From coast to coast, epidemiologists are using some of the many antibody tests that have entered the market recently to determine how much COVID-19 has spread.
The importance of these tests are not lost on Americans, who are itching to go back to work, see loved ones and find out if they have been infected with the virus. Many have questions about where to find antibody tests, how they work and if they can even be trusted.
There aren't easy answers. With little public data about the tests' accuracy, experts question whether they will give people false reassurances by indicating they have immunity to the disease.
What is an antibody test?
Testing to see if people have antibodies in their blood isn’t the same as testing to see if they are infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
An antibody test can determine if someone has been infected and recovered, whereas a molecular test – a "PCR" test that usually uses a nose or throat swab – shows whether that person was infected with the virus at the time the test was taken.
Antibodies are the body’s way of remembering how it responded to an infection so they can attack again if exposed to the same pathogen. If a person has antibodies in her blood, that means she has immune cells available to fight the virus, which lowers the risk of getting sick.
How does a COVID-19 antibody test kit work?
The blood tests for COVID-19 look for antibodies specific to this coronavirus. Health care workers take a sample of a patient's blood and isolate the parts containing the antibodies into a serum. If someone has coronavirus antibodies, they would be found in the blood, along with other antibodies.
Some tests use a simple finger prick to draw a blood sample, which is collected with a thin straw and deposited in a small cartridge along with a special solution of liquids that will cause a reaction. Ten minutes later, the test promises to tell you whether you've had COVID-19.
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