A totally new way to test for infection
PCR, rapid antigen tests and antibody tests have made headlines, but there's a different method to spot infections, and it might detect them earlier.
By this point in the pandemic, you've undoubtedly heard of PCR tests, rapid antigen tests and antibody tests. But in my latest story for The Atlantic, I talked with scientists who are taking an entirely different approach to spotting infections. These researchers have developed tests that look for changes in the immune system that happen before enough virus or antibodies are detectable. The approach has been in the works for years against illnesses like sepsis and tuberculosis, and it’s also being tested for SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID. One preliminary study of healthcare workers in the U.K. was able to pick up around half of SARS-CoV-2 infections at least one day—and possibly up to a week—before the first positive PCR test. You can read all about this new testing approach in my new article:
The Immune System Can Also Be a Tool for Diagnosis
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/01/immune-test-mysterious-infection/621158/
Also, on the last day of 2021 I published my very first article in French. Here’s a link to the Op-Ed, which discusses the strange behavior of Quebec’s top public health official, who has repeatedly denied that N95 masks are superior to surgical masks.
Le mépris de la science freine le combat du Québec contre la COVID-19