COVID-19 antibody testing hard to find in Nevada

People convinced they had coronavirus want to help protect others find antibody testing in Nevada.

IS HELPING OUR COMMUNITY BOUNCEBACK...IN OUR NEW SERIES "THE REBOUNDLAS VEGAS".ALL NEW TONIGHT PEOPLECONVINCED THEY HADCORONAVIRUS...NOW WANT TO HELP PROTECT OTHERSFROM IT.BUT....GETTING TESTED....FOR ANTI- BODIES!!

ANDTHEN.....BEING ABLE TO DONATE PLASMA...HAS NOT BEEN EASY....AROUND HERE.13 CHIEF INVESTIGATOR....DARCY SPEARS SHOWS US...WHY THIS POSSIBLE PATH...TO RE-BOUNDING.....FROM THE PANDEMIC...HAS BEEN FULL OF OBSTACLES!5:59 MONICA URSUA: I'MCONVINCED.BRIAN URSUA: THAT WE HAD IT.MONICA: YEAH.MONICA AND BRIAN URSUA ARE TWOOF MANY PEOPLE WHO'VE REACHEDOUT TO 13 INVESTIGATES SINCE WEGOT CONFIRMATION FROM THENEVADA HEALTH RESPONSE "THEREWERE EARLIER CASES THAN THEFIRST POSITIVE REPORTED INNEVADA," ON MARCH 5.:12 BRIAN: IT WAS DURING CES INDECEMBER, THE DAY AFTERCHRISTMAS.WE STARTED BUILDING THE SAMSUNGBOOTH.BRIAN IS A CONVENTION TEAMSTERWHO GOT SERIOUSLY SICK IN EARLYJANUARY.1:32 DARCY: AND YOU WEREFIGHTING THESE SYMPTOMS ANDDEALING WITH THE ILLNESS FORABOUT A MONTH?

B: YEAH, ITSEEMED LIKE IT WAS FOREVER, BUTYEAH.MONICA CAME DOWN WITH IT ABOUTTWO WEEKS AFTER HER HUSBAND.2:58 MONICA: WHEN YOU LAID DOWNIN BED IT FELT LIKE SOMEBODYWAS SITTING ON YOUR CHEST.THAT'S HOW HARD IT WAS TOBREATHE.AND EVERY TIME YOU TOOK ABREATH, YOU COUGHED.SHE WENT TO THE DOCTOR WITH AFEVER, TOO, BUT TESTED NEGATIVEFOR THE FLU.5:31 DARCY: YOU GUYS ARE PRETTYWELL CONVINCED THAT YOU'RESURVIVORS.M: YEAH.OH YEAH.B: I WOULD LIKE TO GET TESTEDFOR THE ANTIBODIES.AND HELP OUT WHERE I CAN.THEY'RE POTENTIAL DONORSWAITING IN THE WINGS.WANTING TO HELP BUT NOT KNOWINGWHERE TO TURN.ANTIBODY TESTING CAN SHOW IFSOMEONE'S BEEN INFECTED IN THEPAST, BUT NOT WHEN.

