Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
The Truth About Antibody Tests
This illustration reveals the morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
We’re asking public health officials and experts to answer your questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep in mind that this information does not constitute professional medical advice. For questions regarding your own health, always consult a physician.
There’s been a recent surge in interest among our readers for information about available tests that will feasibly determine whether or not they've built up antibodies against the coronavirus. Why all the attention? Well, in the last week and a half, 90 different tests have come on the market and a USC study suggested somewhere between 220,000 and 440,000 Angelenos have already been infected with COVID-19.
But while these tests “hold promise for a variety of things,” says Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, they’re “not a panacea by any stretch of the imagination.”
“For people like me, they're great for epidemiologic studies to understand where the virus has been, but they're not particularly good for a diagnosis, because it takes something like at least 11, 12 maybe as many as 18 days for them to turn positive after infection.”
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
