The National Reference Laboratory, affiliated with the Mubadala Network for World Class Health Care, announced the launch of new formulas for antibody tests for the "Covid-19" virus, known as serological test kits, in the Emirates, as part of the Center's efforts to support the state's response and readiness to fight epidemics, at a time when Many companies prepare to facilitate the safe return of their employees.
The experts of the National Reference Laboratory highlighted the benefits of the new serological tests, which are being developed by the laboratory, noting that although the technique of "testing the polymerase chain reaction for reverse transcription", it is by far the most effective and reliable criteria in the tests conducted by hospitals to detect the virus "Covid-19" », Antibody tests or what is known as serological tests provide very useful information for treating the disease and analyzing its spread, as well as offering potential benefits to help in planning human resources in companies and societies.
The Executive Vice President and Head of the Scientific Section at the National Reference Laboratory, Dr. Laila Abdulwarth, explained that the aim of the new tests is not to replace the RT-PCR polymerase chain reaction test, which is widely relied upon, but rather to enhance the complementarity between the two types of tests to reach the best Results.
She said: «While research is still underway, the results of the serological tests can help the human resources departments in basic services facilities with high risks, such as health care and home nursing, to determine the appropriate staff for different tasks and places, depending on whether they have Antibodies against (Covid-19) virus or not, thus ensuring their protection from infection. ”
She stressed the need for no change in the use of personal protective equipment, by health care workers.
Abdel-Wareth stressed the need to continue to be cautious and not fully assured, if the results of antibody tests are positive, indicating that «anyone can perform these tests to determine whether he was infected with the virus and antibodies were developed in his body, but in no way should Ignore the precautions, especially since more studies are needed on the protective nature of antibodies.
For his part, the CEO of the National Reference Laboratory, Abd al-Hamid al-Abbasi, explained that the potential uses of serological tests will become increasingly important over time, as the true value of serological tests will become more evident, when we obtain more scientific evidence regarding the preventive nature of antibodies, In addition to the level of focus and continuity of this protection.
He added that with the continued efforts of health authorities and health care providers to reach a complete picture of the nature and spread of the disease, we believe that serological tests constitute one of the valuable tools and means that can contribute to controlling the "Covid-19" epidemic, and other epidemics. Future.
He pointed out that, since the beginning of the outbreak of the disease, the laboratory has worked to enhance its ability to perform significantly greater numbers of polymerase chain reaction tests for reverse transcription significantly, in addition to adding rapid testing technology and new software analysis tools, so the development of the serological testing technology was a natural next step.
National reference laboratory experts indicated that the serological results provide important lighting for clinical treatment purposes, such as the diagnosis of Covid-19 virus infection for patients whose diagnosis is later 9-14 days after infection, in addition to children with MSD , As well as helping to identify suitable donors to treat patients with convalescing plasma.
More broadly, information from serological tests can also be used to analyze epidemiological data on the emerging corona virus, which helps governments and health agencies in setting preventive policies and mitigating the impact of the disease.