The not-for-profit blood center OneBlood announced in a tweet on Monday that those donating blood will get a free coronavirus antibody test.
The blood center operates in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Donors will be tested using an FDA-approved method that will indicate within 48 hours whether the immune system of the person giving blood has produced antibodies for the virus, NBC News reported.
Experts believe that many people may have been exposed to the virus without showing any symptoms.
"In addition to donors learning if they have the antibody, OneBlood will be identifying additional people who can be COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors," said OneBlood Senior Vice President Susan Forbes. Convalescent plasma can help treat those who are critically ill with coronavirus.
Antibody testing has been a major issue as researchers try to understand if those who contract the coronavirus can build up an immunity to it, according to Click Orlando.
The availability of such testing has, to this point, not been very widespread.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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