A lab in Houston now creates COVID-19 antibody test to quickly check your level of protection in 15 minutes through a finger prick.
Because of the threat of the omicron variant of COVID-19, people now want to know if they are eligible or if it is necessary for them to get a booster shot.
Brevitest claims that “One drop (10µl) of your blood from a fingerstick and 15 minutes later our CLIA lab’s cloud-based system produces personalized test results for you and your doctor’s review,” can help people know their protection level from the virus which will then assess if they need a booster shot or not.
Read more: Booster Shots: What Are the Side Effects of Pfizer and Moderna Vaccine?
A booster dose is an extra administration of a vaccine after an earlier (primer) dose. After initial immunization, a booster injection or booster dose is a re-exposure to the immunizing antigen.
It is intended to increase immunity against that antigen back to protective levels, after memory against that antigen has declined through time.
Experts are still studying the implications of the Omicron variant that South African scientists first discovered.
Read more: U.S. Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Boosters to Adults
In the variant, the spike protein has 32 mutations, which indicates that it can increase virus transmission and affect vaccinations.
“We saw there was a need for people. Maybe their immunity is dropping faster, so they need to get boosted earlier.
Other people could wait another two or three months and extend the overall time of their protection. You can’t do that if you don’t have a test,” said Leo Linbeck III, CEO of Brevitest.
Read more: Winter Booster Shot: A Bizarre New Covid Toes Side Effect Emerges Among Americans
To maintain the blocking capacity of vaccines, people need a higher antibody level, and by giving the booster doses especially to the vulnerable population, we will have higher protection even with this variant of concern.
Linbeck says their test looks for a specific antibody that’s highly correlated to protection.
“To us, getting the numbers right is a non-negotiable. The information has to be good, because these are important decisions people are making,” said Linbeck.
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