Here’s How You Can Get Tested For COVID Antibodies Today
On April 28, 2020, Quest Diagnostic announced that individuals can order a Wuhan virus antibody test online instead of having to go to a doctor for a prescription.
Americans who feel they may have been infected with COVID can finally get some answers with a quick blood test at a local lab. Quest says results come back within 48 hours
CNBC reported the following:
An antibody test shows whether someone has been exposed to or potentially had the coronavirus and developed the antibodies to fight the infection. It doesn’t guarantee immunity, but physicians say a positive antibody test indicates that a patient may have some level of protection against reinfection.
According to Quest’s website, the test costs $119.
Quest requires potential patients to fill out a short questionnaire to determine if they are eligible to be tested. From there, it instructs them to have their blood drawn at one of the company’s 2,200 laboratories, Quest announced in a statement. The company said that the results would be available after one or two days after a blood sample is taken.
Quest believes that the antibody tests can be useful for individuals who never felt symptoms or mild ones who think they were exposed to the virus on previous occasions. The clinical laboratory believes that these tests could help people determine whether their body produced antibodies to combat the disease.
U.S. officials and corporations across the nation are allocating substantial sums of money into antibody testing, in hopes that it will get people back to work and reopen certain sectors of the economy.
LabCorp started offering antibody testing at a number of Walgreens stores on April 27. The drugstore chain now features the blood tests at over 100 LabCorp centers within their store venues.
This represents a positive development in the Wuhan virus saga.
Testing will be key in determining who’s at risk and who can go back into the workforce.
Focusing on testing should be the approach that policymakers take in dealing with this pandemic.
It strikes a solid balance with regards to public health and economic activity.
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