COVID-19 Testing

Facts about COVID-19

• The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new virus of global health significance caused by infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

• COVID-19 is thought to spread from person to person in close contact through respiratory droplets

• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. It is also possible that a person can catch COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes

• Currently, previous testing for COVID-19 has included only a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, which is tested for the presence of DNA from the virus

Facts about the Vibrant COVID-19 Panel

• Vibrant has developed a novel test for COVID-19. Vibrant’s COVID-19 panel is a highly sensitive and accurate serum assay for viral antibodies.

• Our test was internally developed and validated according to FDA EUA requirements. The independent review of this validation by the FDA is pending. This test does not require confirmation by CDC prior to reporting results

• Vibrant’s COVID-19 ImmuneCheck looks specifically for IgM, IgA, and IgG antibodies against the spike proteins and 4 viral antigens of Covid-19 that will help assess your immunity against this novel virus

Why Test Antibodies to COVID-19?

Antibodies have been found to be highly sensitive biomarkers in infectious disease diagnosis. Previous studies on SARS, MERS, and more recently the ones on SARS-CoV2 have shown IgM antibodies to appear about 3 days from infection and IgG antibodies appear after 8 days. Profiling an individual’s antibody response is the only way to determine infections with few or no symptoms.

Please note:

• A patient cannot order their own tests

• A doctor’s requisition is required for all testing

Not Available in New York state

Regulatory Statement

The test has been validated but FDA’s independent review of this validation is pending. Negative results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in those who have been in contact with the virus. Follow-up testing with a molecular diagnostic should be considered to rule out infection in these individuals. Results from antibody testing should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose or exclude SARS-CoV-2 infection or to inform infection status. Positive results may be due to past or present infection with non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains, such as coronavirus HKU1, NL63, OC43, or 229E. Not for the screening of donated blood.