Scientist calls reliance on antibody tests to bring people back to work 'the worst idea I've ever heard'

A previously secret group of top scientists has come up with its own plan to solve the coronavirus crisis. The team, which describes itself as the pandemic's Manhattan Project, hopes the federal government incorporates at least pieces of it, though they've acknowledged it may ultimately wind up in the shredder, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Some of the key aspects detailed in a 17-page report delivered to Cabinet members and Vice President Mike Pence include having the government purchase potential COVID-19 treatments before they're proven effective. Manufacturers would then have incentive to increase production without fear of losing money if the drugs fail, similar to other recommendations about producing vaccines before they're approved to help make delivery easier in the longer term. The group also wants to dramatically expedite the time required for a clinical review of drugs to a week from nine months to a year.
One thing the scientists are less keen on is relying too heavily on antibody tests. They certainly believe antibody tests are a crucial tool, and the report suggests they're optimistic people will be able to develop protections against the virus, but they don't think the tests should be the impetus for people returning to work. One of the experts, Ben Cravatt of Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, called it "the worst idea I've ever heard." Cravatt, a chemical biologist, said even if people build up defenses themselves, it's unclear if they would be non-contagious. He also fears some people may try to intentionally infect themselves so they can be approved for work more quickly. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
How Canadian tariffs could impact tourism to the US
In the Spotlight Canadians represent the largest group of foreign visitors to the United States. But they may soon stop visiting.
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Entitlements: DOGE goes after Social Security
Feature Elon Musk is pushing false claims about Social Security fraud
By The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Amazon Bond
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Pharaoh's tomb discovered for first time in 100 years
Speed Read This is the first burial chamber of a pharaoh unearthed since Tutankhamun in 1922
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Scientists report optimal method to boil an egg
Speed Read It takes two temperatures of water to achieve and no fancy gadgets
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energy
Speed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blue Origin conducts 1st test flight of massive rocket
Speed Read The Jeff Bezos-founded space company conducted a mostly successful test flight of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials say
Speed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published