The idea of achieving “herd immunity” is a multi-level issue that can’t be solved by taking care of one element. While the vaccines are a monumental milestone, many have forgotten that they are not 100 percent guaranteed to provide immunity. Each day, we hear people saying they don’t need to follow Covid-compliance protocols because they’re vaccinated. However, the breakthrough cases happening right now are proof that your vaccination status does not make you immune.
Right now, 51.7 percent of Americans have yet to receive a Covid vaccine. This means variants are more likely to develop that could potentially become resistant to the current vaccines on the market. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has become so politicized that it is difficult for scientists to get through to everyone the importance of following the science and what steps need to be taken to prevent further mutations of the virus. Furthermore, with such easy accessibility of global travel again, “herd immunity” isn’t something we only need to be considering on a national level; we also need to be cognizant of infections and vaccinations on a global level.
When it comes to startups, the pain is real right now. Many great business ideas failed to flourish due to lockdowns and uncertainty last year. Companies that would normally send out their “road warriors” to land the next big client deal found themselves grounding everyone and relying on much more impersonal methods, such as Zoom meetings, to woo new prospects. Small businesses have started to bring their people back to work, only to find themselves closing their doors again because an employee who was fully vaccinated tested positive for the virus.
Here’s the thing: As a global community, we need to change the way in which we look at vaccines. Since childhood, we have been taught to look at the date on a calendar to determine when we need to receive a booster shot because we never had the science to help us decide any other way. That’s not the case anymore. There is a test on the market currently that allows you to measure your body’s immune response to receiving the vaccine. It’s called *cPass and it was designed by Genscript to detect neutralizing antibodies (Editor’s note: Epitome Risk is a lab partner Genscript and also provides research to Genscript). Neutralizing antibodies are the specific subsect of antibodies that attach to the spike protein of the virus, blocking it from infecting your cells. The FDA has given this neutralizing antibody test Emergency Use Authorization, which is the highest level of authorization that any test or vaccine has received within the Covid space. As businesses of all sizes wrestle with the idea of bringing their employees back into the office, we need to be proactive. PCR tests are costly and are a reactive solution because an individual needs to have enough of a viral load to test positive, which means they could be contagious for 3-7 days (or more) before they test positive.
Testing employees’ immune response to the vaccine or previous infection is the only way in which an organization can be proactive. If your team all has high levels of neutralizing antibodies, there is a very good chance that your company won’t experience breakthrough cases and potential shutdowns. If a team member discovers that they do not have neutralizing antibodies, then you can utilize a case-by-case solution to keep them safe and working. Unlike PCR tests, which are typically done at least once per week, this immune assessment needs to only be done every six months. Through our lab, FourthWall Testing, we are able to send kits directly to your staff for them to take a blood sample through a quick finger prick method before shipping their kit back to our lab for analysis. Once our lab receives the kit, it takes about 24-48 hours for results.
The Austrian government has already accepted a positive neutralizing antibody test as a substitution for a negative PCR test at major sporting events. The test just needs to have been done within six months before the event. The ease of use and peace of mind is immeasurable. I myself received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in March 2021, and I currently have a neutralizing antibody inhibition rate of 97%, which gives me an immense amount of confidence when I am out in the world. Unfortunately, we have discovered at our lab that 36% of our fully vaccinated patients have tested negative for neutralizing antibodies, which indicates that they are at risk of contracting COVID-19 despite their vaccination. As a business owner, that isn’t a risk I’m willing to take when getting my people back to work. Let’s trust science to deliver a better solution for booster shots so we can all return to normal life again.
