Oct 12
The Pros and Cons of a New COVID-19 Antibody Test
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization for the first point-of-care antibody test for COVID-19 — the Assure COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device.
The fingerstick blood test can be administered in provider’s offices, hospitals, urgent care centers, and emergency rooms, with results in approximately 15 minutes.
Although the tests offer more timely and convenient results, Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells Verywell Health, “there are a whole host of issues” surrounding antibody testing.