COVID-19 Antibody Testing Available In Tuolumne County
Sonora, CA – Tuolumne County Public Health officials announced today that an area testing site has coronavirus antibody tests available.
Health officials relay that Quest Diagnostics has received an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA. However, they do not attest to the accuracy and a doctor’s order is needed to be able to take the test.
The entire statement released by county health officials can be viewed below:
Public Health has become aware that Quest Diagnostics may be able to provide COVID-19 antibody testing with a doctor’s order. We cannot speak to the accuracy of the test at this time. It appears to have received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA. It is important to note that the relationship between antibody presence and immunity is not currently known.
This means that if a person tests positive for antibodies, it does not necessarily mean that the person is immune to COVID-19. It is unknown if people who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies are at risk of infection. Also, antibody tests have not been shown to definitively diagnose or exclude SARS-CoV-2 infection. Antibody testing is not appropriate to test patients for current infection and should not be used to guide clinical management of a patient with suspected COVID-19 disease.
There are a large number of tests that may be available that do not have any form of FDA approval though additional tests are getting approved frequently. Public Health does not recommend using tests that are not approved by the FDA. Individuals should contact their healthcare provider to assess whether antibody testing is indicated.
