Quest Diagnostics rolls out direct-to-consumer coronavirus antibody tests
Quest Diagnostics announced Tuesday that individuals can now skip a doctor's visit and order a coronavirus antibody test online in a push to broaden Covid-19 screening.
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. The test costs $119, according to Quest's website.
Quest screens patients online to determine whether or not an antibody test is appropriate and then sends them to have their blood drawn at one of Quest's 2,200 laboratories, Quest said in a statement. The results are available within one to two days after a blood sample is taken, the company said.
The company said the antibody tests can be helpful for people who were never diagnosed with Covid-19 and believe they've previously been exposed to the virus, or to test people who did have Covid-19 to determine whether their body produced antibodies to fight against the disease.
World health officials warn, however, that scientists still don't know whether coronavirus antibodies give a person immunity or reduce the risk of reinfection.
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