Huntington Hospital Offering Antibody Testing to People Who Have Recovered From COVID-19

Huntington Hospital is offering antibody testing to people that have recovered from the Coronavirus.

The testing is available to people that have been previously had the virus and have been symptom free for a minimum of 10 days

Antibodies are large Y-shaped molecules that target viruses after they invade the body. Antibodies bind like a lock-and-key to a specific part of the virus.

Antibody tests are designed to detect these molecules.

Huntington is an expanded access site for investigational therapies to treat coronavirus, including the use of convalescent plasma (CP) for our sickest patients.

However, there is a shortage of CP available for use

“The purpose of an antibody test is, instead of asking you whether or not you felt sick with COVID-19, we could instead ask your immune system if your immune system has seen the coronavirus,” said Daniel Larremore, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder told Livescience,com.

According to a statement by Huntington Hospital, protective antibody infusions are a well-established method to treat a variety of infections.

Current studies are showing its benefit for patients critically ill with the Coronavirus.

“Huntington Hospital is committed to providing the very best, cutting edge therapy for our patients,” the hospital statement reads.  “During this difficult time of the coronavirus pandemic, we hold fast to that commitment.”

According to the dashboard on its website, Huntington Hospital is currently treating 62 people infected with the virus. The hospital has tested 1,941 people for the virus to date. In total, 323 people have tested positive, and 22 tests are pending.
If you have previously tested positive for the virus and are interested in antibody testing, please make an appointment at Huntington Hospital’s Outpatient Lab at 10 Congress, Suite 520, Pasadena by calling (626) 397-5792, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Exer Urgent Care Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge are also providing antibody testing. Visit www.exerurgentcare.com to learn how to get tested.

Please consider donating your plasma at your nearest American Red Cross, www.redcrossblood.org.