New Partnership Will Allow For More COVID-19 Antibody Testing In Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A partnership that will allow more testing for COVID-19 antibodies in Utah was announced Tuesday afternoon. ARUP Laboratories have begun testing 600 to 1,000 Utahns per day for COVID-19 antibodies in a partnership with University of Utah Health.

The test evaluates exposure to COVID-19 by detecting antibodies in a blood sample, which indicates if a person may have current or prior COVID-19 infection. ARUP’s testing capacity for this qualitative test is approximately 25,000 tests per day, according to a press release from University of Utah Health.

Julio Delgado, ARUP chief medical officer and director of labs, met with epidemiologists to plan the study design and decide which antibody test to use.

“This study will be very important to understand the true prevalence of COVID-19 disease in the state of Utah,” Delgado said. “The results of this study will also help leaders plan the next steps in Utah’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Test results will show positive or negative to having COVID-19 in the past and if they have developed an antibody response.

“A positive test does not indicate immunity and does not give an indication of when or where the patient was exposed,” the statement read.

“COVID-19 is brand new in the human population,” said Dr. Vincente Planelles, a virologist at University of Utah Health. “We still have a lot to learn about how to protect ourselves both as individuals and as a society.”