The antibody or serology testing holds the utmost importance in the medical field. It is a test that can determine past covid infection. This test mainly checks for the antibodies developed by the body’s immune system. Antibodies are proteins that respond to combat the pathogens such as viruses. So, antibodies can safeguard the body from the virus attack when someone gets an infection with the virus. Antibody test urgent care check for these antibodies via blood sampling. It can be done at the point of covid testing and is helpful for those with late-developing complications. Know about its procedure, uses, and results below in this post.
The objective of antibody testing
First of all, an antibody test is a different testing concept than antigen and PCR covid tests. It is likely to determine if one has had a prior coronavirus infection. So, it cannot check for any active coronavirus contamination in the body. It is most commonly used for:
Individuals with persistent covid symptoms
If you have symptoms of Sars-COV-2 for several weeks, you can consider an urgent care covid antibody test. An antigen or PCR test may not detect an active antigen in your body. Hence, this test can check if antibodies in your body have responded to the virus. It can determine that you have had prior covid contamination and can support the diagnosis.
Individuals with delayed covid symptoms
Health effects due to coronavirus may appear later in some individuals. They can take weeks to months to appear after a virus attack or infection. If you are likely to get delayed symptoms of covid, you can get an antibody test. It can determine whether your body’s immune system has responded to combat the virus.
Useful in research
Apart from testing antibodies in individuals, serology test is also helpful for healthcare professionals for research. It helps them to study how many people have been infected by the virus. It also determines how past covid infection affects the risk of covid spread in communities.
The procedure of serology testing
Antibody test urgent care works by collecting a blood sample from the body of patients. The blood is drawn by a medical expert using a fine needle to prick the finger. The model is then tested in the pathology lab and looks for types of antibodies. It measures immunoglobin M (IgM), immunoglobin G (IgG), and immunoglobin A (IgA) antibodies. These antibodies can be considered more reliable indicators for prior coronavirus infection. However, most serology investigations focus on IgG antibodies. These antibodies can take weeks to develop in the body but can stay for several months. So, one must get the test after 7-10 days of developing covid symptoms.
Results of serology or antibody testing
Positive results
If the urgent care covid antibody test results are positive, it means you have had an infection in the past. A positive test will also indicate that you have some immunity to Sars-COV-2. A false positive test result may appear if the test quality needs to be fixed.
Negative results
A negative result will indicate no traces of antibodies found in your blood. It means that you haven’t come in contact with the coronavirus. A false negative test may appear if the test has been performed during the early stage of covid infection. That’s why it is often done after a week or two of developing covid symptoms.
If you don’t have the covid symptoms, you do not need a follow-up with treatment. Regardless of test results, it would help if you take precautionary measures to protect yourself against covid.
To sum up
As you can see that antibody test urgent care is an essential covid screening. It works to trace previous infections from viruses and can help healthcare experts to determine the risk of covid spread. Moreover, this test is also helpful in assessing the effectiveness of covid vaccines. You can get this test done at a nearby urgent care clinic at affordable prices. You can get a blood sample at home using the antibody testing kit if you have covid symptoms.