Rapid antibody tests only show whether or not antibodies are present, without providing any quantitative information. Conversely, positive serology tests after vaccination may provide a false sense of reassurance.Ĭurrent SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests have not been evaluated to assess the level of protection provided by an immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. As a result, a negative serology test could be misleading by indicating that someone does not have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination when in fact they do or will soon. In addition, it takes around two weeks for the body to generate antibodies after COVID-19 vaccination, so even tests to detect the “right” antibody could be negative in the first few weeks after vaccination. As such, a person who has received a COVID-19 vaccine but has not been infected with SARS-CoV-2 may have a negative serology test if the test used does not detect the type of antibodies induced by the vaccine they received. Many of the tests target antibodies not to the spike protein, but rather to the nucleocapsid protein that forms the shell enclosing the virus’ genetic material. Most COVID-19 vaccines are designed to induce antibodies only to the spike protein, a key molecule that is found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and helps it to enter host cells and spread throughout the body.ĬOVID-19 serology tests were generally designed early in the pandemic to detect only a few antibodies generated by natural infection, but not by vaccination.
However, many vaccines trigger antibodies to only a limited number of proteins.
When a person is infected, their immune system generates antibodies to many of these different proteins. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is comprised of at least 29 proteins. Viruses, like all living organisms, are composed, in part, of proteins. As with other vaccines, such as for measles or polio, a wealth of data from clinical trials and ongoing vaccination programmes provides confidence that COVID-19 vaccines protect, with no need for individual confirmatory antibody testing. For most people, there is no need to test for antibody after vaccination.
A positive antibody result does not always guarantee that a person is protected and a negative result does not necessarily mean that they are unprotected. Antibody tests (also called serology tests) look for antibodies in a blood sample to determine whether a person has had a previous infection. Antibodies are created by the body’s immune system in response to infection, either when we are infected or when a vaccine shows us part of the pathogen to trick our bodies into thinking we're infected. Since vaccines cause the immune system to generate antibodies, you might think that an antibody test could be used to confirm that your COVID-19 vaccine has worked.
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