Local & Community
Antibody Tests Now Available in the Coachella Valley
Fleur Women’s Health in Rancho Mirage announced they are now offering a Covid-19 rapid test for asymptomatic people. This is the first coronavirus antibody test in the Coachella Valley.
The test can be completed during a 20-minute in-office visit with results available in 10 to 15 minutes. If you would like to be tested, you have to take a risk assessment questionnaire to make sure that you are not presenting symptoms or have not been exposed to the virus in the past 4 weeks.
If you pass the risk assessment questionnaire, you can call their office at (760) 779-5511 to schedule your test.
Riverside County has not released any information on antibody testing. Los Angeles County health officials confirmed Friday that they will start testing the levels of antibodies in 1,000 randomly selected adults to track the spread of coronavirus.
The testing of blood serum, known as serological testing, the county is working with the University of Southern California to collect blood samples that show levels of antibodies in a person, and whether that person likely had the virus but showed no symptoms.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, has said antibody tests are still a week away.
Click here for more on antibody testing.
Updated 4/11/2020
Fleur Women’s Health in Rancho Mirage is now offering a rapid test that is able to detect the presence of antibodies to novel coronavirus. The health clinic is offering the testing sooner than expected, and some are questioning the cost and the qualifications on who can be tested.
The rapid test is expected to deliver results in as little as 15 minutes. The test focuses on detecting I-G-G and I-G-M antibodies within the bloodstream. People who take the test can expect four possible results.
An I-G-G positive result means people have antibodies and are immune from coronavirus. While an I-G-M positive result may suggest your body is still fighting off the disease and you should self isolate.
If you test positive for both, you are probably at the end of an infection and will be immune to the virus after. And a negative result means that you have not come in contact with Covid-19, and as such don’t possess any antibodies.
Doctors at Fleur Women’s Health tell NBC Palms Springs that the test costs $50 dollars and everyone is welcome to take the test, but you must first pass a risk assessment.
County health experts in Los Angeles have already started random testing and explain how this type of test can help.
“It will give people who participate in the study information whether at any point in the past they had the infection and now they have antibodies and are antibody positive and will now be able to more quickly resume their normal activities,” said Dr. Paul Simon, Lead Antibody Study Investigator with Los Angeles County Health Department.
Currently, the rapid test provides an accuracy rate of 93%.
“What the study will do is provide evidence about how deadly the disease is, how fast it’s spreading in the community and when it’s going to end. and all these pieces of information are critical about thinking about when do we open up our economy? when do we end social distancing? so this study is going to really inform those decisions,” explained Dr. Jeeraj Sood, Lead Researcher of Study at USC.
Testing is currently available Monday-Friday, to schedule a test you can call 760-779-5511.
By: NBC Palm Springs
April 10, 2020
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