Understanding COVID-19 Antibodies Testing after Vaccination
Using a small blood sample, this post-vaccination antibody test is useful for determining if your immune system has developed certain type of antibodies after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 virus.
An immune response can be detected a few weeks days after individuals have received a vaccine against COVID-19.
Presently, the 2020/21 COVID-19 vaccines appear to offer some immunity against the common 2020 and some newer SARS-CoV variant strains first discovered in the UK (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351).
Studies of vaccine efficacy are showing antibodies being present soon after the first vaccine dose and the second shot serves as a booster for the body to continue to mount an antibodies response.
Today, we cannot draw the conclusion that long-term immunity against COVID-19 exists after one round of vaccinations. As variant strains evolve, it is likely we will need additional vaccinations against new strains or risk getting sick again.
The presence, and later absence of antibodies, may not mean that all immunity has been lost as there is evidence that our body’s immune system has ‘memory’ of antibodies against strains we’ve been infected with or exposed to via vaccination.
There Are 3 Options for Antibodies Testing
At-Home Antibodies Self-Test Kit sent to Lab for processing
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Attend a local Lab for blood draw with requisition
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Rapid Antibodies Screen Self-Test Kit
(Coming Soon)
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Self-Test for COVID-19 Antibodies
Second Generation Antibodies Testing
The Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 uses human serum and plasma drawn from a dry blood sample, to detect antibodies and determine the body’s immune reaction to SARS-CoV-2 from individuals exposed to the virus and assess the extent of exposure.
This is an immunoassay for the in vitro qualitative detection of antibodies (including IgG) to SARS-CoV-2 in human serum and plasma.
Our immunometric assay testing for antibodies for COVID-19 is laboratory-based and can be collected in the safety and privacy of your home with a self-administered testing kit. This Roche diagnostics platform has a specificity greater than 99.8% and 100% sensitivity (14 days post-PCR confirmation), which means a false positive or false negative is now highly unlikely.
What makes all of our antibodies test distinctive is that you can perform it yourself at home, without the need to go to a laboratory, where the technician wears PPE and does a blood draw and sends one tube of your blood for processing.
Compared to a traditional blood draw sample, our Antibodies test for COVID-19 is collected in a dried blood format. This technique has been validated to be equal in sensitivity and specificity to a standard blood draw.
Once the collection device with a dried blood sample arrives at the CoreMedica Lab, the dried blood sample is reconstituted by adding a buffered solution. The sample is then processed, and results are generally available within 48 hours. The patient will be notified to review the report on a secure HIPPA compliant portal.
Self-Test Blood Spot Collection
Your kit will contain all the necessary supplies for self-collection in the comfort of your own home. The test only requires you to fill 3 circles with 2 drops of blood in each circle. You will collect your blood sample using the paper blot included in your kit.
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Local Lab Blood Draw
Getting your antibodies at a Local lab requires:
Requisition from your physician
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Pre-payment of $75
(not covered by Public Health Insurance)
Schedule an appointment at the local lab
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NOTE: Available only in certain communities in Ontario and British Columbia. Contact your physician.
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Rapid Antibodies Screen (Coming Soon)
Procedure
Step 1
Collecting of specimen
using a capillary tube
Step 2
Apply the specimen
.
Step 3
Apply the buffer
get result within 15 minutes
Interpretation of Test Results
Positive
Negative
“C” Control Line
“G” IgG Line
“M” IgM Line
Invalid
Performance Characteristics
Sensitivity
Clinical Evaluation
Sensitivity – 93.90%
Specificity
Clinical Evaluation
Specificity – 95.74%.
Interpretation of COVID-19 Antibodies Test Results
If You Test Positive/Reactive
A single positive result from either antibody, or both (IgG plus IgM), indicates you have likely been exposed to a coronavirus, even in the absence of symptoms from the infection, including if you have been recently vaccinated.
- Only a REPEAT POSTIVE test for IgG, over a longer period of time indicates likely immunity.
If You Test Negative/Non-Reactive
A negative result means that you have likely:
- not been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, OR
- been infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the past, but their antibody levels were too low for the test to detect,
- not mounted an immune response yet to an infection or to a vaccination series against COVID-19
TNP Results
A single TNP result means that your sample could not be processed because the sample had insufficient serum. TNP stands for Test Not Performed.
NOTES:
Antibody testing performed < 3 weeks after onset of symptoms has reduced clinical sensitivity and may lead to false negative results.
Rare false positive results may be due to cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses.
Immunosuppressed individuals or those with mild disease may not produce measurable antibody levels.
Some studies indicate that a small percentage of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 (<4%) do not have detectable antibodies.
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