PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - This week, the state launched its first antibody testing site in South Florida.
What You Need To Know
- Positive antibody test reveals Covid-19 infection and possible immunity
- Asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers typically become less contagious over time
- Researchers finding how effective antibody immunity is against COVID-19
But what does a positive test result really tell you?
Dr. Juan Dumois, an infectious disease expert for Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital told Spectrum News a positive result likely means you've been infected.
If you weren’t sick, that means you were asymptomatic and have immunity to COVID-19.
But Dumois said you can also have false positive results. That's why usually doctors will get a second opinion.
He also said how contagious you are varies even if you've never been sick at all.
"If you're tested and you're antibody is positive, it could either mean that you were infected two weeks ago, one week ago or three months ago,” said Dumois. “The antibody test will not tell you the difference."
"So if I were infected a week or two ago, I can still be contagious," he went on. "But if I was infected three months ago and still have that immunity, I am not likely to be shedding virus anymore at this time."
How long will the immunity last and could you get sick from coronavirus again?
Dumois said we don't know for sure right now. That's why the antibody tests and vaccine developments are happening.
As for a timeline, he said we're still several months away in research to determine definitively how protective antibodies are against COVID-19.
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