| Web: | mayocliniclabs.com |
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| Email: | mcl@mayo.edu |
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| Values are valid only on day of printing | |
| Web: | mayocliniclabs.com |
|---|---|
| Email: | mcl@mayo.edu |
| Telephone: | 800-533-1710 |
| International: | +1 855-379-3115 |
| Values are valid only on day of printing | |
In the news
July 20, 2021
A recent NBC Nightly News story took a closer look at COVID-19 antibody tests, examining whether or not those tests can reliability measure a person’s immunity level to the virus after receiving the vaccine.
Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Disease Serology Laboratory in Rochester, Minnesota, weighed in, noting that those tests are not necessarily an accurate measure of immunity.
“Antibody tests only probe one part of your immune system,” Dr. Theel says. “Just because you’re positive may not mean you have long-term protective immunity. And just because you’re negative doesn’t mean that you have no immunity at this point.”
In general, antibody tests are designed to detect past infection, not to determine a person’s immunity to the COVID-19 virus.
