{"id":807139,"date":"2020-05-05T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=382781"},"modified":"2020-05-05T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T02:00:00","slug":"summit-county-public-health-officials-caution-against-antibody-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/summit-county-public-health-officials-caution-against-antibody-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Summit County public health officials caution against antibody testing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/CommunityCareClinic-SDN-033120-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-381185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/CommunityCareClinic-SDN-033120-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/CommunityCareClinic-SDN-033120-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/CommunityCareClinic-SDN-033120-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/CommunityCareClinic-SDN-033120-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/CommunityCareClinic-SDN-033120-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Medical supplies for coronavirus testing are pictured at the Summit Community Care Clinic in Frisco on March 30. Some private practices in Summit County have started antibody testing.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>FRISCO \u2014 Summit County public health officials have said they will not provide antibody, or serological, testing until it\u2019s proven accurate and reliable, but that doesn\u2019t mean people can\u2019t get one right now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp both operate in Summit County and can provide and analyze the tests. Dr. Kim Nearpass from the Mountain-River Naturopathic Clinic said her practice plans to start providing the IgM and IgG serological test once the clinic opens for in-person appointments May 18. Nearpass said she isn\u2019t the only one in the community offering antibody tests as a number of other doctors have expressed interest in doing so.<\/p>\n<p>Centura Health, which owns St. Anthony Summit Medical Center and High Country Health Care, is against providing the serological tests until researchers know more. Dr. Kirk Doing, the director of clinical microbiology for the Centura Health system, said the tests that are currently available are not able to tell patients anything about their health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe just do not understand what serology results mean right now with the virus,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row sd-donation sd-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Vail Health in Eagle County has offered antibody tests at its clinics since April 22, spokesperson Sally Walsh said. The hospital has tested 2,200 people using the antibody tests, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/opinion\/opinion-vail-health-supporting-the-health-and-wellness-of-summit-county\/\">CEO Will Cook wrote in a guest column for the Summit Daily News<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Most people who have been tested for the novel coronavirus have received the viral test, which takes cells from the inside of a person\u2019s nose using a cotton swab.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The serological test looks for antibodies, or protein cells, that are used to fight off coronavirus within a person\u2019s blood. The problem is antibody tests vary in accuracy and often can provide false negatives and positives. In a recent study of 14 coronavirus antibody tests, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/24\/health\/coronavirus-antibody-tests.html?campaign_id=9&amp;emc=edit_nn_20200426&amp;instance_id=17959&amp;nl=morning-briefing&amp;regi_id=117318857&amp;segment_id=26000&amp;te=1&amp;user_id=c4fd7fd742a880942777f7f8a2f39cf8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">only three proved to be reliable<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The coronavirus has an antigen, which the antibodies react to in order to fight it off, but doctors know virtually nothing about the COVID-19 antigen, Doing said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re very concerned when we don\u2019t know the antigen makeup because we don\u2019t know what (the antibodies are) going against,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Without knowing more about the antigen, researchers don\u2019t know if a person is immune from the virus or if they\u2019ve even had COVID-19. Even if tests could determine whether people were immune, researchers still would need to figure out how long that immunity lasts, Doing said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re giving patients a potential false sense of security thinking, \u2018Oh, I\u2019ve had it. I can\u2019t get it again,\u2019\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Not FDA approved<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Commercial providers must receive an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to distribute antibody tests. The authorization doesn\u2019t mean the FDA has approved the test, only that the manufacturers have sufficient data for the test to be used in an emergency like the coronavirus pandemic. The FDA has granted 12 emergency use authorizations to providers as of Tuesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been exposed to a coronavirus if you\u2019ve had a cold,\u201d said Dr. Richard Zane, chief innovation officer at the UC Health. \u201cSo, if I tested you for antibodies to a coronavirus, you probably will have them.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Summit County officials are hesitant to provide the tests because they aren\u2019t always specific. Nurse Manager Sara Lopez said the county has been monitoring the development of antibody tests closely to wait for the moment when they are proven to be reliable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually, we think this antibody blood test may play a large role in helping us determine who was infected and also, perhaps, allow people with this test to return back to work and school,\u201d she said. \u201cUnfortunately, the technology is just not there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because Mountain-River Naturopathic Clinic practices holistic medicine, Nearpass\u2019 philosophy often differs from doctors who practice Western medicine. However, on the topic of COVID-19, both sides agree that the serological tests aren\u2019t at the point of being reliable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt this point, there isn\u2019t sufficient data to be confident that the test results provide accurate information about viral exposure or immune status,\u201d Nearpass said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Many of her patients have been asking for the test; however, and that is why the clinic will start offering them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of interest and inquiry from the patients\u2019 end because they\u2019re reading about antibody testing, and they\u2019re wanting to get information about whether they\u2019ve actually been exposed to the coronavirus or not,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Nearpass will provide patients with an informed consent form before drawing blood, so they are aware that the tests haven\u2019t been approved by the FDA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really want patients to understand that antibody testing cannot be used to diagnose current or past COVID infection, nor can it be used as evidence to conclude immunity status,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers still don\u2019t know if a person who has the antibodies for the new coronavirus is immune, which would be a critical piece of information for county officials to know before they offer the test in the community. Some county officials are worried people will stop practicing social distancing because of their antibody test results, Lopez said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo matter if someone receives a positive or a negative antibody test, they still need to practice social distancing, they still need to be very mindful of washing their hands, wearing face coverings in public spaces to protect themselves and their community members,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Experts also recommended that people avoid using at-home or other commercial antibody tests, as those have not been approved in any capacity by the FDA.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/summit-county-public-health-officials-caution-against-antibody-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Medical supplies for coronavirus testing are pictured at the Summit Community Care Clinic in Frisco on March 30. Some private practices in Summit County have started antibody testing.Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com FRISCO \u2014 Summit County public health officials have said they will not provide antibody, or serological, testing until it\u2019s proven accurate and reliable, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-807139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-12 00:21:48","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807139\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}