Woburn Lab Unveils Test That Will Tell You If You've Had Coronavirus
WOBURN (CBS) – Starting Wednesday, ARCPoint Labs in Woburn will begin antibody testing, a way to figure out who unknowingly had the coronavirus and has recovered.
"It can give you some indication of whether you've had previous exposure to COVID-19 and whether you have some level of immunity," said Matthew Pappas, president of ArcPoint Labs.
On Tuesday morning, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that widespread antibody testing will be key to restarting life.
"It's going to come down to testing. You're going to have to know who had the virus, who resolved the virus, who never had it," he said.
The test is a quick fingerstick and looks for the presence of two antibodies.
"If the results are negative, that's going to tend to indicate that you want to continue isolation, social distancing," said Pappas. "If the result is positive, that might be an indication of past exposure and some level of immunity which might be important if you're essential personnel."
Pappas said anyone can make an appointment without a doctor referral, but the test costs about $60.
"The first appointment is tomorrow, and we're booked this week and next," said Pappas.
The FDA says it doesn't object to the distribution of antibody tests, but it said the tests aren't reviewed by the FDA and should not be the sole basis to diagnose or exclude coronavirus infection. Still, Pappas believes the tests will play a big role in how we move past this pandemic.
"It can help us better understand the infection rate across our population and enable us to make better decisions about when to resume work and restart the economy," he said.
Pappas said he plans to reach out to the state and local health departments this week to see if they would like a summary of their test results. WBZ-TV reached out to the State Department of Public Health but hasn't heard back yet.
