Poll:Post-vaccination antibody test?

[Sojourner]

This is going to be an interesting experiment if I keep my typical 2 to 3 week donation pattern. I'll potentially find out when (or if) the test finds me positive.

My first donation was 2 days after my first shot of Moderna. It came back negative, which is not a surprise. We'll find out what it shows in a few weeks. Depending on what test they use, it may never show positive. It will be interesting to watch.

Yes, please come back here and update this thread when you get your next result in a few weeks. My guess is that the test won't be specific or sensitive enough to pick up Moderna-induced antibodies, but who knows... maybe you'll get lucky!

 

[JoeWras]

Yes, please come back here and update this thread when you get your next result in a few weeks. My guess is that the test won't be specific or sensitive enough to pick up Moderna-induced antibodies, but who knows... maybe you'll get lucky!

I will. Someone else up a few posts reported negatives after the Pfizer.

There are a lot of variables at play here.

 

[OldShooter]

You have to trust somewhere. ...

The phrase I remember is "Trust but verify." I'll feel better if my test in 2 weeks shows antibodies (2nd shot a week ago). If no antibodies I'll consult with my PCP on what to do. Proceed confidently anyway, get another test, get vaccinated again? That's why I have a PCP whom I trust to know more than I do.

 

[W2R]

The phrase I remember is "Trust but verify." I'll feel better if my test in 2 weeks shows antibodies (2nd shot a week ago). If no antibodies I'll consult with my PCP on what to do. Proceed confidently anyway, get another test, get vaccinated again? That's why I have a PCP whom I trust to know more than I do.

My brother had a negative antibody test given at the proper time after he was given the Pfizer vaccine, during the trials last fall. When they finally revealed to him that he actually did have the vaccine, he asked them what to do. He also went to his PCP and asked him about it.

Both said "Do nothing. Makes no difference." I would be very surprised if your PCP said anything other than that.

 

[6miths]

My brother had a negative antibody test given at the proper time after he was given the Pfizer vaccine, during the trials last fall. When they finally revealed to him that he actually did have the vaccine, he asked them what to do. He also went to his PCP and asked him about it.

Both said "Do nothing. Makes no difference." I would be very surprised if your PCP said anything other than that.

Encourage everyone else to get vaccinated. That can make a difference.

Some people flat out don't respond to vaccines but many with 'undetectable' antibodies still have a good deal of protection and will respond if challenged.

 

[foxfirev5]

Once I'm vaccinated it is time to move on. Get your life back. Period. Hopefully I'll be done next month. I'll still willingly wear a mask but the endless gloom and doom has to end.

 

[JoeWras]

Once I'm vaccinated it is time to move on. Get your life back. Period. Hopefully I'll be done next month. I'll still willingly wear a mask but the endless gloom and doom has to end.

Amen to that. Stop watching the news. Stop clicking on stories. Maybe turn on the radio for 5 minutes at the top of the hour to get informed enough to know what's up. That's what I'm doing. Avoid rewarding them with ping backs from your web browser or smart TV. They clearly get more "engagements" with all this gloom and doom. Don't support it. People are losing their minds and going into depression over all this.

In the USA, there is so much to be optimistic about with the world's fastest vaccine roll-out for a large (50M plus) country. Yes there are issues, but nothing like many other areas. Summer is coming. Brighter days ahead!

 

[Teacher Terry]

I am a month past my second dose and am back to living my life. I was pretty sick after the second dose so it worked.

 

[teejayevans]

I donate blood so it’s automatically tested, but I have to wait at least 28 days after my 2nd vaccination before I can donate again.

 

[MarieIG]

. . .

Of course, the problem is finding an antibody test that is a) specific enough to pick up the antibodies induced by the vaccine I get, b) readily available, and c) not unreasonably expensive. Right now, I don't know of anything that meets all those criteria.

There's this . . .

 

[JoeWras]

My blood bank just sent me a survey. It says this: "Our current antibody screening (started before vaccines were released) only detects a natural immune response to COVID-19. A new screening will detect both a natural immune response and an immune response as a result from receiving the vaccine."

So, they are surveying frequent donors to know if we would like a test that can detect either type of antibody response.

Interesting!

 

[Gumby]

I have been a lifelong regular blood donor (I'm over 70 units now). I gave last in April 2020 and decided not to do it again until I was vaccinated, which has now occurred, so I'm going to schedule for next month. I had heard that the Red Cross was doing antibody testing, so it will be interesting to see the results of that.

 

[Another Reader]

I suspect this may turn out like the measles vaccine. Some people never produce measles antibodies, no matter how many times they have been vaccinated. I know a nurse who has gotten tested and revaccinated several times to meet an employer mandate. Coincidentally, she's a long hauler, with no antibodies to this virus either.

However, I would be concerned if I produced no antibodies to this virus after vaccination. There is now a test called T Cell Detect that supposedly measures your T Cell response. One article is here: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/fda-authorizes-cell-test-game-changer-covid-19/story?id=76318248 It has to be done timely, however.

 

[stephenson]

Aren’t antibody tests notoriously inaccurate?

 

[jollystomper]

I have given blood during the pandemic so I will get it tested via that route. But I have not intention of scheduling an appointment for this. I already have a high enough level of confidence for safety, do not need to waste time on this.

