#today we march on Superdrug

[gemma-nye]

Get the look: new poster edition

[delicatebluebirdruins]

Have you got a cold or Covid? Here’s how to tell the difference

article from the independent that is behind a paywall so I copy and paste

A blocked nose, headache and sore throat are symptoms of both the common cold and Covid Joanna Whitehead

In pre-pandemic days, if you got a sniffle and a headache, you might dismiss it as an ordinary cold and carry on as normal, even if you felt a little rough around the edges.

But as these symptoms are now some of the primary indicators of Covid too, how can you be sure whether its a cold?

This weekend, the NHS updated its Covid information page, adding nine new official symptoms of the virus. While people were previously urged to take a test if they had a temperature, a new continuous cough and a loss or change to the sense of smell or taste, new symptoms are very similar to other illnesses, such as colds or flus. There are now a total of 12 symptoms, including headaches, a sore throat and a blocked or runny nose. The NHS has also added shortness of breath, feeling more tired than usual, body aches, loss of appetite, diarrhoea and feeling sick or being sick.

Recommended NHS adds nine new official symptoms of Covid-19 as free testing ends

The change is in line with findings by experts behind the Zoe Covid Study, who have long warned that those with a sore throat, runny nose and a headache – all symptoms of the common cold – likely have the Omicron variant.

Professor Tim Spector, a lead author of the study, previously criticised the government for not adding more symptoms to its official list ahead of its free testing programme ending on 1 April. “The government’s refusal to recognise the wide array of symptoms and to drop isolation advice and testing is likely driving the incredible number of cases we see today,” Spector said.

Around 4.1 million people in England are estimated to have had Covid in the week ending 26 March, up from 3.5 million in the previous week.

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Experts believe cold-like symptoms are more likely to present in people who have been vaccinated.

Christina Marriott, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health said: “Growing evidence shows that people who’ve received two doses of the vaccine typically present with less severe symptoms, such as headache, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat and loss of smell.

“It’s important for people who’ve been fully vaccinated to stay vigilant for cold-like symptoms, and get tested if they’re living or working around people who are at greater risk from the disease.”

Professor Irene Petersen, a professor of epidemiology and health informatics at University College London, added: “A runny nose and headache are symptoms of many infections, but may also be the first symptoms – and only symptoms – of Covid. Therefore, if you have these symptoms, I’d encourage you to use lateral flow tests (LFT) for a couple of days.

“The first few LFT tests may be negative, but if you have Covid the tests are likely to become positive within a couple of days. Also, if you know other people around you have Covid, the likelihood your runny nose and/or headache is also Covid is much higher.”

As of 1 April, most of the population will need to pay for lateral flow tests. These are available at Boots and Superdrug from £1.99. The government has also published a list of approved providers here.

Here are some indicators that point to whether you have Covid or a cold.

Headache

A headache is one of the new symptoms of Covid that has been listed by the NHS.

Headaches are one of the earliest signs, according to the Zoe study, and are more common than the classic symptoms of cough, fever and loss of smell.

Zoe research found that Covid headaches tend to be moderately to severely painful, can be “pulsing”, “pressing” or “stabbing”, occur across both sides of the head rather than in one area, may last for more than three days and tend to be resistant to regular painkillers.

Runny nose

A blocked or runny nose is also a new addition to the NHS symptoms list.

Last winter, the Zoe study found that a runny nose was the second most commonly reported symptom after headaches, with nearly 60 per cent of people who tested positive for Covid with loss of smell also reporting having a runny nose.

But now the data indicates that the prevalence of the disease is the most significant factor. So, when Covid rates are high, the chances of a runny nose being due to the virus are also high.

The study also stresses that when Covid rates are low, a runny nose is less likely to indicate the sufferer has caught the coronavirus and is more likely to be due to a cold or even an allergy.‍

It concludes that while many people with Covid may report a runny nose, it is difficult to call it a definitive symptom as it is so common, especially during winter.

Sneezing

Sneezing is not recognised as an official symptom by the NHS, but the Zoe study found that sneezing more than usual can be a sign of Covid in people who have been vaccinated.

However it stresses sneezing is much more likely to be a sign of a cold or an allergy.

It says that even though many people with Covid might sneeze, “it’s not a definitive symptom because sneezing is so common”.

Sore throat

The NHS has added a sore throat to the official list of symptoms.

Many people with Covid have reported via the Zoe app that they have a sore throat that feels similar to one you might experience you get when you have a cold or laryngitis.

Covid-related sore throats tend to be mild and last no more than five days so a very painful one that lasts longer is likely to be something else. If it persists, you should contact your GP.

According to Zoe data, almost half of people who are ill with Covid report having a sore throat, although this is more common in adults aged between 18-65 than the elderly or those under 18.

Loss of smell

This continues to be the strongest indicator of Covid infection, regardless of a person’s age, sex or illness severity.

While people who have Covid might not lose their sense of smell completely, it may change, so you may not be able to smell strongly-scented things, and your sense of taste may be affected too, so food may taste different or seem tasteless.

Persistent cough

A persistent cough is widely agreed to be one of the three main symptoms of Covid but, according to the ZOE study, only around four in 10 people who are ill with the virus will experience this.

In this context, “persistent” means coughing many times a day, “for half a day or more”.

A Covid cough is usually a dry cough, compared with a chesty one that brings up phlegm or mucus and that may indicate a bacterial infection.

A persistent cough tends to arrive around a few days into the illness and usually lasts for around four or five days.

[roxsannel]

Where the monkeys did this year go?? 😱

Well, these days have passed in a haze of exhaustion, pain & madness! As I predicted after our day trip to Berwick, I suffered and I suffered for longer than expected, in fact, I've only just managed to get back to a state of vague normality!

The Saturday was spent in a haze of exhaustion, play and pain, neither of us slept due to the littlest one not sleeping during the night and keeping us awake! She was also crabby throughout the day, so I spent the morning taking the Christmas decorations down with the eldest while the youngest & her dad got a bath. They both helped after that and we for them all down by lunchtime, we went out for lunch to The Curious Table in Easingwold and had a lovely hot brie, bacon and cranberry panini with salad and a pot of tea. The entire menu and specials could all be gluten free apart from some of the cakes, but there was a gluten free sweet option too, so I was really I impressed by the range of options, the price was pretty good too!

