As we get a better handle on the virus, masking and restrictions for COVID-19 are lifting around the country in a first step towards a return to normalcy. But that doesn’t mean COVID-19 is any less dangerous. While the number of COVID cases appears to be dropping, this decline comes alongside a decrease in widespread testing; without testing, we don’t know the true number of infections. That’s problematic because we’re still learning what it will take to protect against the virus over the long run. The virus also hasn’t been around long enough to provide the data needed for long term safety and health recommendations. We don’t yet know whether this virus will require an annual vaccine, a booster every six months, or another plan altogether. To add to the uncertainty, less than 70-percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated as of March 2022; paired with a decrease in testing and reporting of infection cases, it’s becoming more difficult to know just how well vaccines and boosters are protecting the population.
We’re in a complicated place with COVID-19, and that makes the reactive and proactive application of accurate knowledge the two most important things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from the detrimental effects of the virus. Getting tested—with a simple saliva test or a nasal swab—when you think you are sick, and quarantining from those around you should still rank high on the list of reactive actions to take against the spread of the virus. And while getting vaccinated is still the number one proactive action you can take against COVID-19, regularly testing your antibodies is a close second. Antibody testing is the only way to know whether you have an efficient level of immunity to protect yourself against the virus. Antibody tests, currently performed in your doctor’s office, are quick and simple. The US FDA EU-approved Siemens COV2T blood test can provide antibody results in under 24 hours. Also US FDA EU-approved, the oral swab CovAb antibody test can reveal in mere minutes whether you have the immunity needed for your long flight overseas or to go back to the office full-time, or if it’s time for another booster.
Knowledge is power, and when you know you have an infection, or the immunity needed to protect yourself against an infection, you can take control of your health and truly get back to normal. The only question is: are you willing to spit for it? And to protect your life and the lives of others.
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