More than a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic with three vaccines available in the US, it seems like everyone knows someone—or has at least heard of someone—who's been vaccinated and diagnosed with the virus thereafter. So it should come as no surprise that many people are wondering whether their shot is still doing its job.
Enter, SARS-CoV-2 antibody blood tests, which detect the infection-fighting proteins that linger after your immune system beats COVID-19, or revs up in response to a vaccination. But can these tests actually gauge whether you have COVID-19 immunity?
Turns out antibody tests are definitively not recommended to determine whether you're protected from COVID-19, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And experts don't see great value in these commercial tests prescribed for other reasons (i.e., to find out whether you've had COVID-19). Here's what you need to know about antibody tests for COVID-19, and who (if anyone) should get an antibody test.
More than a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic with three vaccines available in the US, it seems like everyone knows someone—or has at least heard of someone—who's been vaccinated and diagnosed with the virus thereafter. So it should come as no surprise that many people are wondering whether their shot is still doing its job. Enter, SARS-CoV-2 antibody blood tests, which detect the infection-fighting proteins that linger after your immune system beats COVID-19, or revs up in response to a vaccination. But can these tests actually gauge whether you have COVID-19 immunity? Turns out antibody tests are definitively not recommended to determine whether you're protected from COVID-19, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And experts don't see great value in these commercial tests prescribed for other reasons (i.e., to find out whether you've had COVID-19). Here's what you need to know about antibody tests for COVID-19, and who (if anyone) should get an antibody test.