COVID-19 Antibody Testing: What You Need to Know

South Coast Medical Group is now offering COVID-19 antibody testing for our patients! To provide our patients with a better understanding of what this means, we wanted to share more information about the test.

Learn About the COVID-19 Antibody Test:

The COVID-19 antibody test searches for antibodies in your blood. When you have an infection like the coronavirus, your body produces antibodies, a protein that helps fight against the illness. By taking the test, it allows us to see if your body has responded to the infection by looking to see if you have produced any antibodies recently.

The two types of antibodies that we test for SARS-CoV-2 are IgM antibodies and IgG antibodies. The IgM antibodies are the antibodies that develop in the early stages of infection, while IgG antibodies are more apparent once you have made headway to recovery. Overall, this test can not diagnose if you have the virus or tell if you are immune to it, but it is a great resource to show if you have had it. 

According to the CDC, this is what you need to do if you test positive:

• If you have no symptoms, you likely do not have an active infection and no additional follow-up is needed.
• If you have symptoms and meet other guidelines for testing, you may need another type of test called a nucleic acid test, or viral test. This test uses respiratory samples, such as a swab from inside your nose, to confirm COVID-19. An antibody test cannot tell if you are currently sick with COVID-19.
• It’s possible you may test positive for antibodies even if you’ve never had symptoms of COVID-19. This is known as having an asymptomatic infection, or an infection without symptoms.

If you would like to receive the COVID-19 antibody test, please call us at (949) 360-1069 to schedule an appointment. 

If you would like to set up an in-person or telemedicine visit, our temporary hours of operations are: 

Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Sunday: 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority. We appreciate the trust our patients have in us and look forward to being of service to you.