I have relatives in CO, not sure what county. Will have check this out with them.
Thanks for sharing.
For those wanting more details, I’m pasting the entire contents of the email my doctor’s office just sent out below:
For Immediate Release from San Miguel County Department of Health:
Telluride, CO (March 19, 2020) – United Biomedical, Inc. (UBI) and its subsidiary c19 are taking on the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with San Miguel County, Colorado, to be the first in the United States to test an entire county with their COVID-19 antibody test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The testing is being offered free of charge by UBI and c19 and will be administered by the Public Health Department of San Miguel County, with the goal of detecting and containing community spread, and providing a more accurate assessment of disease prevalence.
“We are thankful for UBI/c19 for taking the leadership to offer these accurate blood tests to our entire county, free of charge, which can be instrumental in saving lives,” said Dr. Sharon Grundy, Public Health Medical Officer for San Miguel County and Medical Director of Primary Care at the Telluride Medical Center. “When we reported this in our county meeting, the entire team cried.”
UBI is a leading international biopharmaceutical group that has successfully developed diagnostics and vaccines for chronic and infectious diseases for more than 30 years. The company has developed an antibody blood screening test for COVID-19 and, at the same time, is progressing a vaccine for COVID-19, which is currently in animal testing. The company is leveraging its prior work with SARS and its extensive collaborations in China, Taiwan and the world, to validate and commercialize this antibody diagnostic test and vaccine through existing manufacturing infrastructure. Through its c19 subsidiary, the company will be one of the first in the nation to offer these antibody tests.
“We have the technology to test with high accuracy and we believe it is our civil responsibility to help serve our communities,” said Mei Mei Hu and Lou Reese, co-founders of UBI’s c19. “We will start with our beloved and isolated town of Telluride and diligently expand through San Miguel, Colorado. Our goal is to show what mass testing and strategic isolation can do together to stop the spread of infection, and to create a model that could save lives worldwide.” A similar test was conducted in Vo, Italy, and the rate of infection was lowered by 90%.
Need for more high-quality, reliable tests
The COVID-19 pandemic has mandated a critical need for rapid and accurate testing throughout the US and internationally. The RT-PCR tests currently being employed are useful at detecting active infections; however, they have important limitations and restrictions. These include variability in accuracy, practical challenges to testing large scale populations, and ability to only detect active infections without being able to determine if someone has been previously infected. As a result, these tests are restricted in application and unable to accurately inform public health officials of the true scope of an outbreak.The CDC has called for serological antibody tests to be developed and the World Health Organization (WHO) urged all outbreak areas to immediately begin testing with such tests to better track and contain community spread. Antibody tests can help complement RT-PCR tests for a more accurate diagnosis. It can be deployed at large scale to identify asymptomatic patients and those who have already been infected and then recovered, and to provide a more accurate assessment of prevalence of infection and fatality rate.
The UBI/c19 antibody test is accurate and ready for distribution
UBI’s c19 has developed a high-precision antibody blood diagnostic test that has been validated in China, Taiwan and California labs and has virtually 100% sensitivity and specificity in patients who have developed antibodies against the virus (seroconverted). The tests are manufactured in Long Island, N.Y. and can differentiate between COVID-19 and other coronaviruses (e.g., HKU1 and NL63). Results can be obtained within a couple hours. While the company has submitted to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization, under new FDA guidance this week recognizing the urgent need for access to more high-quality testing, UBI/c19 antibody tests will now be available for use by and marketed to U.S. laboratories prior to EUA.UBI/c19 also has a COVID-19 vaccine in development that is currently in animal testing. The company’s platform technology has been commercialized in millions of animal health vaccines against infectious disease and tested in multiple human trials for other indications.
About UBI and c19
c19 is a subsidiary of UBI. It is led by Mei Mei Hu, Lou Reese, and Dr. Chang Yi Wang. Dr. Chang Yi Wang, founder of UBI, has been a leader in the infectious disease field since the 1990’s. She has developed and sold HIV, HCV, HTLV and FMDV blood diagnostic kits worldwide through global distribution partners, developed and sold over 4.5 billion vaccines, and is the inventor and author of over 100 patents and peer-reviewed publications. Ms. Hu was named to Fortune 40 under 40 and Time 100 Next lists, and is named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Mr. Reese was EY Entrepreneur of the Year NY Finalist and is a member of YPO. They have been featured in Bloomberg, Wired, Time, Forbes, Fortune, and are regular speakers at thought-leadership and health conferences.
I would be very interested in hearing an account from you if you get tested.
At the other end of the spectrum, high-density areas are limiting tests to ONLY health care workers and those that are VERY sick. This from the Philly Enquirer:
Health officials in New York, California and other hard-hit parts of the country are restricting coronavirus testing to health care workers and people who are hospitalized, saying the battle to contain the virus is lost and we are moving into a new phase of the pandemic response.
