UW Medicine Virology Lab begins antibody testing

The UW Medicine Virology Lab is now conducting clinical blood tests to check for past infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The test looks for the presence of an antibody, called IgG. The antibody first appears several days or longer after a person contracts the virus, even in those who never had symptoms or had just mild to moderate respiratory illness. Unlike nasal swab tests, which can determine whether someone is currently infected, the blood test can determine whether someone had the infection in the past and recovered.

Patients will be able to obtain the new antibody blood test through an order from their healthcare provider. Nurses in employee health centers eventually may be able to request testing for members of their workforce, and the test may eventually become part available through certain public health programs.