IT ISN'TWIDELY AVAILABLE IN NEVADA YET.THE HEALTH DISTRICT TALKEDABOUT THEIR PLAN FOR THE FIRSTTIME ON WEDNESDAY.HOLLY HANSON/SNHD LABORATORYMANAGER [00:05:37] THE PLATFORMTHAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN-HOUSETHAT WE WILL [00:05:37] THEPLATFORM THAT WE ALREADY HAVEIN-HOUSE THAT WE WILL BEPUTTING THE ANTIBODY TESTINGON...IS ALREADY SET TO GO....NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC YET.WE STILL HAVE TO VALIDATE THAT.BUT THE SENSITIVITY ANDSPECIFICITY FOR THIS TEST THATWE'RE BRINGING IN IS NINETYFIVE TO NINETY NINE PERCENTSENSITIVE AND IT'S SPECIFIC.THE HEALTH DISTRICT EXPECTS TOHAVE ANTIBODY TESTS READY TOROLL OUT BY THE END OF NEXTWEEK.AS FOR WHO WILL GET THEM...MICHAEL JOHNSON/SNHD COMMUNITYHEALTH DIVISION DIRECTOR[00:09:19] IT'LL PROBABLY BE AMIX STILL OF OUR STRIKE TEAMSDOING TARGETED HOTSPOTS ANDTARGETED POPULATION GROUPS WITHBOTH THE NASAL SWABS AS WELL ASTHE ANTIBODYTESTS WHEN READY.UMC'S LAB WILL LAUNCHCORONAVIRUS ANTIBODY TESTING ONMAY 30.THOSE WHO'VE COMPLETELYRECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS MAYHAVE IMMUNE-BOOSTING ANTIBODIESIN THEIR PLASMA - CALLEDCONVALESCENT PLASMA - THATCOULD BE USED TO HELP TREATCRITICALLY ILL COVID-19PATIENTS.HISTORICALLY, CONVALESCENTPLASMA HAS BEEN USED AS APOTENTIALLY LIFESAVINGTREATMENT WHEN NEW DISEASES ORINFECTIONS DEVELOP BEFORETREATMENTS OR VACCINES ARETHE SITUATION RIGHT NOW.5:26 BRITTANYMCLEMORE/VITALANT: RIGHT NOW,OUR CONVALESCENT PLASMADONATIONS ARE OUR FIRSTPRIORITY.UNLV IS PARTNERING WITH UMC ANDVITALANT TO COLLECTCONVALESCENT PLASMA.6:08 BRITTANYMCLEMORE/VITALANT: SINCE IT'STHE ONLY FDA-APPROVED ANTIBODYTREATMENT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW,IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT THOSEWHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITHCOVID-19, WHO ARE FULLYRECOVERED FOR AT LEAST 14 DAYSAND MEET ALL OF THE ELIGIBILITYREQUIREMENTS, THAT THEY APPLYON OUR WEBSITE,VITALANT.ORG/COVIDFRE E SO THATTHESE DONATIONS WILL BE GIVENDIRECTLY TO OUR LAS VEGASVALLEY HOSPITALS TO THEPATIENTS THAT ARECRITICALLY ILL AND NEED THESEIMMUNE- BOOSTING ANTIBODIES.:02 DARCY STAND-UP: IF YOU WANTTO DONATE CONVALESCENT PLASMAHERE AT VITALANT, YOU HAVE TOHAVE ONE OF TWO THINGS-ACONFIRMED POSITIVE TEST FORCOVID-19 OR A CONFIRMEDANTIBODY TEST, WHICH, GETTINGTHAT IS HARDER THAN YOU THINKAND NOW HAS TO BE FDA APPROVED.EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE FDACHANGED PREVIOUSLY RELAXEDRULES TO MAKE ANTIBODY TESTAPPROVAL MORE STRINGENT AFTERSELF-REGULATION RESULTED ININACCURACIES AS HIGH AS40-PERCENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.BRIAN LABUS/UNLV SCHOOL OFPUBLIC HEALTH [00:06:17] WEHAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEYWORK AND GIVE YOU THE CORRECTRESULT BEFORE WE'RE GOING TOUSE THEM IN THE POPULATION.