Robin J.E. Scott

UPDATE – according to some news outlets, the UK authorities have decided to ask private clinics to cease providing antibody testing of this nature.

I’ve not posted anything about the novel coronavirus here in my website at all. The last thing I posted was some sports highlights back in February of this year, which we now know was a time when the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus was spreading quietly, behind the scenes, and largely away from the glare of media attention.

I’ve updated parts of this post below as I have received and taken this antibody test – so this is a first hand account.

To clarify, because there is a lot of “fake news” out there, the test I’ve reviewed below is not a “finger prick” test. It is the IgG Abbott antibody test, which required me to drain several mls of blood into a vial. There is some debate as to whether this capillary blood is different to blood drawn from a vein; but several commentators seem to have this Abbott test confused with “finger prick” tests which were not given approval in April.

The Abbott test and Roche test have been approved for use in England. There has been a pause this week (correct 27 May 2020) as the use of capillary blood has not specifically been approved. There have been clinical tests using blood drawn from veins, which have been approved for use in England, and have a high degree of accuracy.

For more information, see this article in the Financial Times.

Do your own research, and satisfy yourself. If you’d like to take advice from the British Government, that’s fine. They were “guided by science” all the way to the top of the the “most Covid-19 deaths in Europe” chart. A poor show, indeed, given a head start: we watched a slow train-wreck unfold in Spain and Italy in real-time, before doing exactly as they had done, only worse.

Perhaps the Cabinet’s interpretation of scientific data leaves something to be desired?

Before you ask… no, this is not hindsight. There were scientists saying the UK response was wrong at the time. Do your own research.

Part of my job is speaking truth to power. And the UK govt is (in my view) getting it wrong. Other countries have shown speed is crucial. There is a middle path between complete shutdown & carrying on as normal.

— Devi Sridhar (@devisridhar) March 13, 2020