Coronavirus Testing: CBS4's Joan Murray Gets Firsthand Look At How Antibody Test Is Administered
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A South Florida doctor whose company makes a test for coronavirus antibodies gave CBS4's Joan Murray a firsthand look at how they're administered.
API COVID-Rapid test kits are being boxed and sent all over South Florida and the country.
"You can't get them probably today," explained Dr. Vincent DeGennaro, who runs API. "But hopefully in the next week or two, you're gonna be able to be getting tested at your local doctor's office."
The positive results of his tests have been deemed 100% accurate.
"We know that you are going to have at least 12 months of so-called immunity from this," DeGennaro said, "and that we know from data from other coronaviruses and other types of virus in the past."
The tests are a game changer. They show you whether you had antibodies from a past infection, which means some immunity, or positive, which means you are currently infected and you may not be showing any symptoms.
"We know that 50% of people are asymptomatic, and we need to catch them before they spread the disease. By testing everybody, and having those tests here, we should be able to start to get back to some semblance of normalcy and talk about opening up," DeGennaro said.
DeGennaro showed Murray how it works. She gave two drops of blood as did the CBS4 photographer with her. The doctor's cousin, his brother and the doctor himself were also tested. Two drops of a buffer are added and then you see a control line.
"After 10 minutes you know whether you've been exposed to the virus and are currently immune or are currently infected," the doctor explained.
All five were negative.
If you get a negative result, you probably will have to get tested again. But this test will provide a lot of information on where the virus is and how it is spreading.
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