Covid Antibody Test - what is it and how the test is done
With the pandemic caused by COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the spread of tests and swabs to detect infection from the virus has become the new normal.
A Covid Serology Test can be useful for measuring the antibody response of the person performing it. This type of test can help determine if someone has been previously infected with Coronavirus.
The antibody test can be beneficial if a PCR Test has not been carried out at the time when the typical symptoms of Covid have appeared.
Covid Antibody Test: How does it work?
The Covid antibody test involves taking a blood sample from the arm and sending it to a laboratory for analysis. The lab can determine if you've recently been infected with the virus by looking at the antibodies in your blood. A higher antibody level suggests that the body interacted with the Coronavirus and learned how to defeat it. Hence, the increase in the number of antibodies in the blood is the reason.
Why take a Covid Antibody Test
A Covid Serology Test can be useful when you might have been unknowingly exposed to the Coronavirus but no tests have yet been done to be sure about the infection or to document its positivity.
For example, if you doubt that you have been an asymptomatic positive for Covid in the past. Or if you have developed one or more suspicious symptoms in the past, such as fever, cough, congestion, shortness of breath, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting.
Although many clinics and laboratories offer Covid Antibody Tests, the reports produced are generally not accepted to prove immunity to Covid and therefore not a suitable test for travel.