(28 Apr 2020) Coronavirus antibody tests have become widely available across the United States, but the effectiveness and reliability of such tests remain in question.
Antibody testing can be used to determine if someone has been exposed to the coronavirus and developed antibodies against it, which could indicate some immunity, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The testing is a critical part of understanding the scope of the COVID-19 outbreak and also crucial in understanding how and when New York will be back open for business.
In New York, a network of health care providers for Medicaid members located in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn has began tests on some patients.
SOMOS Community Care offers free, multilingual antibody testing to check for substances the immune system makes to fight the virus and to reassure patients returning to families and work.
Preliminary results of statewide antibody test suggest the coronavirus is far less prevalent in some upstate areas compared New York City, a pandemic hotspot.
While almost a quarter of people in New York City tested positive for antibodies, the rate was below 2% in northern and central New York, according to preliminary estimates.
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