Health

Coronavirus

As a new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) swept through the world in 2020, preparedness plans, masking policies and more public policy changed just as quickly. WVXU has covered the pandemic's impact on the Tri-State from the very beginning, when on March 3, 2020, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine barred spectators from attending the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus over concerns about the virus, even though Ohio had yet to confirm a single case of COVID-19.

Are Coronavirus Antibody Tests Useful? Cleveland Clinic Researcher Says No

Ideastream Public Media | By Jeff St. Clair

Published June 12, 2020 at 6:29 PM EDT

Antibody tests measure the immune system's response to the coronavirus.

Ohio is now allowing nasal swab testing for anyone who might have COVID-19, not just those with severe symptoms.

Some labs are also offering a blood test for people who think they might have had a mild case of the disease.

This antibody test measures the body’s immune response to the coronavirus.

But the head of Cleveland Clinic’s coronavirus testing lab says these antibody tests are largely useless.

Kamran Kadkhoda says the blood tests for COVID-19 are highly inaccurate and misleading.

Cleveland Clinic's Kamran Kadkhoda says antibody testing is useless.

“And they just give a truckload of caveats on the report and put the onus on the physician or patient to interpret that, but that’s not really the best way of doing it. This is not in my opinion a good laboratory medicine practice," Kadkhoda said.

Kadkhoda says the Cleveland Clinic is not offering antibody testing.

He says it’s only use as a public health tool is in vaccine development, not for individuals wanting to know if they had COVID-19.