When we got home, the little one had fallen asleep in the car, so we got a bit of quiet until she woke up and had decided to give us the silent treatment and shout at us if we spoke to her, which we found quite funny to be honest (even though we probably shouldn't have!). Me and my partner decided to get the lego out anyway and built random towers & cars! She eventually joined in with us until it was time for beans and toast for tea before being picked up. After tea we watched the Imitation Game and it was OK, but to much drama and not enough suspense for me. All in all, it was a tiring, but good day and I can safely say that we slept well that night too!

Since then it has been a haze of eat, work, fatigue, sleep & eat! In an ongoing circle, its been a tough few weeks, my fatigue has been through the roof and being on my period hadn't helped any. That always makes my fatigue and pain levels a lot worse, as such, I have been struggling more this last couple of weeks than normal. Plus not to mention the cramps that go along with my period, they're not as bad as they were, but they can still cause me problems. Not to mention the horrendous bloating and stomach issues and other than that, I have done nothing else apart from laundry and rest.

Although one day between the chiropractors and work, I went for lunch at Cosy Club with my partner and had a rather lovely Rather Elegant Brunch. I would recommend this place to anyone!

Since then, it's been more working, sleeping, eating & new medications to try out, I think they're working, but only time will tell!

For the first time in a while, we have had a date day, lunch at the Ivy, a wander round some antique shops in York (the Red House & ) & just some quality time just the two of us, we popped into superdrug where I got a couple of skincare items I needed to replenish and one thing which is new and I wanted to try. When we got home, we had a small glass of a white riesling and watched Dantes Peak with a cheesy salad with salt and vinegar crisps for nibbles.

Yesterday I was in some training at work and to be up by 06:30 which was a nightmare and pretty much destroyed the whole day for me, I was tired & not at all with it, but the training was good and I'm looking forward to implementing it soon. On my way home, I popped into the local council offices and finally successfully applied for my residents parking permit, so I can now have the reduced parking tariffs in town!

As such today will be all about a bit of housework and infusing, what an exciting day!

Well in the end, I decided to re-organise my clothes, this had taken me all day, I have a small pile to take to the charity shop & have made it look a lot neater & it's now way easier to see what I actually have in there!

Now for food, washing up & finally infusing. While I did this, I sorted out my medications for the next two weeks and when I needed to refill my prescriptions for the next 6 months, aren't I organised?

I'm Wednesday, I took my mum for lunch for her birthday, I booked a table for me, her and her boyfriend at the Kitty Café in Leeds where we got an hour, had a lovely lunch and watched the cats (which are available for adoption), I had an avocado & Mexican rice salad with a butterscotch chai latte, the gluten free options weren't many, but the salad I had was very filling and tasty and the jacket potatoes looked massive! Unfortunately none of the cakes were gluten free, but the speciality coffees and hot chocolate options more that satisfied my sweet tooth. After this we went round the shops for a bit, I needed to by a pair of handbag shoes, which I got from primark & then went to buy some meat from the market, I got gammon. Then it was off to mums for a few hours where I helped her partner sort out the spare room, mum was happy with this as part of her present haha. I ended up taking my tea with me as a pack up & picking my partner up from work before heading home to bed.

Since the it's been the usual routine of sleep, eat, work, eat more & sleep more, broken up with playing with the kids and a couple of hours at the Homestead Park with the youngest this morning!

Life is passing way to quickly! All I seem to do is work, eat, sleep & do housework! Although I have been spending time with family too! I went to see my great auntie for the first time in ages & she was quite lucid for a change (she has really bad dementia, but it's doing badly for 103!) I also had the house to myself for a weekend, it felt really strange!

Hopefully March won't go as quickly!

[brajeshupadhyay]

NHS and care home staff will get access to coronavirus antibody tests from next week

NHS and care home staff will finally get free COVID-19 antibody tests after Number 10 agreed a deal to buy kits from pharmaceutical giant Roche. 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to reveal further details about the deal this afternoon. 

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The tests will be free for people who need them, as you would expect. NHS and care workers will be prioritised for the tests.’ 

Hundreds of thousands of frontline health workers will be offered the tests, which detect if someone has ever been infected with the disease.

Roche’s blood test looks for antibodies, substances produced by the immune system in response to COVID-19. 

With most viral infections, the presence of antibodies reduces or removes the risk of reinfection, but this has not yet been proven with coronavirus.

Experts say positive tests should not simply be seen as a ‘green light’ to reduce PPE or other protections for staff.

The Roche test, called Elecsys (pictured), produces results in a laboratory and is said to be 100 per cent accurate

WHY IS ANTIBODY TESTING IMPORTANT? 

WHAT IS AN ANTIBODY TEST?

Unlike tests to diagnose diseases, antibody tests show who has been infected and recovered.

The body makes antibodies in response to many illnesses and infections, including other coronaviruses. New blood tests are being developed to identify antibodies unique to SARS-CoV-2, the official name of the new coronavirus.

The tests look for two kinds of antibodies: immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG). The body quickly produces IgM antibodies for its initial attack against infections. It makes IgG antibodies more slowly and retains them longer; IgG antibodies suggest possible immunity. 

HOW CAN ANTIBODY TESTS HELP END LOCKDOWNS?

Antibody tests can help calculate what portion of the population has already been infected, as well as whether infections were mild or severe.

Governments and companies could use antibody tests to determine who would most likely be safe to return to work and public interactions, and whether it is safe to lift stay-at-home orders all at once in some regions or in stages based on infection risk.

People with negative antibody tests or very low antibody levels would likely have higher risk of infection than people with high antibody levels.

DO ANTIBODIES TO THE NEW CORONAVIRUS CONFER IMMUNITY?

While antibodies to many infectious diseases typically confer some level of immunity, whether that is the case with this unique coronavirus is not yet known.

And how strong immunity might be, or how long it might last in people previously infected, is not clear. With some diseases like measles the immunity can be lifelong. With others, immunity can wane over time.

Scientists cannot know with certainty that reinfection is not possible until further research.

Antibody tests could inform not just lockdown exits, but the best approach to treatments and vaccines.

Ministers have been in talks with Roche to buy millions of the kits and Matt Hancock is expected to reveal later today what kind of deal has been struck. 

It follows England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, promising last week the tests would be rolled out ‘rapidly’.

Priority will be given to frontline hospital staff in coronavirus specific wards, as well as ICU and A&E departments.

These staff members will be monitored by scientists to see whether they fall ill again and paint a clearer picture of the protection antibodies provide.

But it is not clear how they will reach NHS workers or the public in the future. 

