PONE-D-21-13284

Performance verification of the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 test for qualitative detection of IgG in Cali, Colombia.

PLOS ONE

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PLOS ONE

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[Funding for the conduct of this study was provided by Abbott (www.abbott.com), Fundación Restrepo-Barco (www.fundacionbarco.org) and Fundación Valle del Lili (FVL, www.valledellili.org). Test kits were provided by Abbott.

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Reviewer #1: Partly

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: The study aimed to verify the diagnostic accuracy of serologic tests introduced to the Colombian market. Still, the analysis did not discuss the usual protocol that is used in Colombia. The researchers use serum o plasma samples for symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive patients to obtain the main conclusions. Still, the idea of viral diagnosis is to use blood drops without considering if the participant is symptomatic or asymptomatic to SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis with this IgG/IgM rapid tests development from Abbot company. Also, the INS study calculated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the general population in different regions in Colombia with this test; for example, to the city of Cali, seroprevalence was 30%. Is this percentage accurate?

It is important in the discussion that the researcher interprets the results at an epidemiological level. Follow-up epidemiological surveillance studies suggest that IgG detection in symptomatic and asymptomatic SARC-CoV-2 positive patients decreases in the following months. For this reason, some epidemiological studies suggest that it is not accurate to control the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, neither case management nor epidemiologic surveillance. Also, at the virological level, understanding if a patient has been recently or previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and how long antibodies stay in the body is an important next step in both detections of the virus and to decision of the interval period between vaccine doses.

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Reviewer #1: No

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Performance verification of the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 test for qualitative detection of IgG in Cali, Colombia.

PONE-D-21-13284R1

Dear Dr. Gomez,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Etsuro Ito

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE