KATY – A new rapid COVID-19 antibody test has arrived in the Houston area.
In as little as ten minutes, the test can determine whether a person has had Coronavirus by detecting antibodies in the blood. Short and long-term antibodies can provide immunity from contracting the virus again, said Dr. Uzo Odili.
Dr. Odili and his team at APEX Urgent Care in Katy are among the first to offer the new test.
"It's just a finger prick, a brief discomfort," he said. "It is over in just a few seconds. We use the lancet to prick the blood, then the capillary draws the blood. We insert it into the slot here. Then, we add the buffer solution."
Similar to the rapid flu test, Dr. Odili said his office received hundreds of testing kits Tuesday.
"Everybody who has the infection is going to build immunity, build antibodies against coronavirus, and this test will pick up on that," said Dr. Odili.
According to Dr. Odili, no test is perfect, but this one is about as good as it gets.
"Reviewing the data behind this test, it has a sensitivity and specificity greater than 95-percent," said Dr. Odili. "The test was run against patients who had nasal swabs and were confirmed positive. They used that data to confirm the accuracy of the test."
With this test, Dr. Odili said patients could get peace of mind in minutes, something traditional COVID-19 tests are unable to do.
"The nasal swab test is only going to be useful while a person is having symptoms," said Dr. Odili.
The test is not covered by insurance. KPRC 2 paid $85 for the rapid COVID-19 antibody blood test at APEX Urgent Care.
APEX Urgent Care has two locations: one in Katy and the other in Richmond. For more information about the test, head to https://www.apexurgentclinic.com/