Alan Kelly
Question:1053. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase antibody testing for Covid-19; and the timelines there are for doing so. [14885/20]
View answerTuesday, 14 July 2020
Questions (1053)
Written answers
The ECDC has advised that immunoassays detecting specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) will play an important role in the future for epidemiological surveillance, evaluation of immunity and the outcome of future vaccination studies. However, the reliability of serological tests remains an issue as does the interpretation of what immunity means and how long such immunity might last. These remain active research questions.
The ECDC has reported that over 60 rapid SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests have been CE marked to date, and many more continue to be placed on the market. Prior to the introduction of new serological assays [antibody tests] clinical validation studies are required to confirm that test performance can be replicated in the context in which the test is intended to be used.
Following a request from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) the HSE and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) are now undertaking a national population sero-prevalence study to measure exposure to COVID-19 infection in the population using an antibody blood test. This work is being carried out jointly by HPSC and the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL), in collaboration with the Central Statistics Office and the Department of Health.
On Monday 15th June, the HSE issued letters to more than 5,000 people inviting them to participate in the Study to Investigate COVID-19 Infection in People Living in Ireland.
Participants in the study are representative of the wider population. Dublin and Sligo have been selected as sample locations as they represent areas of the country with higher and lower known levels of infection respectively. Using a representative sample of participants in both locations, it will be possible to provide an overall national estimate of infection in the Irish population.
Serological tests measure the antibody response in an individual. Antibodies to COVID-19 are produced over several weeks after infection with the virus. The presence of antibodies indicates that a person was infected with the COVID-19 virus, irrespective of whether the individual had severe or mild disease or even asymptomatic infection. The assessment of population immunity can help determine the level of antibodies required to achieve herd immunity, identify groups of susceptible individuals and evaluate the persistence and duration of protective antibodies.
The study will add to our knowledge about how long antibodies last and what protection they may provide against new infection of COVID-19.
According to the HSE, initial results are expected in late August and will enable the HPSC to estimate the level or prevalence of infection of COVID-19 in the population across different age groups.
Any decisions with regard to additional antibody testing will take into consideration the outcome of this study and any other relevant studies.