Rob Smyjunas would be the first to admit that he is a medical expert.
“It’s something outside my realm,” the local real estate developer recently told The Enquirer.
But that didn’t stop The Oakley-based CEO of Vandercar Holdings from hiring an American distributor of a COVID-19 rapid antibody control from Healgen Scientific, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Orient Gene Biotech in China.
The COVID-19 IgG/IgM rapid test cassette blood test uses a generation of “side flow” to a domestic pregnancy control to detect anti-COVID-19 antibodies and can produce effects in 10 minutes.
It has been through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For emergency use in authorized laboratories.
But tests can be administered on-site under the supervision of a qualified fitness professional through a qualified lab, Smyjunas said.
“I have over 10,000 tests without delay to ship from our Cincinnati plant, (and) we have sold and provided samples of over 500 tests on this component of the country,” he said.
The experienced developer has jumped into the COVID-19 test market at either foot, however, it is more productive recently known as the catalyst for the former Millennium Hotel’s redevelopment plans in downtown Cincinnati.
It made headlines last year when he acquired the contract to buy the former conference hotel from Singapore billionaire Kwek Leng Ben, after years of failed attempts by city and county officials to get the owner to rehabilitate or rebuild the hotel.
After a few discussions, Smyjunas signed the Millennium Purchase Agreement with the Greater Cincinnati Port Development Authority for a $2.5 million payment.
The port plans to demolish the hotel and in all likelihood build a new one on the site.
During this time, Smyjunas stated that it had evolved and was busy reaching the visitor base of its new distribution business.
“I’ve won calls from airlines, local governments and others,” he said, but he refused to identify potential customers.
Like a growing number of corporations that provide antibody controls to their employees, experts warn that they deserve to be accompanied by a transparent explanation of what the effects of control might show.
Antibody tests are the same as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests or other diagnostic tests that use nasal or saliva samples to diagnose whether a user has an active infection.
Anti-framework tests, known as sereology tests, are designed to trip over the frame’s immune reaction to a coronavirus infection, which causes COVID-19. And it may be several weeks before the frame collects enough antibodies to trip.
As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presents the use of antibody tests as the only basis for diagnosing an acute infection.
Still, antibody tests can check beyond coronavirus exposure and may complement diagnostic tests, said Dr. Catherine Stefaniuk, assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
“If you have a negative PCR test but a positive serological test … it’s possible he’s still infected,” he said. “It should adhere to all mandatory precautions and protocols recommended by the CDC.” ‘
At a time when staff were concerned about returning to work and employers faced accountability issues for not doing everything in their power to make sure their staff felt safe, “why wouldn’t they do antibody testing?” Smyjunas asked.
Smyjunas is taking orders lately in his office. He said he can set up all the work to be tested for $50 to $70 according to the test, depending on the location and the number of other people examined.
That’s about part of the value of antibody controls from vendors like Quest Diagnostics, which charges $119 for its COVID-19 antibody control without insurance coverage.