-CoV2: https://www.indiaspend.com/who-questions-accuracy-of-rapid-antibody-tests/
Antibody tests taken in communities, at random, would be important for India to know how far #COVID19 may have spread, Ajay Shah, professor at the National Institute For Public Finance and Policy, told us in April 2020: https://www.indiaspend.com/restarting-the-economy-the-challenge-of-testing/
Surveys which show the prevalence of antibodies in the community could also help India understand the rate at which #COVID19 has spread in the community, experts said in August 2020: https://www.indiaspend.com/results-of-mumbai-sero-survey-should-not-lower-our-guard/
Read the full research here: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/11/05/science.abe1107