Known as the ‘have you had it’ tests, antibody tests reveal whether someone has been infected with COVID-19 in the past and recovered from it.

But it’s still not clear whether this means a person is protected from catching the virus again, therefore some scientists say antibody tests have limited value. 

Dr Claudia Paoloni, president of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, urged caution to those who test positive for antibodies.

She told The Guardian: ‘As we learn more about the role of antibodies, this could open the door to different ways of working and reduce the level of risk to NHS staff by allocating those who have had the virus to care for Covid-19 patients. 

‘But we must be clear that huge uncertainties remain while we do not know the level and length of any immunity which antibodies will offer.

‘The new test’s arrival should not simply be seen as a green light to reduce PPE and other protections for NHS staff who test positive.’

The Roche test, which is called Elecsys, was given the seal of approval by Public Health England on 14 May after scientists at its Porton Down facility evaluated how reliable it was.  

PHE said the test is ‘a very positive development’ and that assessments found it was ‘highly specific’.

According to Roche, their COVID-19 antibody test has ‘a specificity greater than 99.8 per cent and a sensitivity of 100 per cent’ – as long as it is used at least 14 days after someone has developed symptoms. 

The Roche test has a ‘specificity’ of 99.8 per cent, meaning it generates very few ‘false positives’ – when it indicates someone has been infected when they have not.

For every thousand people who take the test only two will be given a false positive result, according to its claim.

Sensitivity is the rate of all positive samples that are truly positive. A rate of 100 per cent suggests very few, potentially zero, will get an inaccurate result – known as a false negative result.

Sensitivity is considered the area authorities can afford to compromise on – not specificity. 

False positives, caused by poor specificity, may lead people to believe they are immune when they’re not, causing their behaviour to become riskier, or to receive treatment that they don’t need. 

The Roche test, which is called Elecsys, was given the seal of approval by Public Health England on 14 May after scientists at its Porton Down facility evaluated how reliable it was

Roche said the amount of tests it would be able to make each month for the US and countries accepting the CE mark would be in the ‘high double-digit millions’. Pictured: Prime Minister of Bavaria holding the Elecsys test on May 4

The FDA gave the Roche test the green light on May 3, allowing laboratories across the US to use it even though it has yet to be formally approved. 

German officials already signed a deal at the beginning of May to buy five million of the Roche kits every month.

Roche said the amount of tests it would be able to make each month for the US and countries accepting the CE mark would be in the ‘high double-digit millions’.

But neither Roche nor the Government has revealed how much the antibody test will cost to purchase in bulk at this stage. 

It is not designed to give people a result in the comfort of their own home – referred to as the ‘pregnancy test’ style kits.

The test requires blood samples to be taken by trained health professionals, and then it will be processed by machines already used in NHS labs across the country. Medics can get results in just 18 minutes. 

Experts say the fact the test needs to be sent off to a laboratory is a limitation of the test because it could lead to delays in results. 

‘It will be important to understand how widespread this equipment is and how testing could be organised regionally and locally to provide a rapid and high throughput system,’ said Dr Colin Butter, an associate professor and programme leader in bioveterinary science, University of Lincoln. 

The Government’s track record for testing has been abysmal so far. The UK tests fewer people per capita than most European countries.

Experts blame this on PHE’s ‘control freakery’ in reluctance to involve private labs that offered to help process tests. The agency has denied this.

Roche is not the only test the Government are in negotiations with. It is believed deals are also being worked up with US firm Abbott and Welsh company Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. 

The Welsh firm’s test is the only UK-validated device which is manufactured in Britain. Roche and Abbott both produce their devices overseas, which can cause delays in the supply chain. 

They are the first antibody tests to be ratified as accurate by PHE. The body does not ‘approve’ tests, just evaluate how good they are.    

As well as detecting which healthcare staff have previously been infected, antibody tests are considered key to easing lockdown.

They are able to paint the clearest picture about how widespread COVID-19 is in the community by seeing how many individuals have already had the disease. 

The true size of Britain’s outbreak is a mystery because health chiefs abandoned a mass antigen-testing regime early on in the crisis. 

PHE is conducting a surveillance programme to understand how many of the population have had the virus using their own, high accuracy antibody test operated at their Porton Down science campus. 

Results have not been published yet but suggest that less than 10 per cent of people in the UK have antibodies, with more in London than rural areas.

All three antibody tests approved by ministers are laboratory-based and can take up to a day to produce results. 

No home ‘pregnancy-test’ kits that can be done in the comfort of someone’s own home and without processing by a lab, have yet been approved.

That’s despite promises in March that one would be available and ministers buying millions of pounds worth of commercial tests from overseas.

None of them have met the high accuracy standards set out by PHE after an Oxford University trial found they returned inaccurate results. 

The failure was a significant setback because it had been hoped the antibody tests would be the route out of lockdown. 

However, versions of Abbott’s test have been launched on various websites for a fee of £69 – £100.

Superdrug were the first high-street retailer to launch Abbott’s antibody test for £69, which sold out within hours with Brits eager to find out if they have any kind of immunity.

It is not a ‘home testing’ kit because the blood sample, which a person collects in their home, has to be sent to a laboratory.

But medical giant Abbott, which makes Superdrug’s tests, has insisted that its tests were not intended to be used by people taking their own blood samples. 

Instead, the Illinois-based firm says its tests have only been evaluated to be accurate on blood samples taken by trained healthcare providers directly from patients’ veins.

Commenting on the launch, scientists said they would not buy the tests themselves because the results are meaningless.

Even if the results return as positive, they may be inaccurate and there is no proof the person has immunity and therefore return to work.

The idea of ‘immunity certificates’ has been shelved for now because of this, although No 10 said it was still exploring the idea.       

How accurate is Roche’s newly-approved antibody test and will it show you if you are immune?

Here, MailOnline reveals everything you need to know about Roche’s antibody test, from how accurate it is to how it will be used in the UK.  

HOW WILL IT BE USED IN THE UK?  

The kits are lab-based tests and require blood samples to be taken by trained health professionals. 

The blood sample kit can be processed by machines already used in NHS labs across the country. Medics can get results in just 18 minutes.

Health minister Edward Argar said the tests would mainly be given to NHS and social care workers to start with.

Insiders say it is also likely to play a role in the government’s ‘surveillance’ schemes, which will help track how far the virus has spread in Britain.

Ministers are currently clueless about the true size of Britain’s outbreak because health chiefs abandoned a mass-testing regime early on in the crisis.

