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Have you built up immunity to COVID-19? Lab in Tipp City performs antibody tests

A Tipp City medical lab that normally does DNA, alcohol and drug testing is now performing tests that could tell whether a person has already had the coronavirus -- and whether they have built up antibodies that would make them functionally immune.

The tests take but five minutes and are performed using a finger-prick blood test.

News Center 7′s John Bedell spoke with microbiologist and owner of Arcpoint Labs in Tipp City, Betty Zakeri, on the tests the lab began performing Monday.

The lab’s grand opening was just months ago in February of 2020.

“We open, and are doing our normal certifications...started getting new customers in, and the COVID hits. We wanted to be able to help,” Zakeri said.

They began performing RNA viral tests and then the tests became scarce.

A couple of weeks later, a test that would tell if a person has had the coronavirus came to market.

“Pretty much, it will tell you if you recently had it, or you had it a long time ago and your body started developing antibodies for it," Zakeri said. "There are two types of antibodies, IGM and IGG. IGM are the first ones that get started developing and then later you then have IGG, which are long-lasting antibodies in the body. Of course, if you have just IGG and no IGM, your body is basically functionally immune to whatever virus it is trying to detect.”

Zakeri says this test will help employees and employers in knowing who can safely come back to work.

It will also be of benefit as donation centers seek plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19.

This test will also bring hope, Zakeri said.

"You hear so many people get sick and die, but we're not hearing how many people actually have it and survive. And that's what we're really trying to put out there, that just like any other diseases, this could have a very good percentage of survival -- but what that is, we don't know that yet."

Arcpoint is gathering their data daily and reporting it to a local health department.

They have so far performed around 100 tests, two of which have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. One individual's test came back with IGG antibodies while the other with both IGG and IGM.

As long as they are able to access the tests and as long as there is a supply, the lab will continue testing, Zakeri said.


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