Doctors See Surge In Requests For Coronavirus Antibody Tests
PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — It's a mad dash for immunity. Doctors are seeing a surge in demand for coronavirus antibody tests.
Families want to know if they're protected, but the science isn't quite there yet.
Medical offices like Lincoln Urgent Care are very busy right now. Antibody tests are becoming more accessible and families told CBS13 they would feel more safe going out if they knew they already had the virus.
El Dorado Hills resident Rachel Kessler feels certain she had COVID-19 back in January.
"It kind of felt a little bit like pneumonia. Just had no energy, could barely get out of bed," she said.
Her kids showed similar symptoms, so could they all have had it? Rachel and her husband Kurt want to know because they have a daughter with a pre-existing condition. Having the antibodies would mean she made it through.
"It would definitely give us some ease to go out and start doing more things," Rachel Keyser said.
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But she and her husband have reservations.
"We worry that it's not necessarily 100% certain we wouldn't have a problem," Kurt Keyser said.
While getting an antibody test can be a simple finger prick, the results are complicated.
"What I would tell people is you can get an antibody test, but the results will be very difficult to interpret," Dr. Allison Brashear, Dean of the School of Medicine at UC Davis.
Dr. Brashear said we still don't know if having COVID-19 antibodies means you're immune. There are three big questions that need to be answered.
"What do the antibodies mean? How many do there need to be? And how long did they last?" She said.
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What is known is that research on antibody tests will help us eventually get a vaccine
As the parents look ahead, they're "looking towards when school starts again. Do we send her to school, do we keep her home?" Rachel Kessler said.
Antibody tests will likely grow as the go-to reassurance.
These tests usually cost between $100 and $200 depending on what insurance you have. In some areas, you can simply make an appointment and get one. In others, you must have a doctor's referral.
