An antibody test looks for antibodies in the blood. These are proteins that your immune system makes, usually after you’re exposed to germs like viruses or bacteria. Antibodies work to fight illness.
An antibody test for COVID-19 could help you know if you‘ve already had the virus that causes this illness. (A different kind of test is used to tell if you are currently infected with COVID-19 and able to infect others.) Without antibody testing, many people who have been exposed to COVID-19 won’t even know it, because they never had symptoms or had only mild ones.
People who already have antibodies to the COVID-19 virus and don’t have symptoms might be safe to go back to work or school or to travel. In theory, they’ve already had the infection, so they can’t get it again or spread it to anyone else. That’s why many companies are advertising antibody tests and some communities are embracing them.
Over time, antibody testing may help with decisions about when we can end social distancing and “get back to normal.” It may also help us know who is still at risk and needs to be protected.
Public health authorities or your doctor will tell you if and how to get an antibody test.