The strengths and weaknesses of lateral flow tests The debate about lateral flow tests continues to twist and turn. Reports about the tests appear in the news on a daily basis. Opinion about the accuracy, effectiveness and value of the tests amongst clinicians is deeply divided. Lateral flow tests process saliva or fluid samples without …
The Long Road Ahead A Guide For Businesses (Jan 2021) “Long COVID” continues to break new ground for both businesses and doctors. Although doctors are trained in how to diagnose and support post viral syndrome, the scale and complexity of Long COVID is presenting new challenges for businesses. It’s likely to do so for many …
The latest news about the Moderna vaccine Occupational Health Assessment has been tracking and reporting on COVID-19 vaccinations for many months. The mRNA-1273 “Moderna” vaccine was a promising candidate and has shown positive results in every stage of testing. We first reported on its potential in October 2020. Although the Moderna vaccine is very similar …
COVID-19 minimum testing standards The Department of Health and Social Care DHSC) has updated guidance for private providers who wish to provide COVID-19 testing services. It contains COVID-19 minimum testing standards that businesses who purchase testing services should consider. The number of providers providing testing services has exploded in recent months. Other than ‘CE’ marking, …
The limits of COVID antibody testing Testing for COVID-19 antibodies is intended to show is a person has previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Although many tests are being marketed commercially, very few have been rigorously tested, assessed and approved by Public Health England (PHE). The largest independent pathology laboratory in the country, The Doctors Laboratory …
New treatments for COVID-19 Monoclonal antibody treatments have revolutionised cancer care. Herceptin, which is used to treat breast cancer, is just one good example. Now the same treatments may be able to achieve results with COVID-19 too. Monoclonal antibody therapy Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies (blood proteins that fight infections or disease inside the body) which …
More progress with mRNA vaccines Concerns have lingered over the ChAdOX (“the Oxford”) vaccine candidate since pre-clinical trial data suggested it would be unlikely to provide complete protection. It appeared to provide good protection against lower-airway viral replication, but no evidence of a reduction of viral replication in nasal tissue was provided. That means the …
A new type of test for COVID-19 An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine today highlights some promising advances in finding new ways to quickly test for COVID-19, as well as some of the best acronyms seen in healthcare for quite some time. CRISPR gene editing technology is fairly well-known. By exploiting …
Good news in the race for a vaccine A trial study published yesterday has shown encouraging results from an mRNA vaccine candidate amongst patients in the over-50’s age group – those most at risk from COVID-19. Although there are huge number of vaccine trials being conducted worldwide, many of which have shown positive results so …
COVID Immune Confirmation May Help Find Vaccine Nobody yet knows if any of the hundreds of COVID-19 vaccines under development will work. Talk of “moonshots” and, recently, a prominent vaccine trial being temporarily suspended, have received wide coverage in the media. Because as a species we don’t have any existing immunity to COVID-19, we are …