New insight is now available for those who are curious if they have antibodies for COVID-19. The American Red Cross just announced that they will be testing all blood donations for coronavirus antibodies for a limited time.
Antibody testing indicates that a person’s immune system produced antibodies to COVID-19, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration just authorized emergency use of antibody tests to the Red Cross so they could test all blood, platelets, and plasma donations for the virus.
The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose COVID-19, and a positive test result does not confirm infection or immunity. However, the diagnostic test will offer insight to coronavirus exposure, and results will be available 7-10 days after donating.
Blood drives and donation sites are following strict safety standards to protect their staff and donors. To find out how to donate, visit RedCrossBlood.org or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App on your phone.
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
