Shore Medical Center Offers Coronavirus Antibody Testing

Correction: Patients who would like to see if antibody testing is right for them should call Shore Physicians Group for an appointment with a physician, who can write a script for an antibody test.

SOMERS POINT, NJ — Shore Medical Center now offers tests to determine whether patients have antibodies to the coronavirus. All asymptomatic individuals are eligible for the blood test.

Patients who would like a test can discuss it with a physician at Shore Physicians Group's offices in Ocean City, Somers Point, Northfield, Margate and Mays Landing. Their physicians get decide whether you're a good fit for antibody testing and can write you a script to get a test done at Shore Medical Center.

Infection with COVID-19, like other viruses, produces an antibody response. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to help stop "intruders" from harming the body.

There are several types of antibodies that form either through exposure to a specific "intruder" or through vaccination. Antibodies most commonly become detectable one to three weeks after symptom onset, according to Shore Physicians Group.

A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the Center for Disease Control.

But the scientific community is still looking for some answers regarding certain types of antibody tests. For instance, there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from the coronavirus are immune to catching it again.

It is also possible to get exposed to COVID-19 and not develop antibodies. With some low-quality tests, it's possible to receive a "false positive" because you had another type of virus.

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Serology tests shouldn't be used as the basis for any "immunity certificates" to inform decisions to return to work or reduce social distancing, according to Shore Physicians group.

But the CDC issued interim guidelines May 26 for coronavirus antibody testing in clinical and public-health settings. The CDC is using data from the tests to estimate the total number of people infected with COVID-19 nationally.

Click here for more on Shore's tests.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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