ANTIBODY rapid test kits should not be used as a method to confirm Covid-19 infections, said Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The use of antibody rapid test kits (RTKs), particularly by the private sector to screen employees returning to work, is not recommended by the Health Ministry, he said.

The director-general of health said the test results may not be accurate.

“As the ministry previously stressed, the two tests used to detect Covid-19 are antigen-based, which is either real-time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction or antigen RTKs.”

Dr Noor Hisham said both tests involve taking samples with a nasopharyngeal swab by trained medical personnel using personal protective equipment, as well as medical laboratory equipment such as Biological Safety Cabinet, which processes the sample taken.

The antibody RTK tests, on the other hand, use blood samples taken from a finger prick, which cannot be used as a method to verify Covid-19 infection, he said. 

This is because the presence of antibodies alone cannot confirm an active infection. 

“A negative result does not guarantee that an individual who has been tested is free of Covid-19,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said antibody RTKs are used for the purposes of studying the prevalence of Covid-19 within a community or within a large sample size, such as a group of workers. 

“This is in line with the recommendations by the World Health Organisation, in which antibody RTKs can be used for surveillance and epidemiology studies.”

Dr Noor Hisham added there was no solid evidence from any scientific study that showed people who have recovered from Covid-19, and have antibodies within them, are protected from a second virus infection. – May 11, 2020.