The rapid antibody detection kits are not intended as the primary method of diagnosis of acute infection with Covid. Detection of antibodies indicates previous infection (detection of antibody type IgG), or the later phase of current infection (detection of antibody type IgM).
The TGA has contracted the Peter Doherty Institute in Melbourne to undertake independent verification of tests that have so far been given temporary approval for use in Australia in the emergency pandemic situation. So far it has released its results on 2 of the temporarily approved kits, and found that their accuracy is far lower than that claimed by the manufacturers, and those kits are indeed not useful. These reports are publicly available on the TGA website. As the reports become available on each of the other temporarily approved kits, they will also appear on the TGA website. The website is updated every couple of days. No temporarily approved kit manufactured by NG Biotech or imported by Eurobio Scientific are currently listed on the TGA website.
NG biotech now has a page about its Covid devices on its website, including a link to their journal article accepted for publication in the Lancet Infectious diseases journal with results of its own testing on its own devices. A copy is attached to this post as a PDF for those interested - the results and conclusions are the key parts.