One of the current antibody schemes already underway has seen nurses take blood samples from a thousand households.

Early results – not yet published by officials – suggested up to four per cent of Britain has developed antibodies to the coronavirus.  

CAN I USE THE ROCHE TEST MYSELF? 

The Roche test, which is called Elecsys, is simply not designed to give people a result in the comfort of their own home.

Ministers have promised ‘pregnancy-test’ style kits, which would see Brits take their own blood sample and get a result in as little as 10 minutes.

But no DIY test – scientifically called an immunoassay – has yet to be approved by officials despite promises one would be available back in March.

One firm – awarded millions of pounds by the government to produce home-testing kits – hopes to have its product ready by the start of June.

Mologic’s serology test will be available for Britons to purchase online, from retailers such as Boots and Amazon, according to reports. 

It has not yet been approved by the Bedfordshire-based company is in ‘urgent talks’ with ministers to fast-track approval, The Telegraph says.

HOW MUCH WILL THEY COST THE GOVERNMENT? 

Roche – which plans to produce millions of the kits each month – has not revealed how much the antibody test will cost to purchase in bulk.  

Britain did, however, pay two Chinese firms around £16million for 2million antibody tests that failed strict accuracy tests – suggesting each kit cost around £8. 

No details of any deals struck between Roche – based in Basel – and other countries have been made public.

This means it is not known whether Britain will pay more or less than other nations desperately seeking the antibody tests as draconian lockdowns are eased. 

Roche – which operates two offices in Britain – has not revealed if it will manufacture the tests in the UK. The firm says it has ‘extensive global manufacturing capabilities’ to meet demand.

Following the announcement today, shares for Roche rose slightly to 44.95, the highest in several weeks, according to Yahoo! Finance

THE TIMELINE OF UK’S ANTIBODY TESTING DEVELOPMENTS 

March 25: Professor Sharon Peacock, the director of the national infection service at PHE, told MPs antibody kits would be ready within days.  

But confusion was sparked when chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told revealed the tests would not be ready to buy online within days.  

March 26: Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at PHE, told MPs she expected home antibody tests to be available within a ‘couple of weeks’.

April 1: In the Downing Street press conference, Professor Doyle disputed the claim that PHE was ‘dragging its feet’ in approving antibody tests. 

She said: ‘The important thing about theses antibody tests, this is not a matter of dragging our feet, it’s important that the test is valid, that it does what it says it does.’

April 6: Sir John Bell, one of the Oxford University team evaluating antibody tests for the government, revealed none of them performed well.

April 17: The New York Times reported that Britain was seeking a £16million refund after two antibody tests it had bought from Chinese companies were not accurate enough to be rolled out.

April 21: University of Oxford experts published anonymised results of the nine tests the government had bought – they showed all were deemed too weak to use. 

Their sensitivity – ability to correctly spot people who had had the disease – ranged from 70 per cent to just 55 per cent.

May 3: US regulators gave the ‘game-changing’ antibody test made by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche the green light.

May 4: German health bosses announce a deal with Roche to buy 3million of its kits in May, as well as 5million per month from June. 

May 13: Public Health England follows suit, approving the test to be used. It was revealed that health chiefs were planning to buy millions.

WILL PRIVATE FIRMS BE ABLE TO BUY THE TESTS?

Officials have yet to come forward with a concrete plan about how the tests will be used, or whether private firms will be able to buy them.

Many companies keen to restart operations want to use antibody testing kits to work out how much of their staff may be immune to the virus. 

Insiders say it is unlikely the Roche tests will be available to purchase privately, at least initially.

This is because officials wouldn’t be able to access the data they desperately need to plot the spread of the virus.

It remains unclear exactly how much the lab-based tests could cost, if and when they can be purchased. 

WHO ELSE HAS APPROVED THE ROCHE ANTIBODY TEST?

Roche first announced it was developing the antibody on April 17, revealing it had plans to put it on the market in early May.

At the time, it announced it was working the US health regulator the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an ’emergency use authorisation’.

The FDA gave it the green light on May 3, allowing laboratories across the US to use it even though it has yet to be formally approved.

Roche also announced that the blood sample kit was also granted the vital ‘CE mark’ that shows it is safe to use within the EU. 

German officials already signed a deal at the beginning of May to buy five million of the Roche kits every month.

Roche said the amount of tests it would be able to make each month for the US and countries accepting the CE mark would be in the ‘high double-digit millions’. 

SO WHY HAS IT TAKEN THE UK SO LONG TO APPROVE ANY TEST?

Sir John Bell, an immunologist at Oxford University involved in evaluating antibody kits for the government, admitted approving tests takes ‘longer than it should’.

He suggested officials wanted to be completely sure that the tests were accurate, telling BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme: ‘I think you have to be a bit cautious.’

Sir John accepted it has ‘taken a week or two longer than it might have’, while other experts have said ‘every day counts’ amid a pandemic.

But he pointed out the failure of DIY antibody tests, which were described as ‘terrific’ and offered hopes of a way out of lockdown – but none turned out to work.  

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: ‘In the grand scheme of things, 11 days would be nothing.’

But he added that ‘when you are in a situation like this when every day counts, it is indeed concerning’. 

HOW ACCURATE IS THE TEST?

As long as it is used at least 14 days after someone has developed symptoms, it has a 100 per cent sensitivity rate, Roche claims.

Sensitivity is the rate of all positive samples that are truly positive. For example, if a test has an accuracy rate of 99 per cent, it means 99 out of every 100 people who test positive have actually been infected. 

The other one person, however, would have been given an inaccurate result – known as a false negative result.

The Roche test also has a ‘specificity’ of 99.8 per cent, meaning it generates very few ‘false positives’ – when it indicates someone has been infected when they have not. 

For every thousand people who take the test only two will be given a false positive result, according to its claim.

Sensitivity is considered the area authorities can afford to compromise on because testing errors in that area lead to false negatives – people being told they haven’t had the disease when they actually have – which would lead to relatively few consequences for most.

False positives, however, caused by poor specificity, may lead people to believe they are immune when they’re not, causing their behaviour to become riskier, or to receive treatment that they don’t need. 

HOW COME THIS ONE WORKS WHEN OTHERS HAVE FAILED?  

Roche scientists have managed to develop a test that only picks up the virus that causes COVID-19, scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2.

Previous tests assessed struggled to differentiate COVID-19 antibodies from four other types of human coronaviruses which cause the common cold.

