Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 11, 2021

Asymptomatic Individuals Positive for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Negative on Molecular Swab

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  • Only 1% (n=212) of over 16,000 frontline workers developed detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during screening in Italy from May to June 2020. Among antibody-positive individuals, only one tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA under a protocol that required antibody-positive participants to be given a PCR test. The authors suggest that performing a PCR test on antibody-positive participants to assess infectivity may be redundant for epidemiological surveys, particularly for largely asymptomatic populations.

Antonelli et al. (May 2021). Asymptomatic Individuals Positive for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Negative on Molecular Swab. The Lancet Microbe. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(21)00083-5