The Latest on COVID-19 and Antibody Testing

COVID-19 Testing

We understand that many of you have questions about COVID-19 testing. There are two distinct COVID-19 testing types; diagnostic and antibody (serology). The diagnostic test uses a nasal swab to detect a current COVID-19 infection. The swab is processed in the lab for signs of the virus’ genetic material. The serology test uses a blood sample to detect the presence of antibodies, which may indicate that the person has recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection.

Diagnostic Testing

The City of Los Angeles recently announced it is now providing free diagnostic testing for all symptomatic and asymptomatic residents who make an appointment online. Although Torrance Memorial is not a participating testing site for the City of Los Angeles, we do have a drive-through lab testing site (diagnostic testing only) behind the Specialty Center for patients who have a physician order and an appointment. For details on the Torrance Memorial drive through lab testing station go to TorranceMemorial.org/COVID19.

Antibody Testing

There are many questions about the value of COVID-19 antibody tests in understanding and preventing the spread of the virus. Torrance Memorial is aligned with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in its understanding of both the limitations and potential use of antibody testing. An IDSA statement issued earlier this week explains data from antibody testing can help public health officials understand the scale of the pandemic though the clinical value of antibody testing individuals or healthcare workers is unclear.

According to Dr. John Kunesh, Torrance Memorial pathologist and CLIA director, “There is still a lot of research on antibody testing, and we do not know yet if having antibodies to the virus can protect someone from getting infected with the virus again, or how long that protection might last. There are also concerns about the reliability of some of the tests on the market. For these reasons, it is not recommended for individual, wide-spread testing, including the testing of health care workers.”

Research is rapidly evolving; Torrance Memorial will continue to monitor and update our staff on any developments or guideline changes set forth by both local and federal health agencies.

Please be aware there are many non-FDA-approved tests publicly available right now but may not be proven accurate. Our goal is to provide a valid, trusted test that is FDA-proven to be effective for our community, staff and patients.