The body makes antibodies in response to many illnesses and infections, including other coronaviruses.  

But independent experts  have also called for transparency over the results, which haven’t been made publicly available. 

Professor Carl Heneghan, from Oxford University, said: ‘Without seeing the study methods and the data it’s impossible to verify these claims of accuracy.’

Professor Sheila Bird, a bio-statistician at Cambridge University, also called on the government to reveal the study design to allow scientists to scrutinise the work.  

The post NHS and care home staff will get access to coronavirus antibody tests from next week appeared first on Sansaar Times.

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[9point81mpers-2-blog-blog]

A calendar year of life-changing habits

I like to begin the year with some New Year’s Resolutions and whilst I very often veer off track quite quickly and crumple into a pile of guilt, I’ve learnt over the years that it’s not the quantity of my resolutions, but the quality, that counts. I need to make resolutions that resonate with me, become part of my day, my community. This year I’ve decided to incorporate one new habit at a time into my life. Despite being one rather fallible individual, I am extremely passionate about small change leading to big impact and here I’m setting out twelve life-changing habits that I believe are possible to make throughout the course of one calendar year. The order is not extremely important as each habit holds power on its own. The important thing is to adopt each habit fully and unconditionally before moving onto the next. You need to love each habit, make it work for you and only then will you start to see just how tangible and powerful these small changes can be.

*** 

January – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and compost?!)

An easy (but addictive) habit to start off with – recycling. Start now if you don’t already. Make reduce, reuse, recycle your life motto. Get a recycling container that’s bigger than your waste bin. Check the packaging of the things you buy. Check your local recycling.  Locate recycling points in your area and loop them in to shopping trips to save time and energy. You’ll quickly become that colleague in the office that polices the rubbish bins for plastic bottles. Many councils also offer a food waste stream, which is used to generate green energy or you can compost the waste at home.

February – Reduce Meat and Dairy Intake

We don’t really need as much meat and dairy as the world (or our stomachs) tell us. If going vegan is one step too far (my husband is nodding), try meat-free-Mondays or skip dairy for a few weeks each year. It’s good for you and for the planet. With more and more veggie options available out there, you won’t be lacking choice, flavour and nutrients.

March – Shop Cruelty-Free

Whilst we’re on the topic of animals, my next step was to go cruelty-free and leather-free. It’s easy to reduce our meat and dairy intake to prevent animal suffering without considering the bigger picture. Leather is not a by-product of the meat industry. And just because bunnies don’t wash up or brush their teeth doesn’t mean our kitchen and bathroom cupboards are necessarily cruelty-free.  Although I was extremely shocked by the number of products in my house that did not sport the leaping bunny logo or claim to be free from animal testing, it only took a couple of swaps and a bit of googling to restock my cosmetics and cleaning equipment. And shopping cruelty-free doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank with outrageously priced hipster products hand-crafted in someone’s yurt. Since animal testing is actually illegal in the UK, many supermarkets’ own brands will be cruelty-free (hello Tesco) and there are some great low-cost cosmetics out there like Superdrug’s own range, BWC and Sainsbury’s Purify. Some personal favourites include Ecover, Lush, The Body Shop, Faith in Nature and Original Source.

April – Grow Your Own Veggies

Spring is the time to start planting, or so I’ve heard. Unfortunately, I’ve never had much luck with growing anything (indoors or outdoors) but I’m keen to make 2018 the year I successfully nurture something edible. A good friend of mine recently purchased an allotment and now has tomatoes and courgettes for all eternity. Other possible options include local farmer’s markets or organic alternatives.

May – Buy Fair-Trade (Food)

There are some foods, however, that we cannot grow in our backyard or indoor greenhouse. One thing that strikes me again and again in this ever-more-globalised world is that I (really) have no idea where my food comes from. Although I reluctantly have to put a proportionate amount of trust in my supermarkets, there are a few choices that I know will definitely benefit those who grow and pack the food I buy. After being introduced to STOP THE TRAFFIK many years ago, I’ve learnt a well-kept secret of the industry that the foods most susceptible to child slavery are chocolate, bananas, tea and coffee. If you only make one swap to Fairtrade this month, make it count. Sure it may cost a few pennies more, but it’s more than worth it when you know that your cupboard basics are not fuelling the international slave trade.

June – Buy Fair-Trade (Clothing)

I’m sure we are all well aware (or “blissfully ignorant”) that sweat shops and child labour are still very much present in today’s clothing industry. And thanks to the increasing demand for fast fashion and cheap clothes, this trend isn’t declining any time soon. Although there are many brands that are fair-trade and sweatshop free, my main advice is to start in charity shops for the wardrobe basics and put pressure on big brands to change their production practices. Ethical consumer provides an excellent visual guide to shopping.

July – Cut Out Non-Recyclable Plastic

We’re already half-way through the year and I feel we’ve made some big changes to our buying habits. It also makes us more mindful of our connection to those around us and how each small choice can have a global impact. This month is the most challenging habit yet: cutting out non-recyclable plastics. My husband and I took on this “fast” from single-use plastics for Lent and it was the longest 46 days of my entire life. I was prepared for having to cut out crisps and biscuits and ready meals etc. But I was not ready for the extra time spent checking all of the packets of spinach in four different supermarkets until I found one that was recyclable (after two weeks of searching!). And with all good intentions of making our own bread and pasta, it’s incredible to think how much of the grub, gadgets and gifts we buy is coated with metres upon metres of non-recyclable plastic – plastic that will stay on this planet for the rest of eternity (or add to global warming during incineration). After the initial trauma of not being able to pick up a quick coffee and sandwich on the go and having to plan and prepare every single meal in advance, we settled into a rhythm of buying all of our fruit and veg loose (much to the cashiers dismay), stocking up on frozen goods in cardboard packaging and going without cheese for a couple of weeks. My top tips would be:

-          Bio-degradable cling-film made from plants

-          Bamboo tooth-brushes (some are better than others!)

-          OraCare toothpaste (cruelty-free and in partnership with TerraCycle)

-          Join a local zero-waste Facebook group for daily tips and encouragement

August – Reduce Single-Use Recyclable Packaging

Now we’ve cut our waste right down and we’re recycling the majority of packaging and composting food-waste, it’s time to reduce the amount of single-use products we buy. Time to purchase that pretty Ecoffee Cup (and get discounts on hot drinks out!), make use of re-fill facilities and buy in bulk where possible.

