Diagnostic Value of New- Covid 19 Antibodies Testing Among Laboratory Healthcare Workers

In December 2019, a new corona virus (CoV) emerged in China to cause an acute respiratory disease known as corona virus disease 19 (COVID-19).The virus was identified to be a betacoronavirus related to severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus (SARS-CoV) and thus, was named SARS-CoV-2 .

New Covid-19 virus is the third known corona virus to cross the species barrier and cause severe respiratory infections in humans following SARS-CoV in 2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2012, yet with pandemic spread compared to the earlier two. In comparison, to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, COVID-19 virus exhibits faster human-to-human transmission.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 outbreak as a world pandemic on 12th March 2020. Diagnosis of suspected cases is confirmed by molecular techniques (real-time PCR), using respiratory samples. Serology tests are easier to perform than molecular testing, but their utility may be limited by the performance and the fact that antibodies appear later during the disease course.

In the absence of a vaccine, public health authorities in several countries has shown that shutdowns can only be safely ended if a systematic "test and trace" program is put in place to control the spread of the virus which depends on the widespread availability of mass diagnostic testing.

From this point of view, detecting carriers of the virus in asymptomatic laboratory health care worker is fundamental to response efforts. It ensures the quarantine of COVID-19 patients to prevent local spread and more broadly informs national response measures.