New Yorkers Are Being Introduced To COVID-19 Antibody Tests

An antibody test, which is sometimes referred to as a serology test, does not check whether you are currently infected by the coronavirus. Instead, it checks whether your immune system has responded to coronavirus infection and has produced antibodies in the blood.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo sees these tests as a major key to reopening the economy as an antibody test can tell whether someone’s immune system has defeated the bug. A person can be subjected to an antibody test whether they showed symptoms or not.

Dozens Of Primary Care Offering Antibody Tests

The Post learned almost two dozen primary care offices in NYC’s five boroughs and Long Island is now offering the tests for patients who believe they may have been exposed. Patients who had a mild case of the infection and experienced minor symptoms but were never tested can also submit themselves for an antibody test.

Patients also reportedly received an email from CityMD late Monday saying they will start administering antibody tests starting Tuesday. CityMD is an urgent care chain with more than 100 locations in New Jersey and New York. The Post was able to obtain two copies of such emails.

A Test For Everyone

A few weeks ago, New Yorkers seeking to be tested for COVID-19 had to be a health care worker or a first responder or a patient languishing in a hospital. These are reportedly the three requirements that would qualify you for the coveted coronavirus test, The Post reported. During that time, the antibody test has not been fully developed yet.

LabCorp announced last week that their own antibody test will be available for those with a doctor’s note in almost all of their 2,000 testing locations. The test may also be conducted at any of the tens of thousands of doctor’s offices around the country. LabCorp reportedly can conduct over 50,000 tests every day. The testing giant is also hoping to increase that capability to 200,000 each day by the middle of May, a spokesperson revealed to The Post.

An Advice From The WHO

Health experts, in previous interviews with The Post, revealed that when the body fights off bugs, its immune system develops antibodies that can make the body impervious to the virus. Such immunity, however, does not last forever and in most cases, can last only from a couple of months to sometimes a year, health experts told The Post.

Last week, the World Health Organization said that coronavirus infection survivors can expect to possess “some level of protection” after recovery. The health body, however, said that more research is needed to determine how long such immunity last and how strong it is against the virus. They also said it is important to know if everyone develops it in the same manner.

Antibody testing is being offered by hospitals across New York for nearly a month now through plasma donation programs. Such tests, however, have strict requirements such as patients showing proof such as a lab or doctor’s note. Primary and urgent care offices are now relaxing these requirements. These testing sites are also cautioning patients that the test does not prove immunity. This is why they are urging patients to continue practicing social distancing and other precautionary measures advised by the CDC.