Monday to Friday | 10am - 4:00pm |
Saturday, Sunday & Bank Hols | Closed |
Simply put its a test to see if you have the antibodies which indicate whether you have been infected with coronavirus in the past.
The test can help understand whether you have already had Covid-19, confirming your suspicions after you have had symptoms, or enabling you to discover you have the antibodies if you contracted the virus so mildly that you did not suffer at all.
At least 2 weeks after you have developed symptoms - as your immune system will only react to the infection by SARS-CoV-2 and create antibodies days after (and it can be up to 2 weeks) you have been affected. If you take the test too early it might not detect the antibodies..
Tests are available for anyone over the age of 12 who want to know whether they have had Coronavirus.
These tests are not 100% but do deliver high levels of accuracy.
The two measures determining their reliability are:
Specificity - this measure indicates the likelihood of a false positive, i.e. reporting that you have had Covid-19 when you have not.
Sensitivity - measures the chance of a false negative. This would mean you are advised that you have not had the virus when in fact you did.
If I test positive, am I protected from catching Covid-19 again?
Currently we do not know if having the antibodies provides protection, either fully or partially from being infected again, or indeed how long any immunity may last.
Therefore you should not behave any differently as a result of a positive result, and continue to take the same precautions as you would have done before taking the antibody test.
Tests can be arranged either through the NHS websites relevant for your country or can be sourced privately through a pharmacy or chemist.
A selection of pharmacies currently offering Covid-19 tests can be found below
Or try further options suggested by Google
Image courtesy of: free images
This content was last reviewed on 09/03/2022