CDC begins blood tests to find undetected coronavirus cases

2-3 minutes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shown in Atlanta. | John Bazemore/AP Photo

The CDC has started conducting antibody tests to help determine how many people have been infected with the coronavirus — including those who never developed symptoms, an agency spokesperson confirmed.
The test analyzes antibodies in a person’s blood to detect if they have been exposed to the coronavirus. identifying people who have recovered from infection and likely have some degree of protection from reinfection is a possible key to opening back up the country’s workforce.
The testing will focus on surveying three different groups, STAT and The New York Times first reported. The first phase has already begun to identify people who weren’t diagnosed with the infection in Covid-19 hot spots.

The other two surveys will test people from other areas around the country, and certain groups — including health care workers — to see how the virus has spread among them.
The FDA granted its first emergency use authorization for an antibody blood test on Wednesday. The agency said then that “it is reasonable to believe” the test, made by Cellex, may effectively diagnose Covid-19 cases, and that its potential benefits outweigh the risks.
Typically, devices applying for premarket approval are required to show evidence reasonably assuring they’re “safe and effective.”
Knowing how many people with the coronavirus don’t get sick is a key to developing a broader understanding of how the coronavirus behaves and how the U.S. outbreak has unfolded. This comes as the Trump administration has grappled with how long to continue to urge Americans to avoid nonessential travel and gatherings of more that 10 people — guidelines which will be in effect at least through April.

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