The @HIQA assessment is technical so I will try to break it down basically it identified 2 types of diagnostic tests for Covid19 those that detect the actual virus (which is what we use now) and those that measure the body’s immune response to the infection (after infection).

Real-time PCR (test we use now) is the preferred method to detect covid19 and to confirm acute infection early in the clinical course of the disease.

Antigen detection tests (tests that detect if your body is mounting a defence to the virus) could be used to supplement current test however, @hiqa warns analytical and clinical validation of these tests is needed to inform their safe and effective use in clinical decision-making

Antigen testing is faster than RT-PCR and, subject to the availability of a reliable validated test, could be used to triage patients for covid19 and reduce the need for (RT-PCR testing).

However, @hiqa states that antigen testing is generally less sensitive than RT-PCR, so any negative test may need confirmation with the usual test.

As Covid19 is newly identified in humans, the adequacy and duration of immunity as well as the possibility of reinfection are largely unknown. This limits the usefulness of antibody tests in identifying individuals who may be immune (e.g. “immunity passports”).

Antibody tests could be used later in the course of infection or following recovery to identify those who have been exposed to Covid19. While the use of antibody tests to provide ‘immunity passports’ has been proposed..

Little is known about the adequacy of the immune response or the duration of immunity, and so it is not known if reinfection can occur. The primary role of antibody tests is likely to be .....to model the course of the pandemic and inform the public health response.

Apologies to infectious disease specialists and laboratory specialists worldwide if I have made any errors please let me know...thanks to @hiqa for this report and press relase #COVID19ireland