Steps To Get Tested For COVID-19 Antibodies

Yes. In addition to our standard infection control protocols, which include sanitizing exam rooms and tablets between patients and sanitizing common areas regularly throughout the day, we have taken additional steps to protect our patients and staff which include:

• Encouraging social distancing by asking patients to wait in their cars after check-in.
• Requiring all patients to wear face coverings.
• Referring any patient with a respiratory illness to our virtual telehealth service.
• Dedicating certain locations to solely performing diagnostic COVID-19 testing. Many of our locations offer COVID-19 antibody testing for asymptomatic patients and continue to offer the same urgent care services you know and trust.

The antibody test we use is a blood serum test to detect IgG antibodies. The medical assistant/phlebotomist will collect a blood sample through venipuncture and send the specimen to our partnering lab. The presence of IgG antibodies may mean a person has assumed immunity to COVID-19.

The immune system makes antibodies to protect the body from current or future infections, such as coronavirus. At MD Now, we test for the antibody, Immunoglobulin G (IgG), which protects against bacterial and viral infections. Detection of IgG antibodies in a blood serology test serves as a standard method to determine if a person has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and developed specific antibodies to this infection.

IgG antibodies are detected days to several weeks after a person has been infected and may remain elevated for a significant period of time after. These long-term antibodies mean you were most likely exposed to COVID-19 in the past and may allow you to return to your normal daily activities.

Results are usually available within 72 hours but may take longer depending on demand and volume at the lab.

It usually takes approximately 10 days after the onset of symptoms for IgG antibodies to reach detectable levels. If you are no longer symptomatic, and would like to be tested, we encourage you to visit one of our many locations offering antibody testing.

The antibody test we are using has been submitted to the FDA for clearance under the Emergency Use Authorization statute and is currently being conducted under section IV.D of the Policy for Diagnostic Tests for Coronavirus Disease-2019. The FDA authorizes its use by highly-complex laboratories. The lab MD Now has partnered with is one of the top CLIA-certified labs in the US and uses the “gold standard” in serology testing. This is not one of the many unreliable tests that has flooded the market recently.

We encourage you to check the following websites for the latest information and updates about Coronavirus.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Florida Department of Health
• Food and Drug Administration