(BUTT TO) AND IT ISN'THAPPENING AS QUICKLY AS PEOPLEWOULD LIKE.BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE NATURALPROCESS OF MAKING SURE WE HAVEA TEST THAT GIVES YOU AMEANINGFUL RESULT.UMC OFFICIALS ARE STILLDETERMINING HOW MANY ANTIBODYTESTS THE HOSPITAL WILL BE ABLETO PROCESS.BRIAN LABUS SAYS THERE ARESTILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS IN THEMEDICAL COMMUNITY.BRIAN [00:03:43] WE REALLYDON'T KNOW HOW LONG THEANTIBODIES LAST INSIDE APERSON.WE DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS GOINGTO PROVIDE LIFETIME IMMUNITY ORIF THE ANTIBODIES CAN FADE OVERTIME AND YOU COULD GET THISVIRUS AGAIN.UMC'S ANTIBODY TEST WILL BE ASIMPLE BLOOD DRAW WITH ANANSWER BY THE NEXT DAY.DR.KAHN SAYS UNLV HAS PARTNEREDWITH A PRIVATE COMPANY THATDOES A FINGER STICK AND CANHAVE AN ANSWERWITHIN 10 MINUTES.THAT'S AWAITING FDA APPROVALFOR EMERGENCY USEAUTHORIZATION WHICH COULD COMEANY DAY.KAHN SAYS UNLV WILL PURCHASESEVERAL THOUSAND OF THOSEFINGER-STICK TESTS AND THEYHOPE TO WORK WITH HOTELS ANDFORCE.BUT DR.MARK PANDORI, DIRECTOR OF THENEVADA STATE PUBLIC HEALTHLABORATORY, IS MORE CAUTIOUS.PANDORI [00:05:12] WHEN YOU'REREACTIVE OR POSITIVE ON ANANTIBODY TEST, IT'S MEASURINGTHAT YOU HAVE ANTIBODIES, BUTTHAT MAY NOT CORRELATE WITHIMMUNITY AT THAT MOMENT EITHER.YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS FAR MORECOMPLEX THAN JUST ANTIBODIES.THE NEVADA PUBLIC HEALTH LAB ATTHE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO,IS DOING ANTIBODY TESTS RIGHTNOW, BUT NOT FOR THE PUBLIC ANDNOT TO IDENTIFY CONVALESCENTPLASMA DONORS.IT'S FUNCTIONING LIKE THECORONAVIRUS CIA, GATHERINGPUBLIC HEALTH INTELLIGENCE TOUSE IN THE WAR ON COVID-19 WITHHOPES TO HAVE SOME GOOD INTELBY THE END OF MAY OR EARLYJUNE.PANDORI [00:17:44] TO LOOKAT THE POPULATION AND SEE HOWWE'LL KNOW IT WAS REALLY HEREFORQUITE A LONG TIME AND WE DIDN'TVIRUS REALLY CAME THROUGH HERE,BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO HELP USWHEN WE START TO CONSIDERHE SAYS THAT COULD SHED LIGHTON THE VIRUS' TRUE IMPACT.PANDORI (CONTINUED FROM ABOVEBITE) IF WE FIND OUT THAT AMUCH, MUCH LARGER PROPORTION OFTHE POPULATION WAS INFECTEDTHAN WE REALIZE, THEN WE KNOWTHAT THAT FATALITY RATE ISACTUALLY MUCH LOWER THAN WE'RECALCULATING CURRENTLY.THAT IS NOT TO MINIMIZE THEDANGER OF IT.BUT AT LEAST TO PUT IT INTOPERSPECTIVE.IF YOU THINK YOU'VE RECOVEREDFROM COVID-19 BUT DON'T HAVE ACONFIRMED TEST, YOU CAN STILLDONATE THROUGH THE RED CROSS.IT WILL TEST CONVALESCENTPLASMA FROM QUALIFIED DONORSFOR COVID-19 ANTIBODIES.THE RED CROSS OF SOUTHERNNEVADA SAYS 20-30,000 PEOPLEHAVE SIGNED UP SO FAR BUT MOSTDIDN'T QUALIFY.THEY HOPE THAT CHANGES AS TIMEPROGRESSES.DARCY TAG: IF YOU DO QUALIFYAND END UP DONATING, THE REDCROSS SAYS NO NEWS IS GOODNEWS.IF YOU'RE POSITIVE, YOU WON'THEAR ANYTHING.IF YOU'RE NEGATIVE FORCORONAVIRUS ANTIBODIES, YOU'LLGET A LETTER SAYING THEY'LL USEYOUR DONATION FOR OTHERPURPOSES.WE'VE GOT LINKS TO VITALANT ANDTHE RED CROSS ON OUR WEBSITE,KTNV.COM.DARCY SPEARS, 13 INVESTIGATES.AND..."THE REBOUND" CONTINUES...