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 …
COVID-19 Group Testing The early problems with testing for COVID-19 have been well documented. The physical limits to the number of tests that can be run through a lab represent an upper limit to the number of tests that can be processed each day. That limit meant that tests were limited to frontline health workers …
Temperature checking for COVID-19 Many businesses are having to consider the logistical and legal aspects involved in bringing people back into offices and workplaces, as we start to re-open businesses following the first wave of COVID-19. HR Professionals are frequently being asked about technical solutions to help manage risks, from online risk assessments, to non-contact …
COVID-19 rehabilitation – top tips for employers We all know that COVID-19 has changed our world. It may not have changed the world or work beyond recognition for all of us (unless you’ve lost a loved one because of it), but it’s clear that it’s here, it’s not going away and it’s going to cause …
Returning to work after “swab” testing It’s generally been accepted that, if tested for COVID-19 with a “swab test” (the “do I have the virus now” test), employees should not return without knowing their results. This is because of two main considerations: It may offer reassurance to the employee that they are fit to work. …