FORT MYERS, Fla. — Just this week Gov. DeSantis announced he would deploy more antibody tests at state-run testing sites to help determine the number of people who were infected with the virus and have recovered. Dr. Vincent DeGennaro is an epidemiologist out of Miami, who is one of the masterminds behind these antibody test kits.
“ The antibody test, is a prick of the finger usually, just a couple drops of blood, like a diabetic check-in their sugar. We put it on a card that’s just a piece of plastic with a special filter paper in it and within 10 minutes you get a result”, said Dr. Vincent DeGennaro Jr. CEO & Medical Director of Abacus Pharma International.
The results will show one red line if negative and two red lines if positive for COVID-19. He says this test is especially useful for two reasons.
“The antibody test and Covid Rapidcan tell you if you’ve had the past infection, and from every indication that we know of viruses and coronaviruses, that you will have some immunity for some length of time, probably 12 months, maybe as long as 18 months we just don’t know,” said Dr. DeGennaro.
He says the antibody test does not replace the cotton swab test, but will help to catch more asymptomatic cases.
“Listen they are not great in the first week of infection. We’re going to catch about half of the infection in the first 7 days. So like I said, I don’t look at that as missing half, but gaining half of the people we wouldn’t have tested anyway because they are asymptomatic”, said Dr. Degennaro.
No matter who you are or what your occupation is, he says as we reopen the country this type of testing is vital.
“We need to have a baseline of who’s had it and who hasn’t. There’s 3000 Americans dying every day, 3000 people being infected every day. Who are they? Where are they? We need to have that kind of data to know where it’s safe and where it’s not” said Dr. DeGennaro
Right now Covid Rapid is working on their FDA approval, but in the meantime head to your local doctor’s office or hospital to get tested before heading back to work.
