As you may have seen, outpatient laboratories have recently started offering both antibody (also referred to as serology) and at home nasal swab testing for COVID-19. While we understand the importance of access to RELIABLE testing to make informed decisions about you and your child’s health, these options are concerning to our providers.
Since testing became available in the healthcare setting, we’ve been performing the (nasopharyngeal) swab testing at our office on patients for whom it was appropriate to test. We plan to continue this practice throughout the remainder of this pandemic or until a better test is available to assist in the diagnosis of an active COVID-19 infection.
Antibody testing became available in outpatient healthcare facilities this past week, including in our offices. This test can be helpful in determining the presence of certain antibodies. It is important to note that a positive test of these antibodies MAY indicate prior exposure to COVID-19. Additionally, we are still unsure if the presence of these antibodies indicates immunity to COVID-19 in the future.
Given all of this information, it is critical that you continue to rely on trusted information sources, in collaboration with our team of medical professionals, to determine the best course of action for your children relative to testing for COVID-19. If you have questions about testing your children, please call our office so our providers can discuss these options with you individually. If your child does need to be tested, we will schedule an appointment in our office for the procedure.
Thank you for continuing to trust in our medical home for your children, especially in these difficult times!
