April 29th, 2020 | 1 min. read
Dr. Steven Bishop returned to PartnerMD Live on Wednesday, April 29, to give another COVID-19 update. He discussed the importance of verifying information you see on the internet, the nuances of certain data, testing guidelines, and more. He also answered questions from viewers.
1. What is the most appropriate facemask to use? N95 versus a used t-shirt? Somewhere in between is the best case for use in public. Many of the common tutorials available online are great and will do the trick. N95s are not necessary for day-to-day use for most folks.
2. If I'm symptom-free, do I need to be tested? No, it is not something you may need to be done. You may be a good candidate for antibody testing if you had some kind of respiratory illness within the last three months.
3. Do you anticipate the vaccine, when available, will be a once and done or a yearly vaccine like the flu? It depends on the mutation rate of the virus. The flu virus mutates enough each year to require us to create a new vaccine every year. We're hoping that's not the case with coronavirus. It doesn't seem like it has a high mutation rate right now.
4. What are the antibody tests like? Is it like the strep test? There are two antibody tests. One is a finger-prick test that takes a small droplet of blood, and the other is a blood draw from your arm.
5. If my natural level of IGM is high, will that mess up the antibody test? It should not. The test will identify antibodies specific to COVID-19.
6. If someone tests positive for antibody testing, will contract tracing be done? If you come back with antibodies that indicate you currently have the virus, contact tracing will likely be done by the health department. If you come back with antibodies that reveal you had it in the past, but do not currently have it, contact tracing will likely not be done.
7. When will home tests be available? Good question, and we don't know. A lot will depend on the FDA and how quickly they approve what is being developed.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and we'll respond as soon as possible.
As a board-certified internist and concierge doctor in Richmond, VA, Dr. Steven Bishop is passionate about helping his patients improve their lives through better health. He helps healthy adults adjust their lifestyles as they age and helps patients with complex medical diseases manage and improve their health.
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