The Guardian

I'm a viral immunologist. Here's what antibody tests for Covid-19 tell us

From serology to T-cells, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how immunity to coronavirus worksCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
A man gets a Covid-19 antibody test in Bucharest, Romania. ‘Right now, antibody tests do not confirm protection – it is just too early to know the quantity and type that would be necessary.’ Photograph: Daniel Mihăilescu/AFP/Getty Images

The sheer speed with which Covid-19 spread across the world, coupled with the novel nature of the virus, has meant that scientists and technicians have been playing a game of catch-up. But our knowledge, though incomplete, is now much greater than it was at the start of the outbreak, and medical systems are better equipped to respond.

Part of this means we’ve got better at testing for the disease – attempting to meet the demands of people who want to know if they are, or have been, infected. Dr Alex Richter leads the clinical immunology labs at the University of Birmingham, where I work, and

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