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Wanted: A coronavirus test to identify people who were infected and then recovered

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-03-25/coronavirus-test-infected-recovered-covid19

Dr. Crystal Mackall, a Stanford physician who researches immunotherapies, called the rapid development of the antibody assay a “quite impressive” accomplishment. Similar tests for established viral infections are quite standard, she said, but it’s not easy to ensure a test accurately detects the body’s immune response to a wholly new virus, she said.

Time and experience will tell how reliable the test is. Only with broad use will scientists gain confidence that the lock cannot be “picked” by antibodies for other infectious diseases, such as other coronaviruses or influenza.

Stadlbauer said that scientists are not certain whether the presence of antibodies can overlap with an active COVID-19 infection, or only become evident after a patient has fully recovered. As a result, the ideal timing for testing a person isn’t completely clear.

Finally, scientists are eager to learn how long COVID-19 antibodies will confer immunity to those who have them. Early evidence suggests COVID-19 cannot quickly be re-caught, and that antibodies to coronaviruses may last a good while.

The coronavirus that caused Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, was still active in humans three years after they were infected.