Recent article (17/03) from Business Live24 Mar 2021 07:27
Penarth-based EKF Diagnostics, a healthcare company which also has sites in the US and Germany, is actively working with the Forum to identify how mass workplace antibody testing could be used as a tool to allow contact centre teams to safely return to offices.
EKF Diagnostics’ sales director, Martyn Lewis, explains: “Antibody testing provides businesses with a cost-effective option to encourage staff back into offices with the peace of mind that they are extremely unlikely to be infected with the virus.
“The test is a two-step process. Firstly we use a lateral flow test (LFT) that uses a finger prick blood sample. This test provides an initial screening to quickly identify who has and who has not got Covid-19 antibodies. We then take a second sample to screen those with a positive or indeterminate result with a test called SeroKlir. This test is performed in laboratory and was developed in New York by the Mount Sinai Hospital System. It has been tested on 80,000 people and is very reliable.
“The result of the SeroKlir test is a quantifiable figure which shows the level of antibodies a person has. Quite simply, the higher the antibody level the better, as antibodies provide a reaction that is the same as that which someone would get from a vaccine. The tests will help identify asymptomatic carriers and will also show just how effective a vaccinated person has been in producing antibodies - not everyone reacts the same way. Because antibodies decline over time, businesses should test employees every few months to ensure that levels remain high.
“A regular testing programme will allow companies to identify who has antibodies, set up new ways of working and, if necessary, refine their social distancing procedures.”
Mr Lewis added: “The testing process we are discussing with the Forum’s members is significantly quicker and less expensive than PCR-based COVID testing that is carried out in a lab, and is much more accurate than the imported lateral flow tests for COVID antigens that are being considered by the UK and Welsh Governments.”