Question reference: S5W-33588
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 30 November 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 January 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement antibody testing of everyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 since 1 September 2020 in order to confirm that the diagnoses were correct.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not currently planning to test everyone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 for antibodies.
There is currently no clinical certainty around what proportion of people may have a detectable antibody response following infection, and also how long detectable levels of antibodies remain following infection. Therefore a negative antibody test result does not confirm that a previous diagnosis of Covid-19 was incorrect.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests being used for diagnosing Covid-19 detect the viral genetic sequence of the causative virus SARS-CoV-2. These tests are very sensitive and the gold standard for respiratory viruses. They are specific and shown not to detect other coronaviruses and have been tested on large panels of negative clinical samples.
In Scotland we are using antibody tests to improve our understanding of COVID-19, and in the clinical management of patients, where appropriate. Clinicians have the discretion to request an antibody test for an individual if they determine the result will be of benefit to the treatment or clinical management of a patient.