My husband and I recently visited U-Weigh in Hythe, a beautiful and typically English town on the Kent coast. Here you can bring you own containers and fill them up with pasta, rice, lentils, sultanas, popping corn, nuts, seeds, flour… you name it, they’ve got it – loose and in bulk. The owner laughed when I asked how long they’d been there. “Thirty years!” he said, although back then the shop served a very different purpose: mainly offering basic everyday products locally and at a reasonable price. Now they have a new kind of clientele: the zero-waste generation. Shops like this, as well as Ethos in Maidstone that offer refills of washing and cleaning liquids are the start (or rather the return) of a waste-not-want-not attitude to consumerism. And it’s up to us to support the movement.

September – Cut out Palm Oil

I wasn’t really aware that non-sustainable palm oil was still creeping into a large number of food products and cosmetics sold in the UK. A French friend of mine mentioned to me recently that she hasn’t eaten Nutella for years as her stand against palm oil – a French person abstaining from Nutella?! She must have good reason. It struck me that I always looked for the words in bold on packaging, checked for the little vegan symbol and then headed straight to the recycling possibilities; I completely glossed over this little ingredient. Nevertheless, after a quick bit of research I discovered that the palm oil industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses. Huge areas of rainforest are cleared to make way for palm oil production, land which could then remain infertile for years. There are, however many happy alternatives such as rapeseed oil and sustainable palm oil – just check for the RSPO label. After another round of packaging checking and research, I began to famliarise myself with products to avoid and the alternatives. Spoiler alert – you’re probably going to have to get a new favourite biscuit!

October – Speak up and get writing

By now I’m feeling a lot more aware about the ingredients of the products that I buy and the food that I eat. However, I can’t avoid the occasional snack on the go or an emergency purchase when we run out of toilet roll. It helps to remember that some changes are outside of my control. For bigger changes such as urging cafes to stop offering plastic straws and cutlery, asking councils to provide better recycling facilities or encouraging snack companies to re-think their packaging, we’re going to have to get writing, tweeting and petitioning. This year I’ve got a new found respect for Twitter and the ability to hold corporations to account publically and force them to respond regarding the ethos of their products, the recyclability of the packaging and the traceability of the ingredients. I’m sure my local MP is fed up of the emails I send but until we have Tetrapack recycling facilities in this borough I will not stop! This month I’m encouraging you to contact your MP or local council, sign a petition for an issue close to your heart and write to your favourite snack company and push for change.

November – Switch to Ecotricity

A nice easy one for the end of the year as we head back into the cold season. Switch to Ecotricity. The only UK supplier of 100% green electricity from renewable energy sources and 100% frack-free green gas. Although their customer service leaves a lot to be desired, the switch was quick and easy and they even gave us a free £25 Luch voucher – what’s not to love?

December – Start Volunteering

Finally, we’ve reached December. Christmas is coming, we’re feeling great about our life choices and the new habits we’ve incorporated into our lives. Now it’s time to give something back. Use those spare hours on a weekday evening to help at a local homeless shelter. Research active charities in your local area. Find something you’re passionate about and invest time and money into something worthwhile that gets you out of that work, gym, sleep repeat cycle. Helping others has been proven to fight depression, improve confidence and self-esteem and build community. Doing good does you good.

***  

Let’s support each other on our calendar years of life-changing habits. Comment, share and encourage.

[brajeshupadhyay]

