If you think you had coronavirus, new antibody test available without trip to doctor's office
(Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. - Quest Diagnostics announced that any person who wants to get an antibody test for COVID-19 can purchase one online, without having to go to the doctor's office, as the country pushes to broaden screening for the virus.
The test, which costs $119, is available through Quest's direct-to-consumer business and can be purchased at GetQuestTest.com.
"With the introduction of this test and service, Quest is making it easy for people to access quality testing for antibodies to the virus which causes COVID-19, with access to physician interpretation and steering into needed care," said Dr. Jay Wohlgemuth, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Quest Diagnostics, in a statement. "While the science on COVID-19 is evolving, testing for antibodies may identify people who have likely been exposed to COVID-19 and might have mounted an immune response to the virus. Our goal is to empower individuals and their physicians to make informed decisions about their risk of infection and of spreading the virus."
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Currently, there is no known scientific cure for the disease known as COVID-19, however, a number of drugs are being tested to see if they can treat it.
Patients are screened online by Quest to see if an antibody test is right for them. Following the purchase of the service, a person will then be asked to make an appointment at one of Quest's 2,200 service centers across the U.S. to have their blood drawn.
The test results are available between one and two days after the blood is drawn.
"For the safety of our patients and employees, individuals must not have experienced symptoms of COVID-19 for at least 10 days; wear a face mask; and pass a contact-less temperature check," Quest added.
Antibody tests can help clear up how many people have contracted the coronavirus. A recent study performed on New York City residents suggested that 2.7 million New Yorkers have had coronavirus, an infection rate across the state of 13.9 percent.
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As of Tuesday morning, more than 3 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, more than 988,000 of which are in the U.S., the most impacted country on the planet.
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this story.
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