COVID-19 antibody testing to begin in Volusia County early next month

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Early next month, antibody testing for COVID-19 will beging at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, officials said.

Five hundred tests will be made available to the public starting at 8:30 a.m. on May 4 and a blood draw will be required for the test.

“These types of blood drawn tests for the antibodies are more thorough and tend to be more reliable than the finger-stick version being proposed by some. Furthermore, this large-scale approach for a test of this kind is the first in Central Florida," said Rep. David Santiago.

Read: Coronavirus: What you need to know in Central Florida

No appointments are necessary and officials said the cost of the test should be covered by insurance, or if you don’t have insurance will be provided free of cost.

Officials said the test does not check for the virus itself, but it does check to see if an immune system has responded to the infection. They hope the test will lead to a better understanding of who may have developed an immunity toward COVID-19, and be a step toward moving to get the economy back open.

“Everybody is talking about this next phase and how do we open up the economy. It’s all about testing,” Santiago said. “People want to know whether they had it, if they have the antibodies to feel sense of comfort and relief to get back into the economy.”

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