What is antibody testing?
Antibody testing (also referred to as serological testing) is a blood test that can detect if you were previously infected with COVID-19. The presence of specific antibodies suggests that you have been exposed and your body developed the blood proteins needed to fight the infection. The antibody test may not be able to show current presence of the virus (like a nasal swab test) because it can take 1-3 weeks to develop antibodies after symptoms occur.
Pros:
There are a few ways antibody testing can be valuable:
- To know your status: Research suggests that many who are infected COVID-19 show no or mild signs and symptoms of illness, so antibody tests could be useful in determining if you had it without knowing.
- To understand disease prevalence: Widespread antibody testing could give researchers a better understanding of how many people have been infected and how deadly the virus really is. Researchers can use this data to predict how COVID-19 might affect us in the future, including why some people are more severely impacted than others.
- For convalescent plasma therapy: Convalescent plasma therapy uses the blood and antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients to help treat others with COVID-19. Hackensack University Medical Center’s convalescent plasma therapy clinical trial, for example, uses the blood of COVID-19 survivors who have a very large presence of antibodies. Testing is needed to make this determination.
- To help develop a vaccine: When a vaccine is developed, it imitates a certain infection, and once injected, it helps build up the body’s natural defense against the infection, creating immunity to the disease. Part of that defense includes the production of antibodies. Testing is needed to verify the body’s response to a potential vaccine.
Cons:
There are three main concerns with antibody testing:
- Quality: There are several different antibody tests for COVID-19. Some perform better than others, and most tests are still being evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- False Sense of Immunity: Some people think having COVID-19 antibodies means they are immune to the virus, but there is currently no evidence to suggest that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are immune to catching it again
- Active Infections: If you test negative for COVID-19 antibodies, it doesn’t rule out the chance that you could have an active infection and haven’t built up the antibodies against it yet. This means that you could be spreading the virus to others without knowing it.
Where can I get an antibody test for COVID-19?
If you feel like antibody testing is right for you, you can get testing done with us at Provisions Health in our Eau Claire, La Crosse, or Hudson offices. There is no referral needed to schedule, but it is by appointment only.
How are antibody tests performed?
Antibody tests are blood tests that are either conducted by a finger prick or blood draw. At Provisions Health we perform a serology blood draw. The blood is then sent to our CAP Accredited and CLIA Certified High Complexity lab and inspected for two types of antibodies: IgG and IgM.
Interested in learning more or scheduling an appointment? Give us a call today 715-833-0660 or send us an email at info@provisions.health