Will An Antibody Test Allow Us To Go Back To School Or Work?

Governments around the world are hopeful that antibody tests can tell them which people are protected from reinfection and can safely go back to normal activities

- Eduardo Gonzales

The idea of providing proof of immunity to allow workers to return to their jobs is being considered in many countries, including Britain and Italy. Officials in other countries like Chile, France, and Germany are already taking this step, too. They depend on something called antibody test, a blood test that determines whether someone has ever been infected with the coronavirus.

We would welcome knowing whether we had antibodies and, of course, would be happy to be able to resume something like normal life.

But as with any test, they are not perfect, and there have been problems with their accuracy.

Here’s what you need to know.

What are antibodies?

An antibody is a tiny, Y-shaped protein that certain cells of your immune system produce when an antigen, such as a disease-causing microorganism like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, enters your body.

An antibody helps fight off the antigen that triggered its production. But it will not kill or dismember the antigen. It simply binds or attaches to it. Also, an antibody binds only to the antigen that triggered its production. Thus, if you get infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus, your immune cells will start producing antibodies that will bind to SARS-CoV-2 virus only. These antibodies will not bind to any other viruses or antigens.