This type of test is more useful in epidemiology than in diagnosis.
At least four tests linked to COVID-19 are carried out in Ecuador. Some of these allow the diagnosis of the disease while others are useful in epidemiological monitoring of a population.
The PCR and antigen tests allow detecting if you have been infected with COVID-19, these are through the extraction of nasopharyngeal samples. There are specifications of when each of them is recommended, for example, the antigen test is suggested to be performed in the presence of symptoms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) explained that serology consists of the study of antibodies in the blood serum, these antibodies are part of the body’s immune response to an infection.
How quantitative antibody tests work to detect coronavirus
“Antibodies that act against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can usually be detected in the first weeks of infection. The presence of antibodies indicates that the person was infected with SARS-CoV-2, regardless of whether they had severe or mild illness, or that they did not present any symptoms.
For seroprevalence studies, these mechanisms are used to calculate the extent of the infection. Within the antibody tests are qualitative and quantitative.
In the case of the former, the presence of IgG (past infection) and IgM (active infection) antibodies are detected. In the case of quantitative, the amount of antibodies present is specified.
Performing these tests to determine the presence of antibodies to vaccines is not recommended. (I)
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