Stay healthy out there …
John
We’re well past the point of testing being the solution. At the rate of spread, testing doesn’t accomplish a whole lot. You can take a test one day and become infected within hours and spread to many others before getting results.
Far more important than testing is following the guidance of distancing.
I know we all want an immediate solution, but an increase in testing won’t provide that…
While I’m no epidemiologist, I think you are 100% correct. As members of the general public, we can help ourselves and everyone else to most by working really hard to practice self-iisolation we can and be scrupulous about physical distancing when we can’t. And preserve tests, masks, and gloves for those on the front lines of this battle.
Good luck to all.
John
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While there is no question that social distancing still needs to be practiced rigorously, there is a definite place for mass testing the general public, as well as testing, multiple times, of healthcare workers, and I was somewhat disheartened to read Fauci’s comments yesterday in which he seems to be backing away from the need to mass test ("Not every single person in the U.S. needs to get tested,” said Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “When you go in and get tested, you are consuming personal protective equipment, masks and gowns — those are high priority for the health care workers who are taking care of people who have coronavirus disease.”). Of course we should never take PPE away from those who are taking care of the most severe cases of active COVID and non COVID resp issues, and if it is a stark choice of either-or then I support that. But I think there are ways we can test without taking PPE away from HCW.
Confusingly, in an interview with Mark Zuckerberg yesterday, Fauci was supporting mass testing.
I don’t feel like you’ve actually read what I’ve shared, and that’s perfectly okay, because I’m not arguing with you… And neither is my county.
Personally, I think the incubation phase is a lot longer than we suspect and that the data is completely wrong on this. I think the actual stats are a lot better than we suspect, because the mild and asymptomatic people aren’t tested. Unfortunately, I also think the virus has already spread more thoroughly than we can imagine and a LOT more people are going to get sick as they become symptomatic. We just don’t have all the typical years of compiling data to know better yet. That’s why the current data is so confusing and changing all the time.
My country doesn’t seem to think this is single-handedly going to save us, either. They’re using it as a data gathering tool, not as a primary diagnostic. At least not yet, that may change in the future. We simply can’t fight something we don’t understand. When you volunteer to be tested, you have to consent for your blood to be used in a clinical trial to compile more comprehensive data on the virus and then repeat the process in two weeks so they can also evaluate for changes. The announcement of the testing came along with county mandates of sheltering in place and the shutting down of most businesses, schools, the library, etc… We’re basically not to leave our home unless seeking supplies/food or medical care.
Personally, I think the biggest advantage of testing the whole county will be peace of mind. Those who remain asymptomatic, and have unknowingly gathered immunity to it, can rest comfortably knowing they’ll be safe. Those who are mildly symptomic can stop stressing over “am I or aren’t I?”, which is the misery my husband and I are currently living in. And those who are negative still will better armed to protect themselves.
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@Robyn_H – Did you see this segment last night about your county’s antibody testing program on The Rachel Maddow Show? I agree with you that one of the benefits of widespread antibody testing is to identify the health care workers who now have immunity to COVID-19 and due to their lack of symptoms, do not know it. This would allow them more confidence to do their job, especially in the context of so few personal protective equipment supplies. San Miguel county, Colorado, is doing interesting and possibly highly useful work.
I’m not citing this source to inflame political sensibilities; please excuse. There is absolutely zero political content in this story.
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Those first 645 test results came back yesterday. That film segment must have been recorded earlier. All 645 tests came back negative, but two were atypical. Those two have been quarantined, despite being negative, until further testing can be done. It’s possible they have antibodies for a new emergent strain, or it could be a beneign anomaly.
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The nation might have randomly selected your county in order to obtain a sample that they can use to make estimates for prevalence in the entire country. So, they might select a number of counties, gather data, and use that to make better estimates.
Thanks for doing your part for Math, lol!
Your new nickname is test rat, @Robyn_H.
This is a very important point. Potentially anyone who has already had Covid 19 and can show immunity, becomes a “superman” who can do many jobs that other workers cannot do without excessive precautions or risks.
I foresee in a month, having a “Covid 19 certificate” saying that you’re already had it and are fully recovered and non-communicable, will be a very valuable document.
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I promise I would take no offense to that. 
I’ve always reverted to myself in my career as a “lab rat”. I intentionally only went for my Master’s degree in molecular and cellular biology, and never persued the PhD, because I knew I would be happiest as a “lab rat” working away in a basement laboratory with no windows. Most labs aren’t actually like that, but I meant I wanted to be a scientist doing science, not an administrator in charge of the scientists doing the science.
