It may also mean that you have some immunity. The Antibody Assay for SARS-CoV-2 is not a diagnostic test to determine if COVID-19 virus is present. The level of immunity and how long immunity lasts are not yet known. The two types of COVID-19 tests are a virus test and an antibody test. An antibody test checks whether you had COVID-19 in the past and now have antibodies against the virus. In most cases, exposure to the COVID-19 virus would have resulted in symptoms of an infection. A negative test result with the Antibody Assay for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies does not rule out a SARS-CoV-2 infection. A COVID-19 antibody test can’t diagnose a current, active infection, but a viral test does. That diagnosis should be based on a PCR (molecular) test. (Virus tests including the PCR/molecular test and the antigen test.) In general, a positive antibody test is presumed to mean a person has been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at some point in the past. Low lymphocyte levels and high C-reactive protein levels have been associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. COVID-19 Antibody (IgG) Description The SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay is a qualitative test designed to detect IgG antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 in serum and plasma from patients who are suspected of past coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or in serum and plasma of subjects that may have been infected by SARS-CoV-2. A positive COVID-19 IgG antibody test means that you previously had or have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, and that your immune system developed antibodies in response to it. If your antibody test result was positive, this means that the test shows that you have COVID-19 antibodies in your blood. It does not mean they are currently infected. Whether you test positive or negative for COVID-19 on a viral or an antibody test, you still should take steps to protect yourself and others . Ongoing studies will eventually reveal more data on this. What does it mean if I have a negative test result? What does a positive antibody test mean? This result means that you were likely infected with COVID-19 in the past. Here's what you need to know about Covid-19 antibody tests. 12-14 Negative results suggest that a person has not been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or has been very recently infected (antibodies have not yet been produced). Covid-19 antibody tests can tell you if you have had a previous infection, but with varying degrees of accuracy. The antibody instant COVID-19 test contains a conjugate pad with SARS-CoV-2 recombinant antigens, an IgG line coated with an anti-human IgM line, an IgM line coated with anti-human IgM, and a control line.. After the sample is placed inside the test cassette, the specimen will migrate by capillary action along with the cassette. However, it is possible for this test to give a negative result that is incorrect (false negative) in some people. A negative (non-reactive) result indicates that SARS-CoV-2 IgG is not present at a level that is detectable by the SARS-CoV-2 Serology (COVID-19) Antibody (IgG), Immunoassay. An antibody test may not show if you have a current COVID-19 infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. Instead, the COVID-19 antibody test shows if your body has mounted a response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, all tests, including the COVID-19 antibody test, can give positive results that are incorrect (i.e., false positive results). At hospital admission, antibody levels were correlated with those of C-reactive protein (indicating inflammatory response) but not with lymphocyte counts (indicating immune response to infection). A negative test result means that the antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 were not found in your sample. On the other hand, the PCR molecular test to diagnose COVID-19. 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