How can I get tested for COVID-19 antibodies?
- You can contact your personal healthcare provider to ask for a COVID-19 antibody test.
- BioReference is also pleased to offer community pop-up blood draw events:
Pop-up blood draw events are now closed, but you can still have your blood drawn at one of our conveniently located laboratory collection centers.
Getting Started Is Easy
If you are interested in attending a nearby pop-up blood draw event:
- You will need a valid test order form from a licensed healthcare provider.
- If you have an order from your healthcare provider, you can walk in to any pop-up event without an appointment.
- Simply bring your test order and insurance card with you during operating hours and check-in at the registration desk.
Don’t Have An Order From Your Healthcare Provider?
You have options. If you do not have an order from your healthcare provider and are 18 years of age or older you can request this test through my·labology. Learn more here and determine if this test is right for you.
Once your test request through my·labology is approved by an independent physician, you will receive an email link to make an appointment at a nearby community event or laboratory collection center.
No pop-up blood draw events nearby?
New sites are being added on a regular basis, so sign up to receive news of future events near you:
COVID-19 antibody test, sometimes called serology, uses a blood sample to identify the presence of antibodies to the novel coronavirus disease 2019. Antibodies are proteins produced by your body’s immune system to try to fight infection. If you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, your body produces antibodies as part of the immune response to the virus. The majority of people will have detectable antibodies by 14 days after onset of COVID-19 symptoms.
This test cannot tell you if you have an active infection. If you suspect you have COVID-19, follow up with your personal healthcare provider about getting a COVID-19 PCR (swab) test.
Patients with an order from their personal healthcare provider and valid insurance coverage will have no out-of-pocket cost for this testing. Just bring your insurance card.
This test is conducted by collecting a blood sample.
You do not need to do anything to prepare for the test. You do not need to fast or stop taking any medications before testing.
Antibody testing in not meant for diagnosis of acute COVID-19, and antibodies are unlikely to be detectable in the first few days of infection. It should be used to indicate past or recent infection with the virus.
This test helps identify if you were exposed to the virus and, if so, whether or not your body has produced antibodies against COVID-19. From what is known about the body’s response to infections, antibodies usually indicate some level of immunity from re-infection. However, this has not yet been proven for COVID-19, and it is still unclear if antibodies indicate you are less likely to be infected. Having detectable antibodies does not mean that you cannot spread the infection to others.
Antibodies are not detectable for a few days after infection, so the test may be negative if done too early. Additionally, some individuals who are infected with COVID-19 may not develop detectable levels of antibodies, such as those with weakened immune systems due to a medical condition or certain medications.
Antibody testing can play a critical role in the fight against COVID-19. It can help identify individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and have developed an adaptive immune response. Widespread antibody testing and clinical follow-up can also provide more information on immunity against COVID-19, and helps in better understanding the virus.
Currently it is not known how long antibodies will remain in patients who have been infected, and if antibodies result in immunity from re-infection. In the future once this is better understood, antibody results may potentially be used with other clinical information to identify people who are less likely to be infected.
