Rapid Antibody Test Results, What Do They Mean?

[bc_video video_id="6149173737001″ account_id="5728959025001″ player_id="Hkbio1usDM" embed="in-page" padding_top="56%" autoplay="" min_width="0px" max_width="640px" width="100%" height="100%"] We are learning more about the rapid antibody test being offered at Fleur Women’s Health and how it can identify people who have developed a response to coronavirus. NBC Palm Springs has been working with the team at Fleur Women’s Health and our reporter Nico Payne was able to take the rapid test. But more importantly, we learned how the health center is able to be one of the first facilities to be able to provide this type of testing and how this could help the community. To qualify for the test, people must first answer six questions on a risk assessment form. The next step is securing your appointment and going in for a short 20-minute visit, you get your finger pricked and then wait for your results. Dr. Jacome went over the possible outcomes people experience when taking the rapid test. "The test essentially is like a pregnancy test, and essentially you have two lines I-G-M and I-G-G," explained Dr. Enrique Jacome, M.D. with Fleur Women’s Health. Testing I-G-M positive may suggest your body is still fighting off the disease while testing I-G-G means that people do carry antibodies to fight off the virus, but the question is for how long? "The question is, how long is this immunological response going to last with the Covid-19, we really don’t know," said Jacome. Dr. Jacome is also the president of a company called Pellecome. He says his goal wasn’t to be the first to provide this test, but when the opportunity arose he couldn’t say no to helping out his community. "When the pandemic issue became a problem world-wide, our broker in China offered us the opportunity to work with a company who was manufacturing the rapid test," explained Jacome. The company called Hangzhou Clongene Biotech was listed with the FDA recently which allowed Dr. Jacome to become a distributor as he is licensed to do so. "I want to be able to work at the food banks, I really want to be able to serve the community and I can’t really do it without passing this test, so that’s why I’m doing it," expressed Audrey Collier, resident of Palm Desert. "They want to know the prevalence of this disease, how frequent is it? What is the infection rate of this? Why? Because that’s the only way that you will be able to establish some guidelines as to let us say for instance, who could go back to work," added Jacome. Our reporter’s test results did come back negative which means they were not exposed to coronavirus. Dr. Jacome advised people with negative rapid test results to continue protecting themselves by covering the face, washing their hands, and practicing social distancing.