Ingham County Health Department issues warning on COVID-19 antibody tests

Antibody testing is becoming more popular across Michigan as people want to see if they've had COVID-19 without even realizing it.

However, the Ingham County Health Department said those tests might not be as reliable as you think.

SPARROW HEALTH SYSTEM ISEXPANDING ITS COVID-19 ANTIBODYTESTING... TO THEGENERAL PUBLIC TOMORROW.IT'S ONE OF SEVERAL PLACES YOUCAN GET TESTED.BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUTTHE ACCURACY OF SOME ANTIBODYTESTS... ANDNOBODY KNOWS HOW LONG IMMUNITYEVEN LASTS.FOX 47'S CODY BUTLER HAS THESTORY.ANITBODY TESTING IS BECOMINGMORE POPULAR ACROSS MICHIGAN ATPLACES LIKE LANSINGURGENT CARE ... AS PEOPLE WANTTO SEE IF THEY'VE HAD COVID 19WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT.BUT THE INGHAM COUNTY HEALTHDEPARTMENT SAYS THOSE TESTSMIGHT NOT BE AS RELIABLE AS YOUTHINK.I THINK THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ISRIGHT ON THE MONEY.

MORE ANDMORE BLOOD TESTS ARE BECOMINGAVAILABLE TO SEE IF SOMEONE HADCOVID-19 ANDRECOVERED FROM IT.BUT THE INGHAM COUNTY HEALTHDEPARTMENT IS WARNING PEOPLETHOSE TESTS AREN'T RELIABLE.RIGHT NOW THERE'S REALLY NOTENOUGH INFORMATION KNOWN.DR. JAMES RICHARD IS THE LABDIRECTOR FOR SPARROW HEALTH ...WHICH IS EXPANDING ANTIBODYTESTING FRIDAY.HE SAYS THE INFORMATION ITPROVIDES COULD BE USEFUL IN THEFIGHT AGAINST CORONAVIRUS.TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE PENATRANCEHAS BEEN IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WEDON'T KNOW HOW MANYASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE IN OURCOMMUNITY ACTUALLY HAD COVID.WE TOLD YOU TWO WEEKS AGO WHENLANSING URGENT CARE WAS ONE OFTHE FIRST TO OFFER THE ANTIBODYTESTING IN MID-MICHIGAN.IT'S CEO DR. TERRY MATHEWS SAYSTHESE TESTS CAN OFFER SOME PEACEOF MIND.A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE JUST WANTINGINFORMATION, HAVE I BEENEXPOSED?

AN ANTIBODY TEST GIVESTHEM SOME SORT OF ANSWER.BUT INGHAM COUNTY HEALTH OFFICERLINDA VAIL SAYS THESE TESTS CANGIVE FALSE HOPE.THE TEST IS NOT GOING TO HELPYOUR DOCTOR DO ANYTHING AND ITDOESN'T REALLY TELL YOU ANYTHINGSAFELY RETURNING TO WORK.ABOUT A HUNDRED DIFFERENT TESTSHAVE EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATIONFROM THEF-D-A ... WHICH IS DIFFERENTFROM A FORMAL F-D-A APPROVAL.THAT'S WHY VAIL SAYS MORESTUDIES NEED TO BE DONE.IT'S STILL IN THE EARLY STAGESOF DEVELOPING THAT AS A STRATEGYAND INSTEAD OF RESEARCHINGIT, TESTING IT, AND DEPLOYING ITIN COMMUNITIES WHERE WE DON'TKNOW NECESSARILYWHAT THE ANSWERS MEAN.NO MATTER WHAT RESULT YOU GET ONYOUR ANTIBODY TEST ... YOU ARESTILL ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICESOCIAL DISTANCING.THE TESTS LOOK FOR ANTIBODIESYOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM CREATES...AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO A VIRUS.THEY DO NOT CHECK FOR AN ACTIVEVIRUS -- WHICH IS WHY YOU CAN'TGET ONE IF YOUHAVE COVID-19 SYMPTOMS.THERE IS A SEPARATE NASAL SWABTEST FOR THA