Dr Quinton Fivelman PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer at London Medical Laboratory and leading Covid testing expert, has suggested amid the Djokovic drama that it might be time to start using antibody tests at borders instead.
Dr Fivelman says: “Proof of vaccination is far less effective at indicating if a person might introduce Covid to a country or competition than a simple five-minute antibody test, especially if there is significant time since their last jab.
“Antibody tests are an excellent indicator of the likelihood of someone developing Covid. Extensive research has shown that the more COVID-19 antibodies a person has, the more protection they have from the virus over time and the less likely they are to be infected or re-infected with the virus.
“In the case of Djokovic, even though he has gone on record as saying he ‘wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine’, he may not be a present danger to other players or the wider Australian public if he did have COVID-19 during December, as he claims.
“An antibody test will establish if he has sufficient antibodies to provide resistance to catching COVID-19 and potentially transmitting it over the next few weeks.
“We all have our own opinions of whether people should be inoculated and, indeed, I certainly believe everyone should. However, antibody testing bypasses ideological disputes by establishing whether a person is likely to catch Covid-19 and then, possibly, transmit it in the near future.
“Why can’t we use this as a basic criteria for admitting someone into a country, a sporting competition, or any other kind of large group event?
“The Australian Government, Tennis Australia and Mr Djokovic have all played their part in escalating what should be a simple black and white question: could Djokovic potentially develop and then spread Covid at the event?
“Rather than complicated red tape and political grandstanding, antibody tests are a straightforward and impartial way to establish if someone is fit to enter a country or a competition.”