 

[kyzymurgist]

Aren’t antibody tests notoriously inaccurate?

It depends on the test kit used. The Assure rapid test available at Kroger pharmacies for $25 is incredibly accurate when properly administered.

"Assure’s device had sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98.8% when used with plasma or serum samples. When the test was used with fingerstick whole blood the results were even better, according to data provided by Assure. Tested on fingerstick samples, the assay yielded 100% positive and negative percent agreement – analogous to sensitivity and specificity*respectively"

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I have given blood throughout the pandemic and they have done the antibodies test for many months now (looking for convalescent donors).

I had the first Moderna shot on 2/24 and gave blood last week prior to getting shot #2. The antibody results are still negative. I can't donate again for 50'ish days, but I am curious if the antibodies will show up after the second shot.

 

[JoeWras]

I had the first Moderna shot on 2/24 and gave blood last week prior to getting shot #2. The antibody results are still negative. I can't donate again for 50'ish days, but I am curious if the antibodies will show up after the second shot.

As I mentioned above, my blood bank (The Blood Connection) sent out a note that says their current antibody test WILL NOT detect vaccine induced antibodies. It only detects natural case antibodies.

They have a test that can detect both and are polling donors as to whether we want that kind of test.

So, it for you it depends on what kind of test your center is using.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

As I mentioned above, my blood bank (The Blood Connection) sent out a note that says their current antibody test WILL NOT detect vaccine induced antibodies. It only detects natural case antibodies.

They have a test that can detect both and are polling donors as to whether we want that kind of test.

So, it for you it depends on what kind of test your center is using.

I looked on their FAQs page about it and they haven't addressed that. I supposed I could call/email but I am going to assume I am as vaccinated as I can get.

 

[JoeWras]

I looked on their FAQs page about it and they haven't addressed that. I supposed I could call/email but I am going to assume I am as vaccinated as I can get.

Yeah, this is brand new info at my center. They don't have it in their FAQs either. It was sent out via a note.

I voted to include the vaccine in the test. We'll see if they change it.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Yeah, this is brand new info at my center. They don't have it in their FAQs either. It was sent out via a note.

I voted to include the vaccine in the test. We'll see if they change it.

Our blood bank uses a test from Abbott Laboratories and I came across this on a patient information sheet.

https://cdn.pepperapps.io/diagnosti...Wcts054xlZ0NymcC7hgwaq.dd8wMPpVJVUK7Ci28yicfg

If you have a positive test result, it is possible that you
have or previously had COVID-19 and that you have
developed an antibody response to the virus. A positive
test result may also occur after receipt of a COVID-19
vaccine. However, the meaning of a positive antibody
result in individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccine is
unknown.

So I guess it possible that *some* antibody tests could show them as a result of the vaccination. I will be curious what the test shows next time I donate since I will be about 2 months post 2nd shot.

edit: This is an interesting study that shows that some antibody tests can be used to determine immunity from the vaccines.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.17.21251940v1.full

An exciting facet of this work is the inclusion of vaccinated patient samples in our analysis. Among those vaccinated, 91% received the Pfizer-BioNTech formulation (n=132) and 8% obtained the Moderna formulation (n=13)....The median antibody level for vaccinated patients was significantly higher (∼6400-fold, p<0.0001) relative to those unvaccinated (Fig. 4A). Intriguingly, ∼18% (76/424) of unvaccinated patients had IgGSP titers greater than positive detection threshold despite RT-PCR negativity. IgMSP production was significantly (p<0.0001) higher in the vaccinated versus unvaccinated group, with a more modest median fold increase (∼23%, 1.34 vs 0.06) (Fig. 4B)...n particular, the distribution analysis demonstrated that following the primary dose of vaccination at week 1 and week 2, ∼71% of the subjects had values above the positive threshold (Fig. s3B). However, at 21 days and beyond post booster dose, IgMSP levels again rose, and a noticeable over-the threshold cluster was seen compared to the primary vaccination

 

[RAE]

The results would be pretty meaningless. First, the test is not all that reliable. Second, antibodies fade with time, so just because you get a negative result on an antibody test, does not mean that you do not have some degree of immunity. Third, I don't think they really know that much yet about antibody production after receiving a vaccine. Not worth doing, IMO.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

The results would be pretty meaningless. First, the test is not all that reliable. Second, antibodies fade with time, so just because you get a negative result on an antibody test, does not mean that you do not have some degree of immunity. Third, I don't think they really know that much yet about antibody production after receiving a vaccine. Not worth doing, IMO.

The study that I posted seems to show the opposite of "being useless" or "unreliable." I think the usefulness could be highly advantageous to convince people that the vaccine DOES ACTUALLY work. But of course, YMMV.

 

[Another Reader]

There are two types of antibody tests. One looks for antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein (N) and the other looks for antibodies to the spike (S) protein. The vaccines target the spike (S) protein, not the nucleocapsid (N) protein. If your blood bank uses an N protein test, it wont find the antibodies stimulated by the vaccine.

 

[Time2]

I am a month past my second dose and am back to living my life. I was pretty sick after the second dose so it worked.

Ya, that concerns me, my wife got the J&J vaccine and had zero negative response. I has the first Moderna Vaccine and felt off for a day. Two weeks before my second dose.