NHS and care home staff will finally get free COVID-19 antibody tests after Number 10 agreed a deal to buy kits from pharmaceutical giant Roche.  Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to reveal further details about the deal this afternoon.  The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The tests will be free for people who need them, as you would expect. NHS and care workers will be prioritised for the tests.’  Hundreds of thousands of frontline health workers will be offered the tests, which detect if someone has ever been infected with the disease. Roche’s blood test looks for antibodies, substances produced by the immune system in response to COVID-19.  With most viral infections, the presence of antibodies reduces or removes the risk of reinfection, but this has not yet been proven with coronavirus. Experts say positive tests should not simply be seen as a ‘green light’ to reduce PPE or other protections for staff. The Roche test, called Elecsys (pictured), produces results in a laboratory and is said to be 100 per cent accurate WHY IS ANTIBODY TESTING IMPORTANT?  WHAT IS AN ANTIBODY TEST? Unlike tests to diagnose diseases, antibody tests show who has been infected and recovered. The body makes antibodies in response to many illnesses and infections, including other coronaviruses. New blood tests are being developed to identify antibodies unique to SARS-CoV-2, the official name of the new coronavirus. The tests look for two kinds of antibodies: immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG). The body quickly produces IgM antibodies for its initial attack against infections. It makes IgG antibodies more slowly and retains them longer; IgG antibodies suggest possible immunity.  HOW CAN ANTIBODY TESTS HELP END LOCKDOWNS? Antibody tests can help calculate what portion of the population has already been infected, as well as whether infections were mild or severe. Governments and companies could use antibody tests to determine who would most likely be safe to return to work and public interactions, and whether it is safe to lift stay-at-home orders all at once in some regions or in stages based on infection risk. People with negative antibody tests or very low antibody levels would likely have higher risk of infection than people with high antibody levels. DO ANTIBODIES TO THE NEW CORONAVIRUS CONFER IMMUNITY? While antibodies to many infectious diseases typically confer some level of immunity, whether that is the case with this unique coronavirus is not yet known. And how strong immunity might be, or how long it might last in people previously infected, is not clear. With some diseases like measles the immunity can be lifelong. With others, immunity can wane over time. Scientists cannot know with certainty that reinfection is not possible until further research. Antibody tests could inform not just lockdown exits, but the best approach to treatments and vaccines. Ministers have been in talks with Roche to buy millions of the kits and Matt Hancock is expected to reveal later today what kind of deal has been struck.  It follows England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, promising last week the tests would be rolled out ‘rapidly’. Priority will be given to frontline hospital staff in coronavirus specific wards, as well as ICU and A&E departments. These staff members will be monitored by scientists to see whether they fall ill again and paint a clearer picture of the protection antibodies provide. But it is not clear how they will reach NHS workers or the public in the future.  Known as the ‘have you had it’ tests, antibody tests reveal whether someone has been infected with COVID-19 in the past and recovered from it. But it’s still not clear whether this means a person is protected from catching the virus again, therefore some scientists say antibody tests have limited value.  Dr Claudia Paoloni, president of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, urged caution to those who test positive for antibodies. She told The Guardian: ‘As we learn more about the role of antibodies, this could open the door to different ways of working and reduce the level of risk to NHS staff by allocating those who have had the virus to care for Covid-19 patients.  ‘But we must be clear that huge uncertainties remain while we do not know the level and length of any immunity which antibodies will offer. ‘The new test’s arrival should not simply be seen as a green light to reduce PPE and other protections for NHS staff who test positive.’ The Roche test, which is called Elecsys, was given the seal of approval by Public Health England on 14 May after scientists at its Porton Down facility evaluated how reliable it was.   PHE said the test is ‘a very positive development’ and that assessments found it was ‘highly specific’. According to Roche, their COVID-19 antibody test has ‘a specificity greater than 99.8 per cent and a sensitivity of 100 per cent’ – as long as it is used at least 14 days after someone has developed symptoms.  The Roche test has a ‘specificity’ of 99.8 per cent, meaning it generates very few ‘false positives’ – when it indicates someone has been infected when they have not. For every thousand people who take the test only two will be given a false positive result, according to its claim. Sensitivity is the rate of all positive samples that are truly positive. A rate of 100 per cent suggests very few, potentially zero, will get an inaccurate result – known as a false negative result. Sensitivity is considered the area authorities can afford to compromise on – not specificity.  False positives, caused by poor specificity, may lead people to believe they are immune when they’re not, causing their behaviour to become riskier, or to receive treatment that they don’t need.  The Roche test, which is called Elecsys, was given the seal of approval by Public Health England on 14 May after scientists at its Porton Down facility evaluated how reliable it was Roche said the amount of tests it would be able to make each month for the US and countries accepting the CE mark would be in the ‘high double-digit millions’. Pictured: Prime Minister of Bavaria holding the Elecsys test on May 4 The FDA gave the Roche test the green light on May 3, allowing laboratories across the US to use it even though it has yet to be formally approved.  German officials already signed a deal at the beginning of May to buy five million of the Roche kits every month. Roche said the amount of tests it would be able to make each month for the US and countries accepting the CE mark would be in the ‘high double-digit millions’. But neither Roche nor the Government has revealed how much the antibody test will cost to purchase in bulk at this stage.  It is not designed to give people a result in the comfort of their own home – referred to as the ‘pregnancy test’ style kits. The test requires blood samples to be taken by trained health professionals, and then it will be processed by machines already used in NHS labs across the country. Medics can get results in just 18 minutes.  Experts say the fact the test needs to be sent off to a laboratory is a limitation of the test because it could lead to delays in results.  ‘It will be important to understand how widespread this equipment is and how testing could be organised regionally and locally to provide a rapid and high throughput system,’ said Dr Colin Butter, an associate professor and programme leader in bioveterinary science, University of Lincoln.  The Government’s track record for testing has been abysmal so far. The UK tests fewer people per capita than most European countries. Experts blame this on PHE’s ‘control freakery’ in reluctance to involve private labs that offered to help process tests. The agency has denied this. Roche is not the only test the Government are in negotiations with. It is believed deals are also being worked up with US firm Abbott and Welsh company Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.  The Welsh firm’s test is the only UK-validated device which is manufactured in Britain. Roche and Abbott both produce their devices overseas, which can cause delays in the supply chain.  They are the first antibody tests to be ratified as accurate by PHE. The body does not ‘approve’ tests, just evaluate how good they are.     As well as detecting which healthcare staff have previously been infected, antibody tests are considered key to easing lockdown. They are able to paint the clearest picture about how widespread COVID-19 is in the community by seeing how many individuals have already had the disease.  The true size of Britain’s outbreak is a mystery because health chiefs abandoned a mass antigen-testing regime early on in the crisis.  PHE is conducting a surveillance programme to understand how many of the population have had the virus using their own, high accuracy antibody test operated at their Porton Down science campus.  Results have not been published yet but suggest that less than 10 per cent of people in the UK have antibodies, with more in London than rural areas. All three antibody tests approved by ministers are laboratory-based and can take up to a day to produce results.  No home ‘pregnancy-test’ kits that can be done in the comfort of someone’s own home and without processing by a lab, have yet been approved. That’s despite promises in March that one would be available and ministers buying millions of pounds worth of commercial tests from overseas. None of them have met the high accuracy standards set out by PHE after an Oxford University trial found they returned inaccurate results.  The failure was a significant setback because it had been hoped the antibody tests would be the route out of lockdown.  However, versions of Abbott’s test have been launched on various websites for a fee of £69 – £100. Superdrug were the first high-street retailer to launch Abbott’s antibody test for £69, which sold out within hours with Brits eager to find out if they have any kind of immunity. It is not a ‘home testing’ kit because the blood sample, which a person collects in their home, has to be sent to a laboratory. But medical giant Abbott, which makes Superdrug’s tests, has insisted that its tests were not intended to be used by people taking their own blood samples.  