The corona virus antibody testing may not be as reliable as we thought. The CDC says the test to determine if people have immunity to CPOVID 19 might be wrong in 50 % of the cases. This is dangerous. If a pers9n gets a test and is false positive, the person will think they are immune to COVID 19 and they are not Therefore they could get the infection. The CDC states the test should not be used in policy decision making when people should return to work.
With this inaccuracy the test should not be used at all. We are the United States- let’s get our act together. There is a difference in quantitative and qualitative testing. The lab BioTek which I believe is the most accurate for Ig G and IgM testing was not allowed to be done in the state of New York. Recently with persistence of the lab and the NYS government it can be used in New York
I am proud to announce I will be doing this test in my New York Office starting June 1st This is the same test I used in my CT office. I had patients drive to CT to get the test at the beginning of the pandemic.
The government needs to focus on antibody testing. There are many tests out there as discussed above . Our NYC office at 115 East 57th Street SUITE 1510 now has IgG & IgM COVID-19 Antibody testing available. BioTek is using and FDA authorized test with a specificity of 97.5% and a sensitivity of 95.6%. This test differs from the nasal swab, which only looks at active infections. While this is a new test, and we are learning more every day, antibody testing for viral infections can help identify both active and past infections. We are seeing more and more individuals who have had past infections with mild or no symptoms. Having a past infection can potentially mean one has some level of immunity now. Some patients who are IgG positive are asymptomatic never even had COVID symptoms.
Think you were exposed to COVID-19 or got sick months ago? You might be a good candidate for this test. Please contact our office at 212 421 3202 717-1339 or assistance@fratellonemedical.com to schedule your blood draw. The test costs $175 up front. We will provide a copy of this bill. We are being told insurances will reimburse for the testing. We are spacing patients out, to minimize any contact when entering our office. We ask that patients wear masks, and gloves if you have as well.
Until tomorrow…