That said, “the nation” didn’t select us to be lab rats. The nation had nothing to do with the decision. Telluride is known as a 3%er destination, as in only the top 3% earning bracket can afford to vacation there. Only the top 1% can afford to own property there, as homes start at 3M and go to from there. The working/serving class commute in from the outside communities. The CEOs for UBI, the company who developed the antibody test, happen to be part of that elite 1% club who own property inside Telluride and live here with their children. It is partially selfish to protect themselves and their family in their 1% sanctuary. It is also smart business for them, as volunteers are entered into their clinical study too gather data.
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Well, I’m happy that you guys dont have any known infections yet. (Might still be some that weren’t tested if they were sick at home.) But, it is reassuring to know its not widespread and circulating yet. Although, it could be at any time.
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Oh, it’s only the first responders and their families that have been tested thus far. They’re rolling it out to the rest of the county in waves, starting next with the elderly and high risk people in Telluride, then the rest of the Telluride population, then the rest of the county. We fall into that fourth category, not living in Telluride.
We actually have been symptomatic, but mildly so. We’ve been fighting the fever, cough, aches, etc… It ramped up very slowly and unnoticeably at first. It peaked about three days ago, but we only spent like a day and a half really sick, and faded back into the “annoying but not critical” level of sick. We tried to schedule an appointment for the swab test, but the triage nurse called in the morning and cancelled our appointments after hearing our fevers broke.
She said we no longer qualified for the swab testing, but to assume we do have it and to self-quarantine until the blood tests rolled out to us. Which we were already doing…
We’ve always known he was at high risk of exposure as a frequent traveler and pilot. We’ve been treating ourselves as if we definitely are positive since mid Feb. When he has had to travel, he wore a mask and gloves and isolated as much as possible. The gloves were not worn for medical protective qualities, but rather because they can be bleached. He travels with dried bleach powder, mixes it with water on the other side of security, and then uses it to disinfect his gloves hands and everything he has to touch.
The thing that kills us is how not seriously other people are talking it. They’re trying to ramp up rural internet available out here since kids are home and people are working from home. Our house was selected as an ideal place to set network access point, since we’re high on a hill and have clear line of site into town to bounce signal from. Internet people have been crawling all over our property. We made it quite clear we were possibly infected and were quarantining. Yet they still keep trying to come into our personal space, we are literally running away from them trying to keep distance. They still want to shake hands and give us pens to sign things with. Then they look at us like we’re overreacting when we ask them to set paperwork down and then step back, and even moreso when we leave to get our own pen, instead of using theirs.
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This testing is really interesting. I’m wondering, though, if this is a virus you can get more than once, like the chicken pox. It’d be great to know for sure, especially with lack of adequate PPE in hospitals.
That is a really good question, but not a wide-circulating theory yet. You don’t actually get chicken pox again, but rather the virus hides dormant in the nerves of your back for 50 or 60 +/- years, before the illness recurrs as shingles. The possibly of recurrance is truly frightening. There is no official standpoint on this yet, the CDC has said nothing more than that they haven’t excluded this as a possibility.
We’ve only tested a small portion of the population as of yet, but I was stunned by the 100% negative results, thus far. We’ve been assuming the theory that this virus has been circulating since November, is already wide-spread because if it’s quiet nature, and that the serious cases were actually later recurring cycles of the disease that worsen with each cycle. There’s not enough data to eliminate this possibility yet, but the data thus far is thankfully contrary to this.
The other thing to worry about is that immunity to one strain doesn’t actually protect you against other mutations of the virus. Think about flu vaccines. Every year scientists theorize which strains of flu are likely to be predominate the following flu season, and craft that years vaccine to fight those must likely strains. They don’t always guess correctly, though, or you simply might just win the virus lottery and contact one of the strains the vaccine didn’t protect against… That’s why do many people still get sick, despite getting the flu shot. If we’re fortunate, our antibodies will target very general proteins on the virus shell common to all the strains, and we CAN attain a greater level of immunity.
There’s just so much we don’t know yet!
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Chicken pox can be gotten twice if you had a mild version of it the first time. That’s a bit of a worry for me with something like this. And good point about the mutations…do we know how many strains/mutations are out there thus far?
CAN, yes in rare circumstances, but what typically happens is simply misperceived.
Robyn, as far as I know the nasopharyngeal swab is still what is considered the gold standard in testing. I wish blood testing was because it’s simpler, at least at the collection point. I read an account of the first clinically documented case in the US, a 35 year old man traveling back to the US from Wuhan, who had a confirmed case, but at Day 6 or so, a negative oropharyngeal test, positive nasopharyngeal test, and negative blood test. As for what exactly that blood test was, it seems they were trying to culture the virus and did not succeed. In other words, a different “blood test” than what you were given. I still have a lot more to learn about the testing process. No matter what, I think your county is definitely on the right track, and who knows, maybe no one truly does have it. Thank you for keeping us informed - I’m enjoying reading about it. Stay well.