CDC has developed interim guidance for how healthcare providers, laboratories, and public health staff should use antibody tests.
These tests look for the presence of antibodies, which are proteins made in response to infections. Antibodies are detected in the blood of people who are tested after infection; they show the body’s efforts to fight off a specific infection.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is new, and what we know about it changes rapidly. This guidance will be updated as more information becomes available.