I read in a newspaper story about testing for COVID-19 antibodies

[MineralMan]

that they're also looking into the possibility that infections from other coronavirus strains might be affording some people with partial immunity. That will involve some research.

The thinking is that since coronavirus strains cause about half of common colds, that partial immunity from having such a cold could be part of the reason that youngsters are not as seriously affected by the COVID-19 strain. Kids catch colds all the time, and more frequently than adults, due to school, I suppose.

I'll be interested to learn whether they're right, because my wife and I had nasty colds back in October with the same symptoms people report from COVID-19 in milder cases. It's entirely possible that our colds were caused by some coronavirus strain. Symptoms were limited to a dry cough that lasted for about two weeks and a mild fever. No nasal congestion at all. It was an unusual sort of cold, which we both remarked on. Others we know also had similar symptoms.

It would be nice if we gained even some partial immunity from those colds.

[OneBlueDotBama]

1. Singapore First to Test Out COVID-19 Serological Assay in Outbreak Contact Tracing

Current tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, look for genetic material of the virus, for instance in saliva or nasal, oral, or anal swabs, using the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, these tests can’t identify people who went through an infection, recovered, and cleared the virus from their bodies.1

Serology testing, on the other hand, looks for previous infection by detecting antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. This type of testing is invaluable for surveillance and investigational purposes.

In a world-first, a research team at Duke-NUS Medical School working with the government of Singapore has established a link between two COVID-19 clusters in Singapore via serological testing.

Using two different antibody testing platforms (virus neutralisation assay and ELISA assay), the Duke-NUS team proved that a couple was infected with COVID-19 in late January 2020, as they had very high levels of the virus-specific antibodies in the their blood. That couple then passed the virus on to another couple during a Chinese New Year gathering.2
more...

https://globalbiodefense.com/headlines/singapore-first-to-test-out-covid-19-serological-assay-in-outbreak-contact-tracing/

Singapore claims first use of antibody test to track coronavirus infections

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/singapore-claims-first-use-antibody-test-track-coronavirus-infections

[MineralMan]

4. That's going to be very useful soon, I think.

There is a team at the Mayo Clinic also working on such research.

We'll be hearing more about it soon, I'm sure.

[OneBlueDotBama]

8. BoJo has ordered 1000's of test kits

ELISA is very easy to use, Blood services use them to test for antibodies from many viruses.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. They are already (some cases) extracting blood from prior 'victims' of the CV, and using it ...

in some cases to treat others. Perhaps a future cure / other uses can be developed too.

[Siwsan]

3. My brother and I were just talking about this, yesterday

On the phone, of course. We both caught a cold virus - me in early February and him shortly after. He drives a school bus, so no surprise, for him.

My symptoms were't quite Covid-19 level. I had a scratchy throat for a couple of hours, and then just very stuffy sinuses, sneezing, a little semi-productive coughing but no aches, pains, deep fatigue or high fever.

None the less, I'm monitoring my temperature and doing that whole 'take a deep breath for a count of 10' exercise, to see if it triggers a coughing jag, pain or discomfort. It doesn't. And I'm not quite cracking 98 on the thermometer, which is normal, for me.

Day 6 of isolation with just Sophie Stinky Toes and song birds for company.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Seemed to be the same pattern

here in the first week of November. Just blew it off as Dust and Pollen and sinus issues. Lasted about two weeks.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Me, too. I get a cold like that just about every year, usually

between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm used to it, and sometimes it gives me an excuse to avoid tiresome holiday dinners.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Our Niece came from Minny

right after the 1 st of November,and her Son and Hubby were nursing some type of respiratory infection which caused one to end up in the Hospital for a few days because his Krone's disease went nuts as a result. As for the Niece,she to was doing the Sinus Cold thing also.

[MineralMan]

7. Yeah. Interesting.

Asking around, my wife and I have heard from several people who had similar symptoms in the late Fall. It was just a cold, so nobody paid much attention to it. Certainly the medical profession didn't notice it. Most adults don'e bother visiting a physician for a cold, regardless of their symptoms. It comes and goes on its own, with some discomfort, but nothing else, really.

For some, or maybe even most, who contract COVID-19, the symptoms are not severe, so they won't seek medical attention either. Which is the reason that widespread testing is needed.

That's why antibody testing that can identify if one had the virus is important.

[Wellstone ruled]

11. Someone posted a great

article about what the WHO found back in 2017 how this Virus was changing from previous know Virus's. But,it is more important to worry about someones imagine and his being reelected as a way to stay out of Prison.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Rachel Maddow talked about it last night

&feature=emb_logo

[MineralMan]

12. Thanks! That was fascinating.

This whole thing is all so recent that a lot of things have not been rolled out on a large scale yet. That will change, and soon. Places like Mayo Clinic and other research facilities are doing all sorts of things that aren't in the news yet. Everyone in the media is focused on the growing disaster and there just isn't time to explore the nooks and crannies of what is going on, research-wise.

For example, limited trials of various antiviral drugs are underway. Most will not pan out, but it's likely that some will show promise. We aren't hearing about those very much because there's no news to talk about yet. Soon, there may be. Similarly, others are working on vaccine candidates, and doing limited testing in that area. We won't have results for some time, but the work is ongoing.

We're going to learn more on an accelerating basis, I think, in the next few weeks.