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important info
What about testing? “There are two types of tests and I have to warn people right off the bat. There are a number of companies out there making tests and claiming how wonderful they are, but mostly they’re simply not true.” “There’s more than 120 different antibody tests, almost like pregnancy tests, or ‘point of care’ tests. However, many of them don’t perform well, they’re just false. Secondly, only when the immune system has been woken up after contracting the virus and has created some antibodies, can I actually measure them in my bloodstream.” “So it’s not a screening test that you can use to say, okay, can you come on board the ship or not? It’s a retrospective test to give you a sense of the prevalence of illness in the past, but not the present.” Right now (May 2020), point of care tests are in development, but they do not yet exist, so do not be sold on that.” “Part of the complication is that the concentration in your nasal passage area, where you take the sample, is going to be variable. There are also potential processing problems along the way, and then there’s the delay between getting the infection, starting to viral shed to others and getting a positive test. Then you have lab-dependency too, where one lab here is very, very good and then you move and the boat’s now having to work with this lab over there. And with some (health) systems, it’s hard to get test access sometimes.”
yachting & covid-19
“Remember, a positive test can be useful, while a negative test is not reassuring. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything and it really needs to be held in context.” If it’s possible to take swabs in a mobile setting, can private medics on board submit swabs to a lab? “Yes, but the person has to know how to do it properly first. It’s not hard, but it should be done by somebody who’s qualified. Secondly, one would have to pre-establish a relationship with the processing lab, in order for them to agree to accept this in a timely fashion and give a result back. These relationships and processes can take time to develop.” I guess they can work with a telemedicine company, like Praxes? “I hate to be opportunistic, but I think you’re right. There’s an element of hubris if you’re thinking you can do this on your own. You want to be talking to somebody who keeps on top of developments and can steer you correctly.” “Point of care tests are incredibly compelling, but if they don’t meet the requirement, then you’re not actually doing something that’s legitimate. There’s nothing concrete about this virus, the way it presents, the way it behaves. It’s a moving target.”