Instead, the Illinois-based firm says its tests have only been evaluated to be accurate on blood samples taken by trained healthcare providers directly from patients’ veins. Commenting on the launch, scientists said they would not buy the tests themselves because the results are meaningless. Even if the results return as positive, they may be inaccurate and there is no proof the person has immunity and therefore return to work. The idea of ‘immunity certificates’ has been shelved for now because of this, although No 10 said it was still exploring the idea.        How accurate is Roche’s newly-approved antibody test and will it show you if you are immune? Here, MailOnline reveals everything you need to know about Roche’s antibody test, from how accurate it is to how it will be used in the UK.   HOW WILL IT BE USED IN THE UK?   The kits are lab-based tests and require blood samples to be taken by trained health professionals.  The blood sample kit can be processed by machines already used in NHS labs across the country. Medics can get results in just 18 minutes. Health minister Edward Argar said the tests would mainly be given to NHS and social care workers to start with. Insiders say it is also likely to play a role in the government’s ‘surveillance’ schemes, which will help track how far the virus has spread in Britain. Ministers are currently clueless about the true size of Britain’s outbreak because health chiefs abandoned a mass-testing regime early on in the crisis. One of the current antibody schemes already underway has seen nurses take blood samples from a thousand households. Early results – not yet published by officials – suggested up to four per cent of Britain has developed antibodies to the coronavirus.   CAN I USE THE ROCHE TEST MYSELF?  The Roche test, which is called Elecsys, is simply not designed to give people a result in the comfort of their own home. Ministers have promised ‘pregnancy-test’ style kits, which would see Brits take their own blood sample and get a result in as little as 10 minutes. But no DIY test – scientifically called an immunoassay – has yet to be approved by officials despite promises one would be available back in March. One firm – awarded millions of pounds by the government to produce home-testing kits – hopes to have its product ready by the start of June. Mologic’s serology test will be available for Britons to purchase online, from retailers such as Boots and Amazon, according to reports.  It has not yet been approved by the Bedfordshire-based company is in ‘urgent talks’ with ministers to fast-track approval, The Telegraph says. HOW MUCH WILL THEY COST THE GOVERNMENT?  Roche – which plans to produce millions of the kits each month – has not revealed how much the antibody test will cost to purchase in bulk.   Britain did, however, pay two Chinese firms around £16million for 2million antibody tests that failed strict accuracy tests – suggesting each kit cost around £8.  No details of any deals struck between Roche – based in Basel – and other countries have been made public. This means it is not known whether Britain will pay more or less than other nations desperately seeking the antibody tests as draconian lockdowns are eased.  Roche – which operates two offices in Britain – has not revealed if it will manufacture the tests in the UK. The firm says it has ‘extensive global manufacturing capabilities’ to meet demand. Following the announcement today, shares for Roche rose slightly to 44.95, the highest in several weeks, according to Yahoo! Finance THE TIMELINE OF UK’S ANTIBODY TESTING DEVELOPMENTS  March 25: Professor Sharon Peacock, the director of the national infection service at PHE, told MPs antibody kits would be ready within days.   But confusion was sparked when chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told revealed the tests would not be ready to buy online within days.   March 26: Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at PHE, told MPs she expected home antibody tests to be available within a ‘couple of weeks’. April 1: In the Downing Street press conference, Professor Doyle disputed the claim that PHE was ‘dragging its feet’ in approving antibody tests.  She said: ‘The important thing about theses antibody tests, this is not a matter of dragging our feet, it’s important that the test is valid, that it does what it says it does.’ April 6: Sir John Bell, one of the Oxford University team evaluating antibody tests for the government, revealed none of them performed well. April 17: The New York Times reported that Britain was seeking a £16million refund after two antibody tests it had bought from Chinese companies were not accurate enough to be rolled out. April 21: University of Oxford experts published anonymised results of the nine tests the government had bought – they showed all were deemed too weak to use.  Their sensitivity – ability to correctly spot people who had had the disease – ranged from 70 per cent to just 55 per cent. May 3: US regulators gave the ‘game-changing’ antibody test made by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche the green light. May 4: German health bosses announce a deal with Roche to buy 3million of its kits in May, as well as 5million per month from June.  May 13: Public Health England follows suit, approving the test to be used. It was revealed that health chiefs were planning to buy millions. WILL PRIVATE FIRMS BE ABLE TO BUY THE TESTS? Officials have yet to come forward with a concrete plan about how the tests will be used, or whether private firms will be able to buy them. Many companies keen to restart operations want to use antibody testing kits to work out how much of their staff may be immune to the virus.  Insiders say it is unlikely the Roche tests will be available to purchase privately, at least initially. This is because officials wouldn’t be able to access the data they desperately need to plot the spread of the virus. It remains unclear exactly how much the lab-based tests could cost, if and when they can be purchased.  WHO ELSE HAS APPROVED THE ROCHE ANTIBODY TEST? Roche first announced it was developing the antibody on April 17, revealing it had plans to put it on the market in early May. At the time, it announced it was working the US health regulator the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an ’emergency use authorisation’. The FDA gave it the green light on May 3, allowing laboratories across the US to use it even though it has yet to be formally approved. Roche also announced that the blood sample kit was also granted the vital ‘CE mark’ that shows it is safe to use within the EU.  German officials already signed a deal at the beginning of May to buy five million of the Roche kits every month. Roche said the amount of tests it would be able to make each month for the US and countries accepting the CE mark would be in the ‘high double-digit millions’.  SO WHY HAS IT TAKEN THE UK SO LONG TO APPROVE ANY TEST? Sir John Bell, an immunologist at Oxford University involved in evaluating antibody kits for the government, admitted approving tests takes ‘longer than it should’. He suggested officials wanted to be completely sure that the tests were accurate, telling BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme: ‘I think you have to be a bit cautious.’ Sir John accepted it has ‘taken a week or two longer than it might have’, while other experts have said ‘every day counts’ amid a pandemic. But he pointed out the failure of DIY antibody tests, which were described as ‘terrific’ and offered hopes of a way out of lockdown – but none turned out to work.   Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: ‘In the grand scheme of things, 11 days would be nothing.’ But he added that ‘when you are in a situation like this when every day counts, it is indeed concerning’.  HOW ACCURATE IS THE TEST? As long as it is used at least 14 days after someone has developed symptoms, it has a 100 per cent sensitivity rate, Roche claims. Sensitivity is the rate of all positive samples that are truly positive. For example, if a test has an accuracy rate of 99 per cent, it means 99 out of every 100 people who test positive have actually been infected.  The other one person, however, would have been given an inaccurate result – known as a false negative result. The Roche test also has a ‘specificity’ of 99.8 per cent, meaning it generates very few ‘false positives’ – when it indicates someone has been infected when they have not.  For every thousand people who take the test only two will be given a false positive result, according to its claim. Sensitivity is considered the area authorities can afford to compromise on because testing errors in that area lead to false negatives – people being told they haven’t had the disease when they actually have – which would lead to relatively few consequences for most. False positives, however, caused by poor specificity, may lead people to believe they are immune when they’re not, causing their behaviour to become riskier, or to receive treatment that they don’t need.  HOW COME THIS ONE WORKS WHEN OTHERS HAVE FAILED?   Roche scientists have managed to develop a test that only picks up the virus that causes COVID-19, scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2. Previous tests assessed struggled to differentiate COVID-19 antibodies from four other types of human coronaviruses which cause the common cold. The body makes antibodies in response to many illnesses and infections, including other coronaviruses.   But independent experts  have also called for transparency over the results, which haven’t been made publicly available.  Professor Carl Heneghan, from Oxford University, said: ‘Without seeing the study methods and the data it’s impossible to verify these claims of accuracy.’ Professor Sheila Bird, a bio-statistician at Cambridge University, also called on the government to reveal the study design to allow scientists to scrutinise the work.   The post NHS and care home staff will get access to coronavirus antibody tests from next week appeared first on Sansaar Times.

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