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Author Topic: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study  (Read 1043 times)

burakkucat

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The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« on: July 22, 2020, 11:49:30 PM »

Earlier today I received a letter inviting me to --

Quote
Take part in a COVID-19 in-home antibody testing research study.

The first two paragraphs read --

Quote
We are inviting you to take part in an important research study about COVID-19. The study is being conducted by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI, an independent research organisation, on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The study involves taking an antibody test at home and will help the Government understand how many people in England may have already been infected with the virus which causes COVID-19. We have chosen your name at random and participation is completely voluntary.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2020, 12:42:36 AM »

That’s interesting, and I’m slightly envious, in a funny way.

That said, I’d personally be cautious.  I thought the population surveys were being carried out by ONS, not the organisations mentioned.  I also thought that one of the weaknesses of ONS Covid-19 studies was, they only ‘used’ people with whom they’d already had contact.

Before responding, it might be worth contacting the relevant organisations via their publicly published phone numbers, to confirm if the approach is genuine.

My hunch is that it is genuine. :)
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burakkucat

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2020, 01:19:57 AM »

My hunch is that it is genuine. :)

It is genuine.  :)
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2020, 08:57:20 AM »

Will they tell you the outcome of your own test?
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burakkucat

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2020, 04:54:37 PM »

Will they tell you the outcome of your own test?

Yes.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2020, 06:13:23 PM »

I’m sure there’s nothing in the survey T&C that compels you to share the test result with a bunch of random and anonymous weirdos on a broadband forum.  But if you choose to cooperate with the survey and feel inclined to share it, many of us would be interested. :)
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kitz

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2020, 04:05:17 PM »

It is genuine.  :)

My daughter has also been invited. 
She was a bit confused as to how she was selected.   She thought it may have been a mistake thinking they thought she'd had the virus.   
She did have a test several weeks ago when she was quite poorly with flu like symptoms and difficulty breathing..  the covid-19 test result was negative, but she needed antibiotics to clear up a nasty chest infection that hung around afterwards. 
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burakkucat

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2020, 05:39:21 PM »

My daughter has also been invited. 

So the grumpy, old, black cat is not alone.  :)
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burakkucat

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2020, 05:51:47 PM »

The self-administered test kit was delivered with an "Information Sheet for Participants" and I shall reproduce some sections of it, below.

Quote
This is an antibody research study. Antibodies are made by the immune system to fight infection. In this study, we will use the results of self-administered antibody tests to help us understand how many people in England have already been infected with the virus which causes COVID-19.

At this time, antibody testing results should not be used to alter individual behaviour as there is still a lot to learn about this virus and whether or not antibodies are important in preventing people from getting COVID-19 again.

Who is running this research?

This research is being run by doctors and researchers at Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI, an independent research organisation. The research is funded by Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Why have I been invited to take part?

You have been invited to take part in this study because you registered to take part in response to our initial invitation letter and you are aged 18 years or over. The initial invitation was sent to your address after it was randomly selected from the NHS list of patients registered with a GP in England. This random selection method ensures that the data we collect gives us an accurate representation of the whole country.

What is involved?

In this study we are inviting you to read the instructions of the self-administered antibody kit and do the test on yourself at home. The test looks a bit like a pregnancy test but uses a drop of blood taken from your finger. Please read the instruction booklet sent with the test for detailed guidance on taking the test.

We are also asking you to go online to our secure internet portal to complete a short survey that will ask you to:
  • Record any COVID-19 symptoms you may have had in recent months
  • Provide feedback on your experience of using the self-administered antibody kit
  • Record your test result
  • Upload a photograph of your test result (this step is optional)
In total, this should all take around 45 minutes. It is very important that only the named person who registered to take the test and who was sent the testing kit takes the test.

<snip>

If you consent to being contacted again, we may contact you2 to 4 weeks after completing the antibody test to complete a short additional survey. We aim to re-contact people who report an IgG positive antibody test and a random sample of people who report a negative or IgM positive test result.

<snip>

There were four possible outcomes to the test --
  • Invalid test result
  • Negative test result
  • IgG positive test results (note the plurality)
  • IgM positive test result
So, what was the outcome of my self-administered test?

<drum roll>

It was a negative test result.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2020, 05:55:05 PM by burakkucat »
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kitz

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2020, 02:46:58 AM »

congrats on the negative result   :thumbs:

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btw I see they are now asking for male volunteers who have tested positive for covid-19 antibodies to Donate plasma for clinical trials to treat coronavirus patients
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niemand

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2020, 10:19:24 AM »

Going to be slightly controversial here and say sorry that you were negative, but hope you've immunity locked up somewhere in your T-cells.

Looks like antibody tests aren't going to be very reliable for very long with this beastie.
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chenks

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Re: The COVID-19 Home Antibody Testing Research Study
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2020, 01:26:03 PM »

yes, i'm not sure "congrats" was the correct response in this situation.
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