Johnson County is paying for sheriff’s antibody tests while COVID cases spike
COVID-19 tests are free, as are lifesaving vaccines. So why is Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden ready to spend $30,000 and more of taxpayers’ money for antibody tests that medical experts say don’t work to stop the spread of the virus?
Instead of wasting county money on an initiative that does nothing to keep his staff safe, or for that matter the general public that he’s sworn to protect, Hayden should encourage his deputies to take the shot.
The incidence rate in the county was up to 226 new cases per 100,000 people as of Wednesday, compared to 108 per 100,000 at the start of the month. It’s the highest the county has seen since August, when the delta variant caused a surge in cases. Just under 60% of the county’s population eligible for the shot is fully vaccinated, and no city in the county has a mask order in place.
Hayden announced on Tuesday that his department is partnering with Aditxt, Inc., a Richmond, Virginia, life sciences company promoting an immune monitoring technology designed to “provide a personalized comprehensive profile” of a person’s immune system.
Spending $150 a pop on antibody tests sounds like a good deal to help this company further its research, but how does it help Johnson County?
Hayden says his people will get the test for free. Yes, and no. The money comes out of the administrative budget. Guess where that money comes from?
And, he said, “any employee can volunteer” for the test, which consists of a needle prick to the finger to draw blood. So far, 200 workers have signed up. Johnson County is the first in the country to purchase the technology.
Maybe that’s because a positive antibody does not mean you are immune from the virus infection that causes COVID-19. Antibody tests only tell you that you may have had the virus at some point in the past. It could be gone, or you could still be contagious and potentially spreading COVID to all the unvaccinated workers Hayden has invited to come join his mandate-resisting department.
In August, he refused to abide by a county directive requiring any county worker to either provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.
Hayden said he wanted to make his department a “safe haven” for unvaccinated officers from elsewhere who feel “unsupported and undervalued,” or are suffering on account of “government overreach.”
He said in a statement to The Star this week that “this is about valuing, empowering and supporting individual decisions. This testing allows our employees to make an informed decision on what to do about their own health.”
No, it doesn’t. This technology, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, only tells you your antibody status at that moment. Unlike the vaccine, it won’t keep you from getting sick.
