Company Offers $119 COVID Antibody Test To Public

CNBC reports:

Quest Diagnostics announced Tuesday that individuals can now skip a doctor’s visit and order a coronavirus antibody test online in a push to broaden Covid-19 screening.

An antibody test shows whether someone has been exposed to or potentially had the coronavirus and developed the antibodies to fight the infection. It doesn’t guarantee immunity, but physicians say a positive antibody test indicates that a patient may have some level of protection against reinfection. The test costs $119, according to Quest’s website.

Quest screens patients online to determine whether or not an antibody test is appropriate and then sends them to have their blood drawn at one of the company’s 2,200 laboratories, Quest said in a statement. The results are available within one to two days after a blood sample is taken, the company said.