Important Information About Coronavirus Testing (COVID-19)

As of now, our knowledge about whether IgG antibodies provide immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is evolving. Please refer to the CDC for the latest updates. Whether individuals with antibodies to this virus are safe from further infections is unknown at this point. As per CDC recommendations, Statcare’s experts will discuss your test results and any issues in your work environment.

At this time, we don’t have enough information about this. It is unclear whether people with IgG Antibodies are less susceptible to infection SARS-CoV-2. As there is more data collected and people with Antibodies are followed clinically, we will have more information regarding this.

If you weren’t diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, then this test can help determine if unknown to you, you were previously exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Remember, the majority of people with exposure have no symptoms from the virus and may not even realize that they had been exposed.

If you had a diagnosis of COVID-19 established by the PCR Test, then that is a very reliable diagnosis of your infection. This test can help determine whether you made antibodies or not. Please refer to CDC for the latest updates.

You can go to a City or State-run Testing site for a No-Cost option. Check with your health account administrator as you may be able to submit the test expense to your Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, or other health Reimbursement Accounts.

At Statcare, we have done several thousand tests and the environment for testing is specially maintained under rigorous protocols. Our team has to follow proper Disinfection and Sanitation guidelines as well as record exposure logs of everyone they see that day. Limited slots for testing enable proper procedures and processes to be followed as well as fill compliance and reporting forms. Our staff wears full PPE gear at all times. Our belief is that there are no shortcuts to safety.

After a PCR Test at Statcare for diagnosing COVID-19, you can get this test as early as 7 days after the diagnosis.
Symptom wise, you can get this test as early as 3 days after the last time you had any fever from the infection OR no new or worsening symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 10 days. These symptoms include GI symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of smell loss of taste, respiratory complaints, feeling tired, having body aches, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, slurred speech, and/or seizures.

It is unhelpful for:
1. Diagnosing a new and recent infection. We do a PCR Test for that situation.
2. If you are unwell or have had a fever within the last 3 days
3. It has been less than 7 days since the COVID-19 was diagnosed by a PCR Test.
4. Direct exposure to COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
5. Your immune system is compromised (HIV, cancer treatment, steroids, etc.)

The IgG Antibody Test detects your immune response to infection by SARS-CoV-2. This is a blood test that does not require fasting. It is a recommended test for persons 18 years of age or older only.

Yes. It helps to get mass testing done, fast. The Pharmacy staff, however, will now need to learn sterilization and disinfection protocols, something Statcare’s team learned during their education as doctors or nurses. Also, the CDC recommends a follow-up discussion with healthcare professionals as the interpretation of the result needs medical knowledge about lab tests, results, and the diseases and their diagnosis. Our team says they would be wary of going into crowded and non-designated spaces for testing.

Yes. There are false positive and false negative tests. Please refer to the CDC and the Manufacturer and FDA websites as these vary by test.

The IgG Antibody Test detects your immune response to infection by SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 disease. The SARS-CoV-2 is merely one of several coronaviruses. Some of the structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are actually common to many coronaviruses. This test can sometimes detect antibodies targeted to other coronaviruses causing a false-positive result. So, if you have been diagnosed with other types of coronaviruses, this might be an issue. Also, if you test too soon after infection, your body may not have had the time needed to make enough IgG antibodies for their detection. This can lead to a false-negative result.

While a positive result from an antibody test may establish that an individual was previously infected with or exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) have concluded that there is insufficient information to show that the presence of antibodies protects an individual from future reinfection as the strength of any immunity and the length of time any immunity confers is not yet known.

This test cannot tell you whether you are immune to COVID-19, even if the result is positive. A negative test does not mean that you have not been exposed to or are currently infected with COVID-19. You should definitely continue to practice social distancing and take the recommended precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.