Antibody testing is finally here, and we have it available in our office on Fridays and Wednesdays, 10am to 12:30pm. The first testing date is this Friday, May 1. The test checks for an immune response to the COVID-19 virus. A positive test shows that you have been exposed and that your body responded successfully by creating specific protective cells. Testing for antibodies is only performed on healthy people who have currently no symptoms. In order to be tested you must make an appointment with the office which is open between 9-12:30 daily. It is very important you come on time as we can only see a couple of patients at a time for safety reasons. The test is free if you have insurance, meaning there is no copay, or deductible payment.
There are a few important questions to be answered before you consider testing:
A. Who should be tested?
· Patients who have had a positive COVID test OVER TWO WEEKS ago and recovered, to see if they acquired immunity.
· People who are a direct household contact of a coronavirus patient but were never sick themselves.
· Patients who had all the symptoms attributed to COVID-19 but were not originally tested due to lack of testing kits
· People with occupations which involve contact with many potentially infected (e.g. medical personnel, teachers, clergy, police force).
B. When should you test?
You should test a minimum of TWO WEEKS after your positive COVID-19 test or after you completely recuperated from your illness. It takes that long to develop an immune response which can be tested.
C. Why be tested? What do the results mean?
COVID-19 has been a virus with difficult to predict characteristics. If positive, the test shows that your exposure to the virus (either through illness or contact) has been sufficient to produce an immune reaction and create antibodies. In simple terms, positive results means the person had a form of coronavirus. Unfortunately, it does not mean that you are protected from reinfection with the same or very similar virus, or that it is safe to socialize or be less vigilant about hygiene or protection. It also does not mean that you can not infect another person, and therefore you still need to practice social distancing. In other words, a positive antibody test result is not an “immunity passport”. This information is not yet fully known in the scientific community. However, testing will, within several months, provide enough data to help us better understand this disease, our response to it, and how to prevent infection and potentially re-infection.
Within weeks antibody testing will become available at LabCorp service centers and other commercial places. There are over 90 types of tests available and not all of them equally good, or even approved by the FDA. If you can not come to the office contact us for a prescription, if warranted, to be tested elsewhere and we will advise you accordingly.
As always, please contact us with any questions you may have and keep following the hygiene guidelines to stay safe,
